YouSaid · the spoken record

Mark Lowcock

lines on the record: 336
first: 2020-03-30
most recent: 2021-05-26
sittings or episodes: 28
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“The Ansar Allah authorities cancelled that mission the night before departure. But it is not too late, and we remain eager to assist. The United Nations team can deploy within three weeks of receiving all the necessary permits. We are in touch with the Government of Yemen for their approvals. Yesterday we also submitted an official request to the Ansar Allah authorities, which includes details on the mission plan, personnel and technical equipment. We hope that these requests and other logistical arrangements will be quickly approved, without preconditions. The Ansar Allah authorities have an important opportunity here to take steps that will spare millions of their fellow citizens from yet another tragedy. We are eager to work with them to do this.”
2020-07-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/721 (2020) · source
“But for the reason I have just given about initial repairs, they do not know exactly what those required additional repairs will be. Experts have also said that extracting the oil is probably the only way to remove the threat of a spill from the 44-year-old tanker for good. This brings me to my last point: where do we go from here? Last week, we received encouraging news. Ansar Allah officials confirmed to the United Nations in writing that they are ready to authorize the United Nations mission to the FSO SAFER. They have also communicated their intention to issue entry permits for mission personnel. I welcome that announcement. We have, of course, been here before. In August 2019, we received similar assurances and, on that basis, deployed the United Nations team and equipment to Djibouti at significant expense.”
2020-07-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/721 (2020) · source
“We would like to do that and so have adjusted the mission plan to include both a technical assessment and whatever initial repairs might be feasible. Obviously, though, you have to find out what the problem is before you can fix it, and you cannot do either without visiting. Initial repairs, insofar as they might be possible, may buy us a little more time to find a sustainable solution, but they will not be enough to eliminate the risk of a disaster. The assessment results will provide an impartial analysis of what needs to happen next and of what kind of equipment and other resources will be required. Without prejudging the outcome of the assessment, industry experts have told us we should expect additional repairs to be necessary.”
2020-07-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/721 (2020) · source
“The most frequent demand from the Ansar Allah authorities has been to deploy the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) to Al- Hudaydah prior to any assessment of the FSO SAFER. That is a completely unrelated issue to that of the tanker. I must emphasize here that from a humanitarian perspective, we do not take a position on where UNVIM is deployed. That is a political issue and is subject to agreement by the parties. My only objective — with the FSO SAFER, UNVIM and indeed all of our work — is to alleviate suffering and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. The Ansar Allah authorities have also sought assurances that repair works will occur simultaneously with the assessment.”
2020-07-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/721 (2020) · source
“The Government of Yemen has agreed to the assessment and has actively sought to facilitate access to the SAFER. The Ansar Allah authorities have also consistently agreed — in principle. In fact, authorities in Sana’a have sent several letters to the United Nations and to the Security Council confirming their agreement. They have also made public statements to that effect. But in the past, the Ansar Allah authorities have been unwilling to accept a mission in practice. Instead, they imposed preconditions and linked the SAFER with other issues. I have provided the Council, in my previous 15 briefings, with a running commentary on this protracted bureaucratic minuet of permissions to visit being sought, apparently being granted and then turning out in fact not to have been granted.”
2020-07-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/721 (2020) · source
“The Government of Yemen and the Ansar Allah authorities formally requested United Nations assistance with the FSO SAFER in March 2018, more than two years ago. The first step was to be a technical assessment, in order to provide impartial evidence to guide the next steps, which might potentially include the safe extraction of the oil and removal of the FSO SAFER structure, were the parties to agree to that. For much of 2018, a coalition-backed military offensive in Al-Hudaydah made it too dangerous to visit the site. But with the Stockholm Agreement in December of that year and the subsequent ceasefire in Al-Hudaydah, safe access again became possible. Since then, the United Nations has been working closely with the parties to secure the necessary clearances so that the United Nations technical team can deploy.”
2020-07-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/721 (2020) · source
“It would also deliver another severe blow to Yemen’s already embattled economy. The resulting disruption would substantially accelerate recent trends that are already — once again — pushing the country towards famine. International maritime routes and neighbouring States would also be affected. So I want to be clear that the risk from the FSO SAFER is by no means strictly environmental, dreadful though the environmental impact would be, as Inger has described. It is also a direct and severe threat to the well-being — and potentially the survival — of millions of Yemenis. We are deeply concerned about those people, and we want to do everything we can to avoid this new blow falling upon them. That brings me to my next point: the role of the United Nations.”
2020-07-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/721 (2020) · source
“About 90 per cent of the people in those communities already need humanitarian assistance. Sea currents and seasonal conditions also mean that much of the oil would likely remain near Yemen’s coast rather than dispersing widely. As a result, the port in Al-Hudaydah could be forced to close for a period of weeks or even months. Yemen imports nearly everything, and most imports come through Al-Hudaydah or the port at nearby Saleef. Losing either of those ports for an extended period would destabilize critical commercial and aid imports of food and other essential commodities. That would inflict terrible additional suffering on millions of Yemenis, including people who are already going hungry in Sana’a, Saada, Ibb and other places located away from coastal areas.”
2020-07-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/721 (2020) · source
“The Council has just heard from Inger about the appalling environmental consequences for Yemen and its neighbours. A spill would also be bad news for the Yemeni people, millions of whom already depend on humanitarian aid after nearly six years of war and now an unprecedented pandemic. Independent experts have modelled what a major spill might look like depending on seasonal conditions and other factors. In every scenario, coastal communities would be severely affected in Taiz, Al-Hudaydah and Hajjah, mostly in areas controlled by Ansar Allah authorities. If a spill were to occur in the next two months, experts project that 1.6 million Yemenis would be directly affected. Essentially every fishing community along Yemen’s west coast would see their livelihoods collapse and would suffer substantial economic losses.”
2020-07-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/721 (2020) · source
“That would almost certainly lead to a severe oil spill. As the Council heard from Inger, the FSO SAFER is carrying 1.1 million barrels of oil. That is about four times as much oil as was discharged in the Exxon Valdez disaster — a spill that the world still talks about 30 years later. Fortunately, the engine room leak was relatively small, and divers from the SAFER Exploration and Production Operations Company were able to contain it. That dangerous work took five days, with divers spending a cumulative 28 hours underwater. The world owes them a debt of gratitude, and I want to commend them on their work. But the fix they applied is only temporary, and it is impossible to say how long it might hold. The world might have a bit more time to solve the larger problem, but not much. This brings me to my second point — the impact of a spill.”
2020-07-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/721 (2020) · source
“So this is a good moment to recap where we are with the FSO SAFER and where, we hope, we are going. There are four issues I should like to update the Council on today: first, the recent leak onboard; secondly, what a major spill would mean for local communities; thirdly, what we have been doing about it; and, fourthly, what will happen next. Let us start with the incident beginning on 27 May, when seawater began leaking into the FSO SAFER engine room. It is difficult to know precisely what caused that leak, as no maintenance has been carried out on the FSO SAFER and there have been no international visits to it since the conflict in Yemen escalated nearly six years ago. Water coming uncontrollably into the engine room could destabilize the FSO SAFER and potentially sink the entire structure.”
2020-07-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/721 (2020) · source
“I have briefed the Council 15 times on the FSO SAFER tanker in the last 15 months. Most of those 15 briefings have repeated the same information. With little concrete progress, there was little new to say until quite recently. But in May, a leak on the FSO SAFER brought us closer than ever to an environmental catastrophe. Last week, Ansar Allah authorities confirmed in writing that they would accept a long-planned United Nations mission to the tanker, which we hope will take place within the next few weeks. We understand that Member States are working to finalize funding to pay for the United Nations mission, which in the first phase will include a technical assessment and any initial repairs that prove possible. Member States have also been helpful in using their good offices to advocate in favour of this work.”
2020-07-15 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/721 (2020) · source
“I will conclude by reiterating the Secretary-General’s appeal, and my own numerous appeals, to extend the cross-border authorization. That authorization provides a lifeline for millions of civilians in north-west Syria. We cannot reach them without it.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“On 23 June, the Russian Federation informed the United Nations that it will no longer participate in the humanitarian notification system, which the United Nations and its humanitarian partners use to share information with the parties to the conflict. We will discuss the situation further with our humanitarian partners in Syria and with the Russian Federation. Humanitarian notification aims to facilitate the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance by informing the parties to the conflict of facilities and movements that fulfil a humanitarian function. Whether or not they participate in the humanitarian notification system, the parties to the conflict remain bound by international humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution. Security Council resolution 2504 (2020) expires in 11 days.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“Our humanitarian operations in Syria rely heavily on our front-line partners, including national non-governmental organizations and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. I call on all parties to facilitate humanitarian access and protect all civilians and civilian objects, including humanitarian workers and assets, in line with their obligations under international humanitarian law. The humanitarian assistance we provide across Syria also depends on the support of the international community, including the assistance provided by neighbours in the region hosting millions of refugees. Tomorrow is the fourth Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region, and we will be asking for that critical support to continue.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“Should adequate steps not be taken for cross-line deliveries to work effectively — and in the absence of consent from the Government of Syria or neighbouring countries to use border crossings into the north-east that are safe and logistically feasible — the Security Council would need to authorize the United Nations and its implementing partners to use additional crossings. Some 90,000 people remain in overcrowded displacement camps in the north- east, including Al-Hol camp. About 58,000 of them are children from more than 60 different countries. High Commissioner Bachelet last week expressed her concern that thousands are unable to return to their countries of nationality or origin. I join her in calling on States to assume responsibility for their nationals, in accordance with their obligations under international law.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“The World Health Organization (WHO) has dispatched two shipments of medical supplies to the north-east over land, in addition to continued deliveries by air. However, more than five months on from the removal of Al-Yarubiyah, distributions of WHO medical items have not reached the majority of facilities that previously depended on cross-border supplies. As the Secretary-General stated in his review of cross-line and cross-border assistance back in February (S/2020/139), and as he reiterates in his sixty-seventh report on the humanitarian situation in Syria, a combination of more cross-border and cross-line access is required to sustain current levels of humanitarian assistance into the north-east, and preferably an increase to that assistance.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“Due to the deteriorating economic situation, we have expanded humanitarian cash assistance. So far this year, more than $40 million dollars in cash and vouchers have been distributed to highly vulnerable persons, including people living with disabilities, single-parent households and the elderly. UNICEF and educational partners are also supporting students currently taking their national exams across the country by preparing safe examination centres and implementing COVID-19 preventative measures. Thousands of students have been travelling cross-line to Government areas, joining a quarter of a million of their peers to sit for their national exams. I wish all the students currently doing that across Syria the very best in their exams.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“While the trans-shipment capacity of Bab Al-Salam is lower than that of Bab Al-Hawa, Bab Al-Salam provides direct access to parts of northern Aleppo that host some of the highest concentrations of displaced people in the country. Some 1.3 million people live in the area accessed from Bab Al-Salam, of whom 62 per cent are internally displaced persons. I now turn to the massive aid operation continuing from inside Syria. In the first four months of 2020, humanitarian operations inside Syria reached more than 5.5 million people with humanitarian assistance, including cross-line assistance into the north-east. That includes food assistance for 3.2 million people, nutrition support for half a million children, critical water and sanitation for 1.3 million people, 4 million medical procedures and 2.5 million treatment courses.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“Planning has progressed for a cross-line mission to Idlib, which has been on hold since April, when United Nations movements into the north-west were paused due to concerns over COVID-19 transmission. Our operational planning has now resumed and is proceeding with careful consideration of those risks, as well as the complex security environment. A concept of operations is being finalized to share with the parties. The Secretary-General’s report further states that continued cross-border operations require an additional 12-month renewal of authorization for the Bab Al-Salam and Bab Al-Hawa border crossings. Both border crossings are required to sustain delivery.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“I want to be clear on this point — current levels of assistance delivered across the border are far from sufficient. The north-west continues to face a major humanitarian crisis. The cross-border operation needs to be scaled up further. A failure to extend cross-border authorization would sever the United Nations operation currently under way. It would end United Nations food deliveries and the support to nutrition centres. It would cause suffering and death. As the Secretary-General states in his latest report (S/2020/576), efforts will continue to be made to deliver cross-line assistance into the north-west. However, currently, it is simply impossible to replicate what is being delivered through the cross-border operation with cross-line assistance.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“Almost three of every 10 children in the north-west under the age of five suffer from stunting. Under the cross-border operations, authorized by the Council under resolution 2504 (2020), 1,781 aid trucks crossed the border from Turkey into north-west Syria in May. The majority of that cross-border aid is food — enough for 1.3 million people every month. Still, more and more children and infants are arriving at nutrition centres showing signs of chronic and acute malnutrition. Mothers arriving at the centres say they have long been priced out of food staples and medicines, leaving them solely reliant on the food packages delivered across the border. Some also say they are cooking weeds to supplement the food rations. Such is the level of desperation.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“The mass-displacement of almost 1 million people earlier this year and new economic hardships, aggravated by the regional impact of COVID-19, have left civilians in the north-west among the country’s most vulnerable. Displaced families make up two thirds of the current population of the north-west. The vast majority of displaced people sheltering in last-resort sites are concentrated here. Last-resort sites are what we call camps and informal settlements that fall short of even the minimum emergency standards for shelter, water and sanitation. Just last week, rainstorms and flooding in rural Idlib uprooted hundreds of tents and swept away many people’s few remaining belongings. In that environment, malnutrition rates have unsurprisingly been rising over the past months.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“Across the country, people who have struggled through nine years of devastating conflict are telling us that they have now reached their breaking point. I note again the public assurances by the United States and by the European Union that their sanctions programmes relating to Syria neither ban the flow of humanitarian supplies nor target medicines and medical devices. I welcome their commitment to fully and expeditiously apply humanitarian exemptions. I reiterate the Secretary-General’s appeal for the waiving of sanctions that can undermine countries’ capacity to respond to the pandemic. I am particularly concerned about the situation in the north-west, where an estimated 2.8 million people — 70 per cent of the region’s population — require humanitarian assistance.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“Market monitoring by the World Food Programme shows a 200 per cent increase in the price of the national average food basket since last year. A growing number of Syrians are no longer able to provide for themselves and their families. Many report going into debt and eating less to survive. As I briefed the Council in May, the World Food Programme now estimates 9.3 million people to be food insecure. This is the highest level ever recorded in Syria, and it is increasing. An estimated 4.6 million children and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers are in need of nutrition assistance — 3.7 million in acute need. We estimate that almost half a million children under five suffer from stunting — a condition likely to irreversibly impact their physical and cognitive development.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“It is against that backdrop that I will brief the Council today on three areas: first, the human cost of the economic downturn; secondly, the situation in north- west Syria; and, thirdly, the humanitarian response under way from within Syria, including assistance delivered cross-line. The prices of food, medicines, fuel and other essential commodities are soaring across the country. The volatile exchange rate has seen the Syrian pound lose more value in the last six months than in the first nine years of the crisis. This month, the Central Bank adjusted the official exchange rate from 704 pounds to 1,256 pounds against the United States dollar — a 78 per cent devaluation. The unofficial rate fell to its lowest point on record, at 3,120 pounds against the dollar. Food prices have reached unprecedented levels.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“But significant gaps remain, including in personal protective equipment, medical case management supplies and isolation and quarantine capacity. Syria’s health system is not prepared for a large-scale outbreak. We need only to look at Yemen to see how quickly COVID-19 can collapse a health system devastated by years of war. Even as the number of recorded infections remains low, the threat of a broader COVID-19 outbreak is aggravating the economic downturn and constraining the humanitarian response. That could have serious consequences across the whole region, not just in Syria.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“As of this morning, Syrian Government authorities have confirmed 256 cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Syria, including nine fatalities. Six cases have been recorded in the north-east, including one fatality. That is a more than four-fold increase in recorded cases since my last briefing (see S/2020/427). So far, overall infection numbers have, thankfully, remained low. That must be read cautiously, however, since testing remains extremely limited. Little over 8,000 tests have been conducted to date. Moreover, we can see the scale of the risks ahead from what has been happening recently elsewhere in the region, including in Iran, Saudi Arabia and, in particular, Yemen. The United Nations continues to support COVID-19 preparedness and response measures across Syria, including the expansion of testing capacities.”
2020-06-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/635 (2020) · source
“In conclusion, I will reiterate my key ask to the Council today. The cross- border operation for north-west Syria, authorized by the Security Council, is a lifeline for millions of civilians whom the United Nations cannot reach by other means. It cannot be substituted. Its authorization must be renewed. An early decision by the Council will avoid the disruption of that vital operation and help humanitarian organizations to continue the scale-up that the current needs and the prospect of COVID-19 demand. A delay will increase suffering and cost lives.”
2020-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/427 (2020) · source
“Across Syria, relevant parties need to ensure the provision of basic services to civilians. I have briefed the Council on the ongoing COVID-19 response across Syria, as well as the assistance being channelled through the cross-border operation. Let me also highlight the broader response operation under way from within Syria in areas under the Government’s control, where the United Nations and its partner organizations reach most of those we assist. In the first quarter of 2020, the humanitarian operation delivered food assistance for 3.3 million people; 3.3 million medical procedures; more than 2 million medical treatment courses; life-saving water, sanitation and hygiene assistance for 1.2 million people; education for 1.3 million people; and nutrition support for almost half a million people.”
2020-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/427 (2020) · source
“In the Secretary-General’s report (S/2020/139) released in February, several cross-border options were identified as alternatives to Al-Yarubiyah. His report also described their limitations in comparison to Al-Yarubiyah. Also in the north-east, the provision of water from the Allouk station has again been interrupted and reduced many times since my last briefing (see S/2020/354), creating severe disruptions in the water supply, especially in Al-Hasakah city and internally displaced persons camps in the area. At least half a million people are affected. To compensate, humanitarian agencies have scaled up emergency water trucking, but this is neither a sufficient nor a sustainable solution. Access to water in all areas is all the more critical during this COVID-19 pandemic.”
2020-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/427 (2020) · source
“WHO is committed to responding to the humanitarian needs of all Syrians in the north-east by the most direct routes, particularly in order to reach the most vulnerable. While this overland delivery is a very welcome step, let me be clear that much more needs to be done to bridge the gap in medical assistance for the north-east. At present, the medical supplies delivered cross-line to north-east Syria are reaching 31 per cent of the facilities that previously depended on the Al-Yarubiyah border crossing for those supplies. The findings of the Secretary-General’s review of cross-line and cross-border operations are also clear with regard to the north-east. A combination of more cross-border and cross-line access is required to sustain, and preferably increase, humanitarian assistance.”
2020-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/427 (2020) · source
“In the meantime, our colleagues involved in the operation, from the loading staff and the drivers to the United Nations coordinators and monitors, are relentlessly at the border every working day during Ramadan, amid the challenges posed by the pandemic, to scale up deliveries. I now turn to the north-east and the ongoing efforts to increase cross-line deliveries of medical supplies following the removal of Al-Yarubiyah as an authorized border crossing. I am pleased to report that on 10 May, the World Health Organization was able to deliver a 30-ton consignment of medical supplies to Qamishli by road. A second consignment of 23 tons is expected to arrive in the coming days. That is the first overland delivery of WHO supplies to the north-east in two years.”
2020-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/427 (2020) · source
“The findings of the review are clear — meeting the enormous humanitarian needs in the north-west requires a renewal of the cross- border authorization for the Bab Al-Salam and Bab Al-Hawa border crossings for an additional 12 months. The United Nations Monitoring Mechanism should be extended for the same period. That decision cannot be left to the last minute. Too many lives are at stake. Sustaining pipelines in this massive operation requires weeks, and often months, of lead time. An environment of uncertainty risks the continuity of aid. It undermines the ability of humanitarian organizations to save lives.”
2020-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/427 (2020) · source
“The second is the need to prepare for the impact of COVID-19. As I have said before, the north-west is considered at extremely high risk of an outbreak. The third pressure stems from the uncertainty under which we are operating. The authorization of cross-border assistance under resolution 2504 (2020) represents the sole channel for the United Nations to deliver life-saving assistance to millions of people in north-west Syria. It is up for renewal in less than two months. Members have received the Secretary-General’s review of cross-line and cross- border operations. In paragraph 1, the Secretary-General highlights that he has submitted the review ahead of schedule to allow the Council to take a timely decision and avoid the disruption of aid.”
2020-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/427 (2020) · source
“The High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, warned this month that killings of civilians across Syria are increasing, and various parties to the conflict, including the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, appear to view the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to regroup and inflict violence on the population. I now turn to humanitarian operations in the north-west, where aid deliveries continue at record levels. In April, 1,365 trucks crossed from Turkey into the north-west through the Security Council-authorized border crossings at Bab Al-Salam and Bab Al-Hawa. This is an increase of more than 130 per cent on April 2019. There are three main reasons for the scale-up. The first reason is the rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation since December, which continues to demand increased levels of assistance.”
2020-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/427 (2020) · source
“Local sources report that, as of this morning, the exchange rate in some parts of Idlib has fallen as low as 1,950 Syrian pounds to the dollar. That is a depreciation of 54 per cent since the end of April. The cost of a dollar has more than trebled in the past 12 months; the rate was 570 Syrian pounds to the dollar in May 2019. The consequences of this for the purchasing power of local communities are severe. In early 2020, before the economic impacts of COVID-19 were felt in Syria, an estimated 80 per cent of people already lived below the poverty line. The added impact of the pandemic is now driving food insecurity to record levels. The World Food Programme announced last week that an estimated 9.3 million people in Syria are now food insecure, up from an estimated 7.9 million people six months ago.”
2020-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/427 (2020) · source
“Like Geir, I note the public assurances by relevant States that their sanctions programmes relating to Syria neither ban the flow of humanitarian supplies nor target medicine and medical devices. I welcome their commitments to fully and expeditiously apply humanitarian exemptions. I continue to follow this issue closely. As in many other countries, we are seeing the economic impact of the pandemic before we see infections peak. After an initial jump at the end of March, the average price of the national reference food basket for April is 15 per cent higher than the March average, and more than double the average recorded in April 2019. It is now higher than at any time since the crisis began. In the north-west, which relies heavily on imported goods, the Syrian pound continues to lose value against the United States dollar.”
2020-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/427 (2020) · source
“Some $23 million has already been allocated from the Syria Humanitarian Fund, administered by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, to support COVID-19 preventative measures. I thank the donors whose contributions have paid for that. However, there remain significant shortages of personal protective equipment and other medical items across the country. Let me echo what Geir Pedersen said to the Council yesterday (see S/2020/420), further to the Secretary-General’s global call for the waiver of sanctions that can undermine the capacity of countries to ensure access to food, essential health supplies and medical support to respond to the pandemic.”
2020-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/427 (2020) · source
“That includes considerable support from the World Health Organization (WHO) for the progressive expansion of testing capacities in Damascus, Aleppo, Latakia and Homs — from conducting repairs to providing essential equipment, reagents and on-site training of laboratory technicians. Testing capacity is not yet sufficiently established for epidemiological evidence across the country, including in the north-east, where further efforts are under way with support from national and international partners. The United Nations, including the World Health Organization, stands ready to further support the expansion of testing capacities across Syria in accordance with the epidemiological situation and needs. Support is also under way for infection prevention and control — from risk communication and community engagement to isolation centres.”
2020-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/427 (2020) · source
“I will focus my briefing today on two areas: first, the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Syria and the preparedness and response measures under way; and, secondly, the humanitarian response across Syria and the findings of the Secretary-General’s review of United Nations humanitarian cross-line and cross- border operations (S/2020/401), which was circulated last week. Let me start with the latest update on COVID-19 cases. To date, the Syrian authorities have confirmed 58 cases in the country, including three fatalities. Another six cases have been recorded in the north-east, including one fatality. No cases have been confirmed in the north-west. Building up the limited laboratory and case investigation capacities remains a major priority, and the United Nations is reinforcing this effort across Syria.”
2020-05-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/427 (2020) · source
“This will require, first, a complete and immediate nationwide ceasefire; secondly, supplying critical medical items previously provided through the Al-Yarubiyah border crossing — as I said earlier, the steps required are laid out in detail in the Secretary-General’s report dated February; and, thirdly, a renewal of the cross-border authorization for north-western Syria, to meet the enormous humanitarian needs that we continue to see there.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/354 (2020) · source
“Operations from within Syria included support for 2.2 million medical procedures and mine-risk education for half a million people. Information on the humanitarian response in various parts of Syria is also included in the Secretary-General’s report in paragraphs 18 to 22. COVID-19 and its ramifications will become a multiplier of humanitarian needs in Syria. More than ever, this demands a response that uses every possible means of reaching people in need, wherever they are located.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/354 (2020) · source
“That is just the first of multiple steps involving other ministries, security services, local governors and other local parties in control. Unless all that is in place, nothing happens. Finally, let me summarize some of the things that the United Nations is delivering in humanitarian support to the people in Syria and remind the Council that most of this is for people in those parts of Syria under the control of the Government. In 2019, humanitarian agencies and partners reached on average of 6 million people across the country each month. So far this year, food assistance has been delivered to 4.6 million people across the country on average each month. In addition, 2.5 million people across the country received winter supplies such as high thermal blankets and warm clothing.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/354 (2020) · source
“For information on the situation in the north-west, I would refer members to paragraphs 4, 5, 11, 12 and 13 of that report. For information on the cross-border operation, I would refer members to paragraphs 20, 34 and 35, as well as figure 1 and table 2. For information on Rukban, I would refer members to paragraph 7. Regarding access and deliveries to the north-east, I would refer members to paragraphs 32 and 33, which detail how many hospitals, how many primary health centres and how many mobile medical units were reached with consignments of medical supplies from Damascus during the reporting period. Paragraph 31 includes a description of the onerous process of dispatching aid deliveries cross-line, explaining the multiple approvals required. Approval by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not mean that assistance is delivered.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/354 (2020) · source
“Jordanian border restrictions related to COVID-19 since 18 March have impacted medical referrals from Rukban without prior COVID-19 screening, which is unavailable in the camp. A planned health assessment and assistance mission by the United Nations and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent did not proceed this month. It was suspended owing to lack of agreement by all parties on the modality of assistance and delivery. Access is urgently needed to provide assistance to the vulnerable Rukban population and to support voluntary departures. Additional information on many of the things I have covered, and in response to questions previously asked by Council members, is included in the Secretary- General’s latest bimonthly humanitarian report on Syria (S/2020/327), which he sent the Council in recent days.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/354 (2020) · source
“The Secretary-General also noted that, should adequate steps not be taken to improve cross-line delivery, and in the absence of consent from the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic or neighbouring countries to use border crossings into the north-east of the country, the Security Council would need to authorize the United Nations and its implementing partners to use additional crossings. That also remains the case. I turn now to Rukban camp, which has not been reached by a humanitarian convoy since September 2019. Informal commercial supply routes from Damascus and Dhumer were closed off in February, further disrupting the delivery of food, fuel and medical supplies into the camp.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/354 (2020) · source
“The World Health Organization assesses that there has not been sufficient improvement in cross-line access since January, even when faced with the inescapable urgency of COVID-19. In his review of alternative modalities for Al-Yarubiyah border crossing he sent the Council in February (S/2020/139), the Secretary-General noted in paragraph 44 that “under current conditions, a combination of more cross-border and cross-line access is required”. That remains the case.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/354 (2020) · source
“Cross-line deliveries to the north-east from Damascus have not filled the gap in critical medical supplies that were, until January this year, delivered through the Al-Yarubiyah border crossing. A World Health Organization consignment of 20 tons of medical supplies — including personal protective equipment, intensive-care-unit beds, incubators and seven ventilators — was airlifted to Qamishli on 12 April, and distribution has been completed. But medical facilities that were previously supported by the cross-border operation were, again, largely excluded. Gaps in medical supplies in north-eastern Syria are widening. At a time when we should be urgently scaling up to prepare for COVID-19, those gaps should be narrowing. This is even more critical now that a first case has been confirmed.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/354 (2020) · source
“Turkey is facilitating that scale-up, notwithstanding its own battle with the virus. Humanitarian organizations have put in place strict measures to comply with Turkish regulations and to minimize the risks of transmission of the virus at trans-shipment hubs or in other ways. At this stage, it is simply impossible to sustain the scale and scope of assistance into the north-west without the cross-border operation. As I have briefed the Council before, there is no alternative. That fact is further illustrated by the failure to replace the former cross-border operations in the north-east with assistance delivered across lines, which I will turn to now.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/354 (2020) · source