YouSaid · the spoken record

Lowcock

lines on the record
570
first
2017-09-27
most recent
2021-06-15
sittings or episodes
46
sources
un-security-council

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  1. “An alarming number of child malnutrition cases have been recorded there, and more than 400 people with health problems require medical evacuation. Ijoin the call of the World Food Programme (WFP) and others for unimpeded humanitarian access. Against that background, the United Nations and our partners continue to implement in Syria one of the largest humanitarian operations in the world. We are reaching millions of people on a monthly basis. For example, in September the WFP provided food assistance to more than 3.3 million people, UNICEF reached over 1.5 million people, and the WHO reached over 800,000 people. We have just completed a major piece of work to analyse implementation of activities so far this year, and I have separately made available new data on that.”

    2017-10-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8081 (2017) · source

  2. “Clearly the best approach is to find a solution from within Syria. We are straining every sinew to do that. Whatever happens, it is our collective duty to avoid yet another humanitarian catastrophe in Syria. Nearly 3 million people in Syria continue to live in besieged and hard-to-reach areas. In eastern Ghouta, daily shelling continues to be reported in recent weeks. Humanitarian access to eastern Ghouta - one of the four de-escalated areas where nearly 95 per cent of Syria's besieged population lives - has been severely curtailed for months. Since the start of the year, 110,000 people have received food assistance, out of an estimated population of nearly 400,000. Today the United Nations and partners delivered food, nutrition and health assistance to 40,000 people.”

    2017-10-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8081 (2017) · source

  3. “And an estimated 50,000 Syrians remain stranded in the desert in Rukban, in an area known as the berm, along the Syrian-Jordanian border. In the past year, there have been only two distributions of United Nations humanitarian food assistance to these people, and it has been four months since the last partial distribution. As limited commercial supplies are reaching Rukban, access to food is precarious and the overall situation remains dire. As the winter months approach, the situation will become even more acute. Ongoing assessments and data collected through the United Nations health clinic underscore the fragility of the situation. A long-term durable solution to the plight of these people has to be found. Meanwhile, immediate access to enable life-saving assistance for the civilian population is critical.”

    2017-10-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8081 (2017) · source

  4. “UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) report that the attacks on Mayadin destroyed a vaccine cold room, with at least 140,000 doses of United Nations-provided measles and polio vaccines lost. Until a new cold room is built and the required cold-chain equipment - including solar fridges, cold boxes and vaccine carriers - are delivered, routine immunization for vulnerable children in the area will be delayed. This is a particular setback for efforts to check one of the world's largest polio outbreaks in recent memory, an outbreak which continues to plague Deir ez-Zor in particular, with new cases continuing to be reported. In Homs governorate, over a period of 20 days this month, ISIL reportedly executed at least 128 people in reprisal killings, accusing them ofcollaboration with the Syrian Government.”

    2017-10-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8081 (2017) · source

  5. “The United Nations anticipates that, despite the directive issued by local authorities for civilians not to return to the city until it is deemed safe, people will go back to try to check on and protect their homes and their personal assets. Further to the east, in Deir ez-Zor governorate, heavy fighting and airstrikes continue to result in civilian deaths and injuries. Large-scale displacement also continues, with the International Organization for Migration reporting some 350,000 people displaced since August, including more than 250,000 in October alone. In mid-October, in Mayadin city and surrounding areas in Deir ez-Zor governorate, around 15,000 people were reportedly without access to health services following air strikes on the city, rendering hospitals and medical points inoperable.”

    2017-10-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8081 (2017) · source

  6. “I am worried about the impact of fighting and airstrikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure in Raqqa governorate, with scores of civilians reportedly killed in recent months. The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) may be largely pushed out of Raqqa, but after years of oppression and almost a year of intense fighting, humanitarian needs will continue to be large for some time to come. Since the beginning of the anti-ISIL offensive in November last year, airstrikes and clashes have resulted in more than 436,000 people being displaced from Raqqa to 60 different locations, including in neighbouring governorates. I am also concerned for the safety and protection of civilians at risk from unexploded ordnance throughout Raqqa city, particularly those trying to return to their homes.”

    2017-10-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8081 (2017) · source

  7. “Conflict and violations of international humanitarian law continue to be the principal drivers ofhumanitarian need, with civilians in many parts of the country enduring massive suffering. Military operations and hostilities in some parts of the country, particularly in the east, continue to drive displacement. The number of long-term internally displaced persons (IDPs) has decreased from 6.3 million to 6.1 million over the past year, while IDP returns, especially of those temporarily displaced, have been increasing in some parts of the country. But levels of new displacement remain high, with some 1.8 million people reported to have been displaced between January and September. I want to flag some specific current problems which particularly concern me, and then I will summarize where we are on the humanitarian response.”

    2017-10-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8081 (2017) · source

  8. “Mr. Lowcock: This is my second briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria. In Amman today I have discussed the position with the Jordanian authorities and the United Nations humanitarian leadership team based in the region. One conclusion is obvious: the impact of the Syria crisis continues to be profound. My briefing today focuses on the humanitarian issues inside Syria. High Commissioner Grandi will speak to the Council on the refugee situation on Thursday. More than 13 million people inside Syria still need humanitarian assistance; 6.3 million of them are exceptionally vulnerable and in acute need as a result of displacement, hostilities and limited access to basic goods and services.”

    2017-10-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8081 (2017) · source

  9. “I have sought the agreement of the authorities to visit Syria so as to see the situation for myself, support the preparation of the 2018 humanitarian response plan and subsequently advocate for resources for it. Syria continues to face deep and difficult challenges, and the Syrian people remain trapped in a cycle of violence that must be broken. I will be working openly and transparently with all sides to find solutions that place the people at the centre of our collective focus. I look forward to working with the Council to get more help to them and provide them with better protection.”

    2017-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8058 (2017) · source

  10. “International humanitarian law and human rights law set out the responsibilities of warring parties to ensure the necessary protection of all humanitarian organizations, including personnel, facilities and other relief assets. I count on the Council's vigilance and support to ensure the necessary protection of all humanitarian workers in Syria. At the Brussels conference on supporting the future of Syria and the region held in April some $6 billion was pledged by more than 40 Governments to meet the humanitarian and longer-term needs of Syrians and host communities inside Syria and in the region, but the 2017 United Nations humanitarian response plan remains substantially underfunded. I call on the Council to renew its support for addressing that issue and for ensuring that all pledges be turned into contributions.”

    2017-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8058 (2017) · source

  11. “The situation remains perilous for humanitarian workers in Syria, whether they are United Nations staff or our non-governmental organization partners who face risks of violence every day. As reported by the Secretary-General in his latest monthly report, dozens of humanitarian workers have been killed since the beginning of the conflict, including staff members of the United Nations and staff members and volunteers of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the Palestine Red Crescent Society. More than 50 staff members of the United Nations and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East remain detained or missing.”

    2017-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8058 (2017) · source

  12. “Since the adoption of resolution 2165 (2004), the United Nations has dispatched more than 16,000 trucks delivering health supplies sufficient for almost 15 million treatments, as well as non-food items for almost four million people and water, sanitation and hygiene support for three million people. Nearly 1 million people per month on average have been given help with food. As the Secretary-General says in his latest monthly report (S/2017/794), those operations complement the critical role played by international and Syrian non-governmental organizations. In addition to providing aid, those organizations provide essential basic services, including education and health.”

    2017-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8058 (2017) · source

  13. “That will require overcoming constraints posed by bureaucratic delays and blockages by all sides. I note that the first two meetings of the tripartite mechanism comprised of the United Nations, the Government of Syria and the Russian Federation have taken place in Damascus to provide a forum for administrative and security issues. Those are practical developments that can improve the lives of Syrians. Regular programming within Syria allows millions of people to be reached every month through the most direct routes. Inside Syria, regular programming reaches more than 4 million people each month with food, medicine and other essential items. Through cross-border programming from Jordan and Turkey, we reach millions more.”

    2017-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8058 (2017) · source

  14. “While the numbers have been reduced, the plight of those trapped remains severe. Those sieges must be lifted. More than 1 million people rely on assistance that is provided across conflict lines. We are still unable to reach the vast majority of them on a sufficiently regular basis. As of September, 9,000 people in the three besieged towns of Fo'ah, Kafraya and Yarmouk have been reached, and 25,000 people have been reached in eastern Harasta, Misraba and Modira, but overall, under the August and September access plan, we have reached just 280,500 of the 1.23 million people for whom we have requested assistance. There have been periods over the past 18 months during which the United Nations has reached more than 300,000 people in a single week. I would like to see such access replicated or surpassed in the future.”

    2017-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8058 (2017) · source

  15. “The United Nations, through our partner the Syrian Arab Red Crescent has been able to reach the area by road, and that means that we were able to end the airdrops which, through 309 high-altitude rotations since April last year, dispatched more than 6,030 metric tons of food and supplies to those in need inside the city. Following a comprehensive review by the United Nations, Deir ez-Zor and the 93,500 people in the city are being removed from the list of those besieged. Some 419,920 people, most of whom, according to UNICEF, are children, now remain besieged in 10 locations across Syria. Of those, 95 per cent are besieged by the Government of Syria; 2 per cent in Fo'ah and Kafraya are besieged by non-State armed groups; and 3 per cent in Yarmouk are besieged by both non-State armed groups and the Government of Syria.”

    2017-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8058 (2017) · source

  16. “Many have been forced into other ISIL areas, out of the reach of relief organizations, and those who have been able to escape from fighting in those cities, by going north into Kurdish-controlled areas, continue to face restrictions on movement. As front lines continue to shift, humanitarian access to those in need is also changing. After three years ofbesiegement by ISIL, as Staffan de Misturajust said, Government of Syria forces in early September gained access to Deir ez-Zor city. New commercial and humanitarian routes have been opened as a result.”

    2017-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8058 (2017) · source

  17. “Further to the east, battles against ISIL in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor governorates have resulted in a spike in violence. As the Syrian Democratic Forces continue their advances inside Raqqa city, I am concerned about the estimated 14,000 civilians trapped there. They are squeezed into an ever-smaller area. Civilians need safe passage and access to life-saving assistance. In Deir ez-Zor governorate, air strikes in recent days have reportedly led to the death of scores of civilians, while ISIL is reportedly using civilians as human shields. Nearly 100,000 people from towns in the governorate along the Euphrates have reportedly been displaced owing to the intense fighting since 25 August. More than 50,000 have been displaced in the past week alone.”

    2017-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8058 (2017) · source

  18. “Reports suggest that an air strike yesterday in the Wadi Al-Zaib area yesterday in rural Hama may have killed as many as 80 people fleeing the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). I am particularly concerned about air strikes reportedly hitting schools and hospitals in Idlib. Humanitarian partners told us last week that three hospitals in Kafr Nabl, Khan Shaykhun, and Heish sub-districts are no longer in service, leaving over half a million people without access to medical care. Such attacks result not only in direct human suffering from the attacks themselves, but they also cause unnecessary consequential suffering and death by depriving people of access to medical care for what would otherwise be treatable conditions.”

    2017-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8058 (2017) · source

  19. “I welcome the continued progress in de-escalation following the 4 May agreement signed by Russia, Turkey and Iran. These developments have had a positive impact on civilians in certain parts of south-western Syria, rural Damascus, north-western Horns and Idlib. As my colleague, Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura, has said, the last round of talks in Astana have set the stage for a further reduction in violence. Nevertheless, we continue to receive reports of violations of international humanitarian law by all parties to the conflict, and like Staffan, I am concerned about reports of recent fighting and air strikes in Idlib and Hama, which have resulted in significant death and injury and damaged critical civilian infrastructure.”

    2017-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8058 (2017) · source

  20. “Mr. Lowcock: Mr. President, it is an honour to speak to you this afternoon for the first time since taking up my role as Emergency Relief Coordinator. All Council members around this table are aware of the devastating effects the conflict has had on civilians in Syria. I recognize the strenuous efforts many members have made to promote improvements in the humanitarian situation. I know that the Council has worked collectively for increased humanitarian access and for the protection of civilians, and this remains high on the agenda of the international community, as we saw at the general debate in the General Assembly last week. Humanitarian and protection needs remain both vast and acute across Syria. I pledge to work with the Security Council and with all sides to improve protection and to get aid to people in need.”

    2017-09-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.8058 (2017) · source