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

“A grim indicator is the nutrition data that we are recording. Last month, I briefed the Security Council on alarming levels of stunting. We are equally alarmed at the malnutrition rates among pregnant and breastfeeding women. Twenty-one per cent are malnourished, which is four times as many as last year. The cross-border operation into the north-west is operating at record levels to try to relieve such suffering. In March, 1,486 trucks, carrying aid for 3.7 million people, crossed the border from Turkey. So far in April, more than 1,100 trucks have been dispatched, but that is not enough. The need to prepare for the potential arrival of COVID-19 in the north-west makes efforts to scale up all the more urgent. Items for cross-border trans-shipment, such as hygiene kits and tents for isolation units, are being prioritized accordingly.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/354 (2020) · source
“Turning now to the north-west, there have been no air strikes since the 6 March ceasefire announced by the Russian Federation and Turkey. However, intermittent shelling has continued almost every day in some front-line areas despite the calls for a global and nationwide ceasefire. Some displaced families are taking advantage of this limited calm to return to where they were living before having to flee the latest round of fighting. Over the past few weeks, 135,000 people have returned to towns and villages in front-line areas outside Government control, the majority going to Ariha and Al-Atarib. Many are returning to find their previous homes destroyed. Essential services have yet to be re-established. The ceasefire may have brought a degree of respite, but the humanitarian situation in the north-west is as dismal as it has ever been.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/354 (2020) · source
“We are working to assess the financial requirements for the United Nations contributions to the COVID-19 response in Syria, which will be additional to the costs of responding to the pre-existing humanitarian needs. The requirements related to COVID-19 will be included in the forthcoming update of the Global Humanitarian Response Plan for COVID-19. As in other countries, the impacts of measures aimed at containing the spread of the virus are likely to be greatest on the most vulnerable. Since mid-March, some areas have seen average price increases of between 40 and 50 per cent for food staples. That compounds the impact of Syria’s severe economic crisis. The World Food Programme reports that, in the past year, the price of basic food items that many people have to buy has increased by more than 100 per cent.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/354 (2020) · source
“While that modest increase in testing capacity is a positive development, it remains vastly insufficient and a major priority for humanitarian actors, alongside other prevention and mitigation measures. Areas of particular concern include camps and other crowded areas of displacement with insufficient access to water and sanitation. In the north-west, preparedness measures, supported by cross-border humanitarian operations, are under way. Some hospitals are being modified to receive COVID-19 patients and to function as isolation case management centres. Community-based isolation centres are also being established. However, gaps in vital medical supplies and equipment, including personal protective equipment, remain. In Al-Hol camp, in the north-east, an 80-bed isolation area is under construction and thermal screening has commenced.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/354 (2020) · source
“To date, all 43 confirmed COVID-19 cases announced by the Syrian authorities have been in Damascus and Rural Damascus governorates. A first case and fatality was confirmed in the north-east on 2 April. No cases have so far been confirmed in the north-west. Testing capacity remains very limited. Testing is under way in Damascus and Latakia, with two additional laboratories being established in Aleppo and Homs. Efforts to establish a laboratory in Al-Hasakah governorate in the north-east continue. Testing has also commenced in Qamishli. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machine was delivered to Tell Rifaat, while two additional PCR machines are being delivered to Kobane and Raqqa. In the north-west, a laboratory has commenced testing in Idlib. Some samples are also being tested in Turkey.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/354 (2020) · source
“We cannot expect a health-care system decimated by almost a decade of war to cope with a crisis that is challenging even the wealthiest nations. We cannot expect mitigation measures to succeed where millions are displaced in crowded conditions without adequate sanitation and with no assets or safety net to fall back on. I will focus my briefing today on the following areas: first, the status of COVID-19 testing and the response across Syria; secondly, the humanitarian situation in the north-west, which remains alarming despite the ceasefire; thirdly, the issue of medical supplies in the north-east; fourthly, the situation in Rukban; and, fifthly, a summary of everything that we in the humanitarian system supported by the United Nations are delivering to relieve the suffering of people across Syria.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/354 (2020) · source
“I will start today by joining my humanitarian colleagues in strongly condemning yesterday’s horrific bombing in a crowded street in Afrin city. Early reports indicate that as many as 43 civilians, including several children, were killed in that indiscriminate, unacceptable attack. Many more were injured. I extend my profound condolences to the families of the victims. Since I last briefed the Security Council on Syria (see S/2020/254), the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country has reached 43, including three deaths. These figures will sound very low compared to those being recorded here in New York and in many of Council members’ own countries. But if this virus is behaving similarly in Syria to how it has elsewhere, which is our assumption for now, then tragedy beckons.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/354 (2020) · source
“This should include regular foreign-exchange injections that have proved effective in the past, as well as do whatever we can to increase quantities of affordable food and other consumer goods in markets across Yemen right now. My final point is progress towards peace. Martin briefed the Council on that issue. Millions of Yemenis have suffered through years of war and deprivation. COVID-19 is presenting a unique opportunity to reinvigorate the political process and move towards peace. However, it is also promising severe repercussions if that does not happen.”
2020-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/313 (2020) · source
“Rapid, uncontrolled currency depreciation was a key factor in bringing Yemen to the brink of widespread famine 18 months ago. The World Bank warns that a similar risk of currency collapse persists today. In the past, remittances have served as a last defence for millions of vulnerable families. Economists estimate that Yemenis abroad send home more than $3 billion a year, making remittances the largest source of hard currency in local markets. But COVID-19 is affecting the economies where expatriate Yemenis work. A group of Yemeni economists and private-sector leaders recently projected that remittances could drop by as much as 70 per cent in the coming months. That places us in uncharted territory. We need bold action to stabilize the economy before it is too late.”
2020-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/313 (2020) · source
“Commercial cargo is still entering the country despite increased scrutiny aimed at reducing the risk of COVID-19. In March, commercial food and fuel imports into Al-Hudaydah and Al-Salif fell by 9 per cent. That is a matter of concern, but they are normal fluctuations. Longer-term economic prospects are more alarming. Imports must be purchased in hard currency, which means that the Government needs foreign exchange to finance them. And to afford those imports, people need the Yemeni rial to maintain a reasonable exchange rate. The impact of COVID-19 on the global economy will make this more difficult. Oil prices have fallen, and, because the Government depends on oil as a main source of revenue, officials may soon find it much harder to finance imports, pay civil-servant salaries or support the exchange rate.”
2020-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/313 (2020) · source
“So I am urging all donors to pledge generously now and immediately release at least enough money to cover response operations through July. For operations beyond July, we understand that some donors may choose to disburse the remainder of their pledges only after having observed future developments. Despite conditions on the ground and the real threat to our staff’s safety and health, we are staying and delivering. Some international staff were rotated outside Yemen when the airports closed several weeks ago. The rest remain in country and are working with their Yemeni colleagues to deliver critical aid programmes during this difficult time. We have enough staff in the country to deliver critical programmes; what we do not have is the money. The fourth issue is the economy. Yemen imports nearly everything.”
2020-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/313 (2020) · source
“I also want to acknowledge the concerns that donors have expressed over restrictions on humanitarian aid, particularly in the north. As I have said, we share these concerns and continue to work tirelessly to address them. There has been some progress, but more is needed. We understand that all humanitarian funding is provided on a voluntary basis, and many countries are facing economic downturns at home. I want again to thank all our donors for their support. At the same time, we must all acknowledge the extraordinary threat that Yemen is facing. So far we have received about $800 million in pledges and contributions for the response this year. At this time last year, the equivalent figure was more than three times higher — about $2.6 billion.”
2020-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/313 (2020) · source
“The humanitarian community — United Nations agencies, international non-governmental organizations and others — are unanimous in our position that the world’s largest aid operation cannot afford extended cuts during this unprecedented emergency. United Nations agencies estimate that they need more than $900 million to carry them through July. So I want to thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its pledge last week of $500 million for the United Nations-led response and $25 million for COVID-19 activities. That pledge alone, of course, does not solve the problem. But we hope that these funds can be quickly disbursed on similar terms as in past years, which reflect global best practices in humanitarian donorship, so that the programmes I have described can continue.”
2020-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/313 (2020) · source
“Nutrition programmes will also be cut, affecting 260,000 severely malnourished children and 2 million more children with moderate malnutrition. Those children’s immune systems will be weakened, making them much more vulnerable to COVID-19, cholera and other diseases. People who do fall sick are likely to find fewer clinics to help them. The World Health Organization estimates that 80 per cent of the health services provided through the response could stop at the end of April. That could mean disbanding local health teams that have been essential in detecting and containing past disease outbreaks. We need these teams more than ever — not just to keep on top of COVID-19, but to contain a growing risk that cholera will rebound as the rainy season starts.”
2020-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/313 (2020) · source
“These are the kinds of broad-based programmes that are essential to helping Yemenis keep healthy and defend themselves against COVID-19. But we need money to pay for those programmes. That brings me to my third point: funding for the aid operation. Of the United Nations 41 major programmes, 31 will start closing down in the next few weeks if we cannot secure additional funds. That means that we will have to start eliminating many of the activities that may offer Yemenis the best chance to avoid COVID-19. UNICEF will have to stop immediate assistance for families displaced by conflict or natural disasters. That means up to 1 million displaced people would not receive critical supplies, including hygiene items that help to protect against diseases such as cholera and COVID-19.”
2020-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/313 (2020) · source
“After months of negotiations, there is finally confirmation from the authorities that the World Food Programme’s long-planned biometric registration exercise can start. Despite all the challenges to maintaining principled aid delivery, I want to remind everyone that the humanitarian operation remains a lifeline for millions of Yemenis. Every month, we are still helping more than 13 million people across the country. Last year, humanitarian agencies supported 3,100 health facilities and conducted 17 million medical consultations. We enabled access to clean water and sanitation for more than 11 million people and treated nearly a million acutely malnourished children. Nearly 12 million people received food assistance every month.”
2020-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/313 (2020) · source
“Local officials still arbitrarily refuse missions, and humanitarian staff continue to experience severe movement restrictions in the field, including in the past few days. Staff are subjected to long delays at checkpoints, even when paperwork is in order. In a particularly serious event, which has not yet been resolved, United Nations international staff in some locations have been prevented from moving from field hubs to Sana’a. That is unacceptable. On a separate note, there has been no progress in accessing the FSO SAFER oil tanker. Every day, we are working with the authorities to address these challenges. There are positive steps. The waiver of a levy on humanitarian projects remains in place, and a principal governing framework for the work of non-governmental organizations has also been agreed.”
2020-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/313 (2020) · source
“Several organizations in the south have also experienced serious challenges in implementing approved projects in the past few weeks. We appreciate the Government’s commitment to resolving these issues. In the north, access challenges remain severe. The Ansar Allah authorities have taken several steps to improve the operating environment for aid agencies, but progress is not moving fast enough. Restrictions in northern Yemen are so onerous that humanitarian agencies are being forced to calibrate programmes and delivery to levels where they can manage the risks associated with such a non-permissive environment. Although the Ansar Allah authorities have approved 13 aid projects since early March, agencies still have 92 pending requests, including 40 that have been waiting for months to get started.”
2020-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/313 (2020) · source
“The second issue is humanitarian access, which is both a requirement of international humanitarian law and essential if we are to continue to assist millions of people. We are working with all stakeholders to take precautions to reduce the risk of COVID-19 while maintaining life-saving assistance. These precautions are not slowing down aid operations in a major way, but it is regrettable that other restrictions imposed on staff and cargo movements, mostly in the north, continue to constrain our ability to maintain the high levels of aid that Yemenis need. There are problems in Government-held areas as well, including bureaucratic impediments and insecurity. Humanitarian organizations are still waiting for Government officials to approve 43 projects that would assist 2.3 million people. Many of those requests have been pending for months.”
2020-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/313 (2020) · source
“As Martin said, on 5 April, a strike against a women’s prison in Taiz killed seven women and a child living with his detained mother. Another 26 women were injured. Since January, at least 60,000 people have fled the conflict in Al-Jawf and neighbouring areas. Most have of them arrived in Ma’rib, where more than 800,000 displaced people have sought refuge since 2016. If the conflict expands deeper into Ma’rib — and everything must be done to avoid that — more than 1 million people could suddenly be on the move. I therefore welcome the recent moves towards a nationwide ceasefire, including the coalition’s declaration last week. I urge all parties to join that effort, which is urgently needed not only to give Yemen a fighting chance against COVID-19 but also to relieve the disproportionate burden of the war on civilians.”
2020-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/313 (2020) · source
“In that context, I would like to update the Council on five priorities for the humanitarian response: the protection of civilians, humanitarian access and delivery, funding for the relief effort, the Yemeni economy, and progress towards peace. COVID-19 affects all those issues. First, on the protection of civilians, in the first quarter of this year civilian casualties rose every month, with more than 500 people killed or injured. One in every three civilian casualties was a child. In Al-Jawf, where hostilities escalated in mid-January, that rate is now one in two. Despite calls for a ceasefire, hostilities have persisted in many areas, mainly in Ma’rib, Al-Jawf, Al-Bayda and Taiz, with deadly consequences for civilians. All parties must take constant care to spare civilians and civilian objects throughout military operations.”
2020-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/313 (2020) · source
“On 10 April, the Government of Yemen confirmed the first case of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country. Council members have just heard from Martin Griffiths how the threat of COVID-19 must galvanize the political process, despite the challenges. We need a similar sense of urgency for the humanitarian crisis. More than five years of war have severely degraded Yemen’s health infrastructure, exhausted people’s immune systems and increased acute vulnerabilities. As a result, epidemiologists warn that in Yemen COVID-19 could spread faster, more widely and with deadlier consequences than in many other countries. In other words, we are running out of time. The Humanitarian Coordinator, Ms. Lise Grande, described COVID-19 in Yemen as “one of the biggest threats in the past 100 years”.”
2020-04-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/313 (2020) · source
“As the Secretary-General has said, we cannot allow the tenth year of this conflict to result in the same carnage, the same flouting of human rights and international humanitarian law, the same inhumanity.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“An economic crisis, mostly a result of the war but in part also a consequence of developments elsewhere in the region, has led to price hikes for several staple goods, including bread and fuel, and reduced purchasing power, forcing people to resort to ever-more negative coping mechanisms. The economic situation will also be affected by measures taken to stem COVID-19. The United Nations-supported humanitarian response operation continues to respond to needs throughout the country, reaching 6 million people each month on average last year. That includes support for 26 million medical procedures, monthly food assistance to 4.5 million people, emergency water, sanitation and hygiene support to almost 8 million people, and education support to almost 5 million students and teachers. I again thank the donors who pay for all this.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“This month marks a grim anniversary. The conflict in Syria has now entered its tenth year. Over half the population has been forced to flee their homes. More than 11 million people inside Syria require humanitarian assistance, including nearly 5 million children. Nearly 8 million people do not have reliable access to food. This number has increased by more than 20 per cent since last year. Half a million children in Syria are chronically malnourished. At the same time, people all over Syria – including in areas where hostilities have subsided – are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“Alluq supplies water to half a million people in the north-east, including Al-Hawl and Arishah camps. I call on the parties to find a sustainable agreement covering water pumping as well as electricity supply for Alluq and other areas that have recently had electricity cut off. In southern Syria, insecurity has continued since my briefing to you last month, in which we paid tribute to two Syrian humanitarian colleagues from Oxfam who were killed in Dar‘a that day, when their vehicle was attacked by an unidentified armed group. It is with great sadness that I report the death of another colleague in Dar‘a. Ali Husein Mohammad, a science teacher and United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) staff member, was killed earlier this month in violence in the town of Jilin, in Dar‘a.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“Work to address this continues. In the meantime, we are receiving reports of significant shortages. At least seven primary health centres in rural Raqqah have gaps in their reproductive health and nutrition supplies. Other facilities report critic al items in danger of immediate stockout, including emergency medicines, anaesthetics and insulin. The Al-Hawl field hospital is also reporting low levels of some medications and supplies. One primary health centre in Raqqah may be forced to close in the coming weeks. The facility treats over 3,900 patients per month, more than half of whom are children. I therefore urge rapid action to get essential medical supplies to everyone who needs them in the north-east. We have also seen further disruptions to services at the Alluq water station.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“Personnel were detained and harassed, and items were stolen and destroyed. I join humanitarian colleagues in condemning this incident. The Red Crescent has also faced recent interference in its work in the north-east, including confiscation of a medical facility in Raqqah City earlier this month. Such interference is unacceptable. I call on all parties to protect humanitarian workers and assets. You have seen the Secretary-General’s February report on the feasibility of alternatives to the use of Ya‘rubiyah border crossing. According to WHO, continuity of health services in the north-east has already been affected, leaving people even more exposed to the COVID-19 crisis. Many medical facilities and individuals in north-east Syria who depended on medical supplies via Ya‘rubiyah have not received these supplies through alternative channels.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“We expect that almost 1,500 trucks will cross in March – a new monthly record since the start of the United Nations operation in 2014. But needs are far from being met and it is essential that travel restrictions put in place as a result of COVID-19 do not have the effect of reducing deliveries. Alongside the United Nations cross-border operation, efforts continue to establish cross-line delivery into the north-west. They have yet to bear fruit. I call on all parties to support these efforts and to ensure unimpeded humanitarian access for cross-line missions. I commend the work of all humanitarian organizations, whose work continues despite immense challenges. On 14 March, offices of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent in Idlib City and Ariha were occupied by armed individuals.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“They were told by community members that child marriage, child labour, recruitment of child soldiers and domestic violence are all on the rise. A scale-up of assistance to the north-west is under way, thanks to donors’ rapid response to our $500 million appeal to meet the most urgent needs of almost a million civilians displaced since December. Some $340 million has been received or pledged to date. More is needed. Cross-border operations into north-west Syria provide a lifeline for millions of people who cannot otherwise be reached. Deliveries are being scaled up in response to growing needs. In January and February, more than 2,150 trucks carrying aid crossed from Turkey into north-west Syria – more than double the number that crossed during the same period in 2019.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“We are, for example, seeing increased rates of stunting – a consequence of child malnutrition, from which it is rarely possible to fully recover. Almost three out of every ten displaced children in north-west Syria under the age of 5 are stunted. They will live with the consequences for the rest of their lives. A United Nations inter-agency mission to Idlib, on 2 March, saw conditions there first-hand. The mission assessment was clear: people are afraid; needs are vast and complex; local aid workers are delivering tirelessly under near-impossible conditions; but the response is overwhelmed. The team saw hillsides dotted with tents. Overcrowding is forcing some families to take turns in sleeping outside. The team was struck by the large number of very young children among the displaced.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“Last week, together with the Secretary-General, the Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund, Henrietta Fore, and the Director-General of WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, I launched a $2 billion global humanitarian response plan to fight COVID-19 in the world’s most vulnerable countries, including in Syria. I thank donors for the pledges already made and urge them to do more. As the Secretary-General has said: the pandemic has shown that we are only as strong as our weakest health system. Let me turn now to north-west Syria. Again, Special Envoy Pedersen will speak about this; there has been a significant decrease in violence following the 5 March agreement. Humanitarian needs remain enormous. Our data show clear evidence of deteriorating conditions since December.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“While the COVID-19 response requires restrictions on movement, it is important that there is appropriate facilitation for movement of humanitarian workers and supplies and for medical evacuations so that local health and broader humanitarian responses can be supported. I reiterate the Secretary-General’s call, which I know Mr. Pedersen will also be talking about, for a complete and immediate nationwide ceasefire throughout Syria to enable an all-out effort to suppress COVID-19. It is clear that this crisis can only be overcome by a truly global response.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“But all efforts to prevent, detect and respond to COVID-19 are impeded by Syria’s fragile health system, by high levels of population movement, challenges to obtaining critical supplies, including protective equipment and ventilators, and by the practical difficulties of implementing isolation and protective measures in areas of displacement, with high population density and low levels of sanitation services. I reiterate the Secretary-General’s appeal for the waiving of sanctions that can undermine countries’ capacity to respond to the pandemic. The pandemic is already further restricting our ability to access affected communities. Airport and border closures, including in the north-east, along with other movement restrictions, add to the long-standing difficulties humanitarian staff face in travelling to where they are needed.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“Only around half of its hospitals and primary health-care centres were fully functional at the end of last year. As in other countries, the World Health Organization (WHO)-led response advises a focus on prevention and preparedness. That includes preparing front-line humanitarian workers, most of whom are Syrians, to interact safely with communities. United Nations-supported surveillance and early warning systems have been reinforced across the country, in joint efforts with the relevant authorities. Preparedness and response plans have been developed and the pre-positioning of equipment and supplies, the rehabilitation of the Central Public Health Laboratory, the upgrading of available isolation units, and community engagement programmes are all under way.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“My briefing today will focus on four areas: First: the COVID-19 crisis and the potential implications, including for humanitarian operations, in Syria; Second: the situation in the north-west, where we are delivering record volumes of assistance cross-border, but are not close to meeting the vast and growing humanitarian needs; Third: the situation in the north-east, especially on medical supplies; And fourth: an overview of the humanitarian situation as we now see it. As of this morning, 10 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Syria, including one death. Judging from other places, that is the tip of the iceberg. The virus has the potential to have a devastating impact on vulnerable communities across the country. Syria’s health services are extremely fragile.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source