YouSaid · the spoken record

Obrien

lines on the record: 875
first: 2010-06-29
most recent: 2017-08-30
sittings or episodes: 46
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

“Groups designated as terrorist have similarly continued their indiscriminate attacks on civilian- populated areas. A few days ago, car-bomb attacks for which responsibility was claimed by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant reportedly killed more than 155 people in Damascus and the city of Homs. In January, similar attacks in the same locations killed dozens more. Meanwhile, non-State armed groups have continued shelling populated areas of Damascus, killing and injuring many civilians over the past few weeks. It is hard to believe that this conflict can be resolved as long as there continues to be a complete absence of protection for civilians.”
2016-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7631 (2016) · source
“Heavy fighting and aerial bombardment also continued in other parts of the country, including parts of Idlib, Homs, rural Damascus and Dar'a. All too often, that included attacks on civilian infrastructure and basic services - including medical facilities, schools, bakeries, places of worship and internally displaced person camps, with a devastating impact on hundreds of thousands of civilians. On 15 February, on one single day, seven health-care facilities were attacked in Idlib, Aleppo and Dar'a, reportedly by Government and allied forces. Numerous civilians, including medical staff, were killed or injured, and the facilities largely destroyed. In Idlib alone it is estimated that some 40,000 people will be left without access to medical services as a result.”
2016-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7631 (2016) · source
“The Syrian people - who are rightly sceptical of the international community's desire and ability to bring about an end to this hideous war after years of inaction - need to see an immediate difference in their daily lives on the ground because, up until this point, it is they who continue to bear the brunt of this crisis as violence has become more widespread, systematic and extreme. Since the start of the year, thousands of civilians have been killed, injured or displaced as a result of air strikes, barrel bombs, shelling, mortars, rockets, car bombs, improvised explosive devices and suicide attacks, day after day, right across the country. This month alone, it is estimated that several hundred people have been killed and over 70,000 displaced due to intense aerial bombardment in Aleppo governorate.”
2016-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7631 (2016) · source
“We have approval to reach a further 230,000 people, including through the airdrops in Deir ez-Zor. But we are still waiting for approval for an additional 170,000 people. We expect those approvals to happen immediately. And, more broadly, the use of siege and starvation as a method of war must cease immediately. The main responsibility for doing so rests with the parties maintaining the sieges, but it is shared by those who put civilians in harm's way by using them as shields for military activities in besieged areas. I cannot emphasize enough how high the stakes are at this moment in the conflict.”
2016-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7631 (2016) · source
“When approvals are forthcoming, they are often not respected or adequately implemented. In order for people in dire need to receive the assistance they so desperately require, the system must be urgently simplified. The United Nations has also begun to use airdrops as a means of humanitarian delivery in Syria. Although there are a number of operational risks associated with airdrops, we recognize that there are benefits to that approach in some areas of Syria as a last resort. Earlier this morning, a World Food Programme plane dropped the first cargo of 21 tons of items into Deir ez-Zor. We have received initial reports from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent team on the ground that pallets have landed in the target area as planned. In summary, the United Nations and its partners have reached 110,000 people in besieged areas.”
2016-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7631 (2016) · source
“The Resident Coordinator is also putting together a proposal to the Government of Syria to reduce the number of procedures and the length of time needed for inter-agency convoys move. Humanitarian operations cannot continue to be bogged down by unnecessary and unacceptable restrictions, obstructions and deliberate delays that are costing people their lives. The number, scope and complexity of bureaucratic and other obstacles that are placed in the path of simple aid deliveries are staggering. To move a single truck, United Nations teams on the ground need to acquire multiple layers of approvals from officials at various different levels, necessitating repeated rounds of negotiations over everything from the target location, the amount and type of aid supplies, the date, the time and the route to take.”
2016-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7631 (2016) · source
“After extensive negotiations, the United Nations team finally departed in the early afternoon on 23 February, and was only actually able to deliver to one town - Kafr Batna. The date of the next convoy is yet to be approved. Again, I insist on immediate approval to allow the convoys to deliver. We need immediate approval for the next round of convoys, which will deliver to eastern Ghutah, Horns, Aleppo and southern Syria. Health supplies for some 30,000 people have been denied for the convoys by the Ministry of Health. The Resident Coordinator will submit an official request to the Government for all medical items that were removed to be included in future convoys.”
2016-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7631 (2016) · source
“Eventually supplies were delivered, and the team worked through the night to unload the supplies. Their bravery and commitment is humbling, and I salute them all. I would like to remind the Council that Madimayet is a mere 15- to 20-minute drive from central Damascus. There is no reason that the mission should take over 48 hours to reach the people who need help. It is a clear violation of the safe, unhindered, unimpeded access that the Security Council has continually called for through its resolutions and other statements. Finally, in Kafr Batna, in eastern Ghuta, 15 trucks delivered assistance to 10,000 people. Again, that was not without complications. My team received approval from the Government at 5.30 pm. on 21 February to deliver assistance to over 44,0000 people in several towns in eastern Ghuta.”
2016-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7631 (2016) · source
“As part of the agreements facilitated through discussions in Munich earlier this month, we have been able to deliver 62 trucks in Madimayet, reaching 40,000 people. There is another convoy planned through Madimayet, which must happen this week. Again, it requires facilitation by all parties, including the relevant letters from the Government. Despite those achievements, the process of delivery has not been straightforward. For example, the second Madimayet convoy left the warehouse on Sunday, 21 February at 8 pm. local time. By Tuesday at 1 am. local time, we still had trucks waiting outside the checkpoint to enter the town. Brave and dedicated humanitarian workers slept in trucks in adverse weather, waiting patiently to get help to the people that needed it.”
2016-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7631 (2016) · source
“As of 17 February, United Nations and Syrian Arab Red Crescent convoys had reached the following towns as part of the four towns agreement: 62 trucks to Madaya, reaching 40,000 beneficiaries; 3 trucks to Zabadani, reaching 1,000 beneficiaries; and 18 trucks to Fu'ah and Kafraya, reaching 20,000 beneficiaries. The convoys have preceded without any major security incident, although there have been delays in delivery as parties disagree over the terms of the agreement. The second and last part of the deliveries is tentatively planned for 28 February. The United Nations has supplies ready to be loaded and delivered. Facilitation by all parties, including the relevant letters from the Government of Syria, must be provided.”
2016-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7631 (2016) · source
“The announcement by the Chairs of the International Syria Support Group - the United States and the Russian Federation - of a nationwide cessation of hostilities, scheduled to come into effect this weekend, is a welcome development and a long-awaited signal of hope to the Syrian people. I echo the call of the Secretary-General for the parties to abide by the terms of the agreement, to bring about an immediate reduction in violence as a first step towards a more durable ceasefire and to create the conditions necessary for increased delivery of humanitarian aid. I would like to take this opportunity to update the Council in detail on the most up-to-date information on humanitarian access.”
2016-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7631 (2016) · source
“Mr. O'Brien: Next month we will mark a grim anniversary. The brutal conflict will have torn Syria apart for five long years. It has been a relentless period of violence and destruction. The Syrian people have seen their country reduced to rubble, loved ones killed or injured and millions of people displaced either inside the country or in the region and beyond. They have suffered far too much and for far too long. The international community watched as Syria became one of the largest and most destructive crises of our times, with the majority of the population - some 13.5 million people - in dire need of protection and humanitarian assistance.”
2016-02-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7631 (2016) · source
“I cannot overstate the importance of donor support for that endeavour, nor the urgency we face in responding to humanitarian needs, which only deepen as the conflict intensifies. Nearly one year into the conflict, it is now more important than ever that we address the human catastrophe unfolding in Yemen. I again underscore the urgent need for the Council, and the international community more broadly, to impress upon the parties to the conflict their obligations to facilitate unconditional and sustained access to all parts of Yemen, and to take greater measures to protect civilians. I also reiterate the urgent request that the Council press the parties to resume peace talks and agree to a ceasefire. The Yemeni people are suffering. They need the Council to act now.”
2016-02-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7622 (2016) · source
“All States Members of the United Nations have been informed. The mechanism will operate for an initial six months out of Djibouti, and will move to Aden and/or Sana'a when the security situation permits. UNVIM. monitors will also be based in Dubai, Jeddah and Salalah to work with the relevant authorities. In two days' time, the 2016 Yemen humanitarian response plan will be launched in Geneva. The plan calls for $1.8 billion to address the most critical and prioritized needs across all governorates in the country, including food assistance for nearly 9 million people, water and sanitation support for 7.4 million, urgent health support for 10.6 million persons and emergency interventions to mitigate growing and severe malnutrition rates.”
2016-02-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7622 (2016) · source
“Given the heavy dependence of Yemen on imported food and fuel, it will be critical to ensure that inspections in line with resolution 2216 (2015) do not adversely impact the flow of commercial shipping into Yemen of basic items that Yemeni civilians rely on to survive. I am pleased to report that the United Nations Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) has now been formally launched. The mechanism must now contribute to continued improvements in the levels of commercial imports into Yemeni ports outside the control of the Government of Yemen and that are not channelled through a United Nations agency or recognized international humanitarian organization. The Secretary-General has formally requested the Government of Yemen and the Saudi-led coalition to appoint representatives to sit on the steering committee by 22 February.”
2016-02-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7622 (2016) · source
“I remind all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law to facilitate humanitarian access to all areas of Yemen. United Nations agencies and their partners will continue to deliver impartial and neutral assistance across Yemen according to need, using the established de-confliction mechanism in Riyadh with the coalition for humanitarian staff and supply movements, including those to and from subnational offices in Sa'ada, Hodeidah, Ibb and Aden. Humanitarian assistance must be complemented by efforts to revive the economy and the flow of much- needed commercial goods, which has been severely impeded by the ongoing conflict.”
2016-02-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7622 (2016) · source
“On 11 February, one of charter vessels of the World Food Programme - the MV Mainport Cedar - which was carrying humanitarian supplies for United Nations offices in Aden and travelling from Djibouti with a scheduled and approved stop in the Yemen port of Hodeidah, was diverted by coalition forces to the Saudi Arabian port of Jizan. The parties to the conflict have a duty of care in the conduct of military operations to protect all civilian persons and objects - including humanitarian and health-care workers and facilities - against attack. The parties should also refrain from using explosive weapons in populated areas, which cause unacceptable harm by killing large numbers of civilians, destroying homes, severely hindering critical services over the immediate and longer term and leaving behind explosive remnants of war.”
2016-02-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7622 (2016) · source
“Humanitarian agencies and partners are committed to implementing an operation to deliver food, health and sanitation supplies to some 350,000 people in Sa'ada governorate. This past month, more than 276,000 people were provided food in the governorate. Recent communication received from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding the safety of humanitarian workers in Houthi-controlled areas has impacted the humanitarian community's planning, causing delays to important missions over the past two weeks. That follows the denial of entry to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on 17 January of the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator.”
2016-02-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7622 (2016) · source
“Those are positive developments, and I note Houthi commitments on access to Ta'izz city made during talks in Biel and reaffirmed to the Special Envoy in his last visit to Yemen. Humanitarian deliveries into the enclave often require long and protracted negotiations with parties on the ground, however. Efforts are ongoing to establish a monitoring mechanism that will enable predictable access, as opposed to ad hoc/one-time deliveries. Access to northern governorates, where needs are among the most severe in the country, also continue to be challenging due to relentless conflict, including airstrikes - in particular to communities along the border with Saudi Arabia, where conflict is intense.”
2016-02-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7622 (2016) · source
“That includes locations in the Hadramaut governorate but also in Aden, where severe insecurity prevails. Humanitarian assistance reached the Ta'izz city enclave following a high-level mission led by the Humanitarian Coordinator on 22 January. The area faces severe access restrictions by the Houthis and is home to over 200,000 people. Deliveries included food for around 18,000 people, non-food items for approximately 1,250 families and medical supplies, including 170 oxygen cylinders and 30,000 units of dialysis sessions. Over the weekend, additional assistance reached the enclave, including food for a further 18,000 people, cancer treatment drugs, surgical items, intravenous fluids and anesthetic supplies and HIV antiretroviral treatments.”
2016-02-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7622 (2016) · source
“Despite those commendable and brave efforts, I am extremely concerned about the increasingly restricted humanitarian space we face to respond the staggering needs of Yemeni men, women and children. In addition to an already dangerous environment, parties to the conflict are contributing to the reduction of humanitarian access. The Houthis and allied groups remain inconsistent in allowing access and movement of humanitarian goods and personnel. Over the past week, while some United Nations agencies were given approvals, several others were denied for joint inter-agency missions to Ibb, Ta'izz and Sa'ada. While humanitarian deliveries are ongoing in areas where Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula is present, international humanitarian movement to those areas is extremely challenging and dangerous.”
2016-02-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7622 (2016) · source
“For example, on Sunday, a Saudi-led coalition airstrike hit a building 200 metres away from the Diplomatic Transit Facility, which accommodates United Nations and diplomatic personnel. During January, the humanitarian community provided regular monthly food rations to approximately 2.6 million people and direct water deliveries to over 234,000 people, and supplied fuel to water-pumping stations for more than 3 million people. Health activities reached over 102,000 people. Around 36,000 children were screened for acute malnutrition, and 3,700 malnourished children under 5 years of age were admitted to feeding programmes. Other relief items were provided to over 42,700 people.”
2016-02-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7622 (2016) · source
“More than 1.8 million children have been out of school since mid-March 2015, bringing the total number of children out of school to more than 3.4 million when combined with pre-crisis figures. Over 1,170 schools are now unfit for use due to conflict-related damage, the presence of displaced people or occupation by armed groups. Water infrastructure serving at least 900,000 people has been either damaged or destroyed by airstrikes, artillery and rockets. For instance last week, the water reservoir serving 40,000 people was completely destroyed, reportedly by an airstrike, in the capital, Sana'a. United Nations agencies and theirnon-governmental organization partners are delivering assistance under extraordinarily difficult and dangerous circumstances across the country.”
2016-02-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7622 (2016) · source
“At least 7.6 million people are severely food-insecure. Some 2 million acutely malnourished children and pregnant or lactating women need urgent treatment. Chronic drug shortages, unpaid salaries and conflict-related destruction mean that around 14 million Yemenis do not have sufficient access to health-care services. Since March of last year, nearly 600 health facilities have closed due to damage, shortages of critical supplies or lack of health workers. Nearly 220 of those facilities used to provide treatment for acute malnutrition. In January alone, at least three health facilities were damaged - one hospital in Sa'ada governorate and two facilities in the Nahim district of Sana'a governorate.”
2016-02-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7622 (2016) · source
“Mr. O'Brien: The conflict in Yemen continues to kill and maim civilians, causing immeasurable suffering, while destroying livelihoods, homes, communities and essential civilian infrastructure. Much of that is the result of indiscriminate bombing and shelling by the parties. Since March 2015, more than 35,000 casualties, including over 6,000 deaths, have been reported by health facilities across the country. The United Nations has confirmed that at least 2,997 of those killed and 5,659 of those injured are civilians. Conservative estimates suggest that well over 700 children have been killed and over 1,000 more injured. There are reports that as many as 720 children have been forcibly recruited by the parties. The conflict is exacting a terrible humanitarian toll. Some 2.7 million people have had to flee their homes.”
2016-02-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7622 (2016) · source
“But for the millions of people trapped under siege, malnourished and lacking basic supplies, the Council has simply not done enough. We have left those people with no hope. They believe that the world has forgotten them. As this conflict approaches its sixth year, now is the time for those Council members with influence on the parties to put their differences aside and come together, at the most senior political levels, to find ways to improve access to the millions of Syrians who remain trapped in besieged and hard-to-reach areas. The Syrian people cannot wait any longer.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“The key stakeholders in the Syria crisis must do what has never been done up to this point and put people before politics. On the eve of further political talks, it is my hope, and the hope of all humanitarians, that the key stakeholders will finally take the bold, unselfish and courageous decisions necessary to put an end to this ruinous war and the unimaginable suffering it has brought to the Syrian people. Over the last five years, the Council has demonstrated that when there is political will and a unity of purpose, it is capable of reaching agreement and taking decisive action to deal with the challenges of the conflict in Syria. The Council has taken action on chemical weapons in Syria; it has authorized cross- border humanitarian assistance; and it has taken action recently to launch a political process.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“The failure in Syria is a political failure, most definitely not a failure on the part of these brave women and men and the humanitarian organizations that they represent. I especially pay tribute to the 82 colleagues who have lost their lives in the line of duty, including an international NGO staff member from GOAL, killed by an improvised explosive device in Idlib just two days ago. Let me be clear: the continued suffering of the people in Syria cannot be blamed on the humanitarian organizations and staff; it is the failure ofboth the parties and the international community that has allowed this conflict to continue for far too long. And try as we may, humanitarian action cannot be a substitute for political action. The only solution is through a political dialogue that reduces and ultimately ends the violence.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“I salute the efforts of the thousands of - mostly Syrian - staff and volunteers of the United Nations; the Syrian Arab Red Crescent; the non-governmental organizations (NGOs); the first responders; and the staff of hospitals and clinics throughout the country, who carry out their duties day after day in the face of political pressure and, in some cases, violence and intimidation from the parties to the conflict. I remind the Council that each day the United Nations and its partners are served by humanitarian heroes: women and men who are willing to risk their lives leading convoys into conflict zones to reach the people who are so desperately in need. We should all be inspired by their example, and we should all salute them.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“Even with the worsening situation and continued access challenges, humanitarian workers in Syria continue to stay and deliver aid, often at great personal risk. Humanitarian organizations - both United Nations and non-United Nations - are dedicating unprecedented resources and efforts to reach Syrians in need. Together, we delivered aid to millions of people in 2015, including food assistance to nearly 6 million people per month and health assistance to almost 16 million, and we provided 6.7 million people with water, sanitation and hygiene support, and 4.8 million with basic household items.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“Secondly, the parties must also facilitate full, unhindered, unconditional and sustained access to all people in need, including in besieged and hard-to-reach areas, for all types of assistance, including medical and surgical supplies. This must include, for example, immediate approval of the outstanding requests for inter-agency cross-line convoys by the Syrian authorities. Non-State armed groups and listed terrorist groups must also facilitate the deliveries that they are preventing. Thirdly, the parties must allow freedom of movement for civilians of all ages to enter and exit besieged and hard-to-reach areas in safety and dignity, and permit the immediate medical evacuation of sick and wounded patients to a safe place for treatment.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“The United Nations and its partners will be able to do our job the best way possible only when we are fully resourced. At the same time, the Council and Member States with influence must take further steps to ensure that the parties comply with their obligations under international law and the demands of the Council contained in resolution 2139 (2014). Specifically, this will require urgent measures now to ensure that the parties, first, stop targeting civilians, as well as civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, schools and other infrastructure and services which people depend upon for their survival, including targeted or indiscriminate attacks, as well as the use of explosive weapons or landmines in populated areas, at all times.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“In 2015, the United Nations delivered humanitarian assistance to less than 10 per cent of people in hard-to-reach areas and only around 1 per cent in besieged areas. From our side, the United Nations remains committed to the safe delivery of neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian aid to all people directly affected by the fighting, based on need and vulnerability - never on political considerations. We stand ready to scale up assistance as soon as security conditions and more sustainable access allow. Resources are also vital, and I encourage all Member States to pledge generously at the upcoming London Conference on 4 February for the desperate people inside Syria and for those who have fled into the neighbouring countries.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“On 11 January, the United Nations requested approval from the Government of Syria to conduct inter-agency convoys to 46 besieged and hard-to-reach areas during the first quarter of 2016. As of 27 January, 16 days later, we have not received all of the necessary approvals for any ofthese requests. If all these convoys, which remain one of the most effective and efficient ways to reach people across conflict lines, could proceed, we could reach an estimated 1.7 million people in need today who are being subjected to unnecessary and avoidable suffering owing to the parties' indifference to fulfilling their basic international legal obligations. We are in a race against time. More and more people are slipping out of our reach every day as the conflict intensifies and battle lines tighten.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“In 2015, just over 10 per cent of the 113 requests for inter-agency convoys resulted in the delivery of much- needed humanitarian and life-saving assistance. A further 10 per cent were approved in principle but could not proceed due to a lack of final approval, insecurity or lack of agreement on safe passage. The United Nations placed some 3 per cent of requests on hold due to insecurity, and almost 75 per cent of requests went unanswered by the Government of Syria. Such inaction is simply unacceptable for a State Member of the United Nations and a signatory to the United Nations Charter. The impact on the ground is tangible: in 2013, we reached some 2.9 millionpeople throughthe inter-agency convoy mechanism, but this past year only 620,000.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“We have asked the Council repeatedly to demand that the parties to the conflict facilitate unhindered, unconditional and sustained access across Syria, but that is simply not happening. Active conflict and insecurity are limiting factors, but all parties to the conflict continue to deliberately delay or obstruct the delivery of aid. While we continue to do everything in our power to press the parties and influential stakeholders to reach people in need across Syria, restrictions on aid delivery remain a routine and systematic occurrence. Despite our persistent and unrelenting efforts, our ability to access hard-to-reach and besieged locations remains severely hampered by the pitiful approval rate for inter-agency convoys by the Syrian authorities.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“In Madimayet, rural Damascus, at least 5 people were killed and 25 more injured when two mortars landed in the city centre on 23 January. Meanwhile, a recent ISIL offensive on besieged Deir eZ-Zour city has reportedly resulted in the death of large numbers of civilians, and we also remain extremely concerned about unverified reports of deaths related to severe malnutrition in the city. Attacks on hospitals and schools continue unabated, with grave repercussions for all civilians, including the 2 million children out of school. In 2015, according to UNICEF, some 35 schools were attacked, with one in four schools closed, damaged or destroyed. Meanwhile, Physicians for Human Rights documented at least 112 attacks on medical facilities - an average of one every three days - as well as the deaths of 107 medical personnel last year.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“And those with influence on the parties can demand it stops. I ask them to do so. Now. The indiscriminate use of weapons on civilians, residential areas, aid supply routes and civilian infrastructure protected under international law continues, outrageously, with total impunity. Over the past few weeks alone, hundreds of civilians have been killed or injured in direct or indiscriminate attacks by all parties, due to the continued use of explosive weapons in populated areas, including through barrel bombs and other aerial weapons, shelling and car bombs. For example, on 12 January, reports indicate that airstrikes on Ma'arat al-Numan city, in rural Idlib, killed 33 people, while airstrikes on Sarmada town, in northern Idlib, reportedly killed 29 persons on the same day.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“Of that number, we estimate that some 486,700 people are currently living in besieged areas - 274,200 people besieged by the Government of Syria; 200,000 by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL); and 12,500 by non-State armed groups and the Al-Nusra Front. The continued use of siege and starvation as a weapon of war is reprehensible. The Secretary- General has said that such tactics can constitute a war crime. They must stop immediately. The primary responsibility lies with the party that maintains the siege and routinely and systematically denies people the basic necessities oflife. However, other parties that conduct military activities in or from populated areas, using civilians as shields and endangering their safety, also bear their share of responsibility for the immense suffering in besieged areas.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“It would ential sending convoy drivers and humanitarian workers into the line of fire. To be frank, the situation in Madaya is only the tip of the iceberg. More and more people are living in areas that are under siege or are harder to reach than ever before. We are continually monitoring the situation on the ground throughout Syria, and based on the latest information we estimate that some 4.6 million people are in hard-to-reach areas, subject to various forms of restrictions on the movement of people and goods that severely limit their access to services and humanitarian assistance.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“In the meantime, health supplies in Madaya are dwindling fast, and recent United Nations and SARC requests to the Syrian authorities for medical teams to enter Madaya must be approved without delay or hindrance. We also need similar, immediate safe access to Fu'ah and Kafraya as conditions there also continue to deteriorate sharply. And why do we negotiate? Why do we request safe access from all parties, but principally the Syrian Government? We do so because although the Council has adopted a resolution to allow for safe, unimpeded access, that access does not always exist for the brave women and men on the ground trying to deliver assistance into these areas. Some simply say to me: "The United Nations should break the sieges", but that would be reckless.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“The last time SARC was able to enter with supplies and teams was 15 January. Many of those remaining need treatment where they are, rather than evacuation. Simple treatments and supplies can provide the care required. We do not know if there are others who require evacuation. That is why it is vital we be able to get independent medical teams in to assess the most appropriate medical care for the sick and injured. Humanitarian conditions in these areas remain severe and critical, particularly the health of civilians in Madaya. Negotiations continue to allow the free safe passage - let me repeat, safe passage - of others in both locations whose lives are at serious risk. These negotiations with all parties must conclude urgently to avoid more senseless death and suffering.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“The recent pictures of emaciated, starving children in the besieged town of Madaya seemingly shocked the collective conscience of the world. The humanitarian missions to Madaya and the similarly besieged areas of Zabadani, Fu'ah and Kafraya, undertaken by the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) over the past two weeks have delivered desperately needed food, medical and other aid sufficient for one month for over 60,000 people in total. The original list of those requiring urgent medical evacuation was 19. All of those people have been evacuated. In fact, a total of 37 people out of 400 requiring medical attention have been evacuated. We urgently need to get more medical supplies and teams into Madaya.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“This month's report (S/2016/60) is equally as depressing as those before it, highlighting how the human and social cost of this conflict continues to spiral out of control. This vicious cycle of death and destruction carries the grave risk of being seen as having become, in many ways, the new normal in Syria as the search for a political solution continues. But the death, suffering and wanton destruction and disregard for the law should never be seen as normal. This tragedy is man-made. It is hideous but it is avoidable. And we - the Security Council - must come together to stop it. Every time we think we have reached the nadir of human suffering in this crisis, it continues to sink deeper and deeper before our eyes.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“I offer him once again the full support of the humanitarian community in his vital endeavour. We must all get behind his tireless efforts to find a political solution to this shameful tragedy. This political process offers a genuine window of opportunity for the international community to come together and find solutions that reduce suffering and bring an end to the conflict. I cannot stress enough that we must not let this opportunity pass. Since the adoption of resolution 2139 (2014) two years ago, the Secretary-General has reported month after month on the parties' disregard for international humanitarian and human rights law, their repeated non-compliance with the Council's demands on protection of civilians and humanitarian access, and the humanitarian catastrophe that has ensued.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“Mr. O'Brien: For over five long years, the Syrian people have endured one of the most savage and brutal conflicts of the twenty-first century. The facts speak for themselves: over 250,000 people killed; well over a million injured; 6.5 million displaced within Syria; almost 4.6 million refugees; and much of the remaining population 4 some 13.5 million people e in dire need of humanitarian assistance. We must never forget that behind each of these figures are the individual and personal stories of girls, boys, women and men whose lives have been uprooted, whose dreams for the future have been shattered, and who have witnessed and been subjected to unspeakable fear and suffering. This week, political talks are scheduled to begin, led by Special Envoy De Mistura.”
2016-01-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7612 (2016) · source
“We must take advantage of this rare moment of diplomatic opportunity to push for a negotiated political solution and create the conditions for a nationwide ceasefire. At the same time, this new diplomatic momentum should be used to generate early dividends for the Syrian people. Most immediately, I urge the Council and relevant Member States to use their influence to press for an end to the use of indiscriminate weapons and to take steps to ensure unhindered humanitarian access to all people in need throughout Syria. I sincerely hope that progress will be made and that the incoming year will finally see an end to the conflict in Syria. We cannot squander this moment or momentum; all of us must stand up and play our part to bring an end to this conflict for once and for all.”
2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source
“This complements the crucial work of international non-governmental actors, who continue to provide large-scale assistance across the country. We remain committed to reaching all those in need, and we need any and every route possible to do this. The status quo in Syria simply cannot continue. We have seen the devastating consequences of failing to act. This failure has eroded confidence in the international community. The people of Syria deserve more than the discussions we are having or the aid we are providing. They deserve an end to this senseless violence. The recent international talks in Vienna provide a glimmer of light that international diplomacy can provide a solution to the conflict.”
2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source
“The commitment and bravery of the thousands of aid workers who deliver much- needed aid at great personal risk - particularly Syrian organizations, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and volunteers, who are often the first responders on the front lines - are deeply humbling. I once again stress the need for the United Nations to be able to use all modalities, across conflict lines and across borders, in order to reach people in need in Syria wherever they may be found. Resolutions 2165 (2014) and 2191 (2014) have made a difference by enabling the United Nations and partners to reach some people in need who were largely inaccessible before. Through cross-border deliveries, the United Nations and partners have been able to regularly reach millions of people.”
2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source
“I also call on non-State armed opposition groups, as well as listed terrorist groups, to allow the deliveries they are preventing. Over 1.4 million people in hard-to-reach and besieged locations would be assisted if these convoys were able to proceed. The planned humanitarian airlift to Deir ez-Zor, although approved, has been unable to proceed due to the deteriorating security situation around the airport. Despite all the challenges, the United Nations and partners continue to reach millions of people in need through all modalities. In the past month alone, the United Nations and its partners delivered food aid to over 4 million people; water, sanitation and hygiene support to over 3.5 million; and medicines and supplies for 717,000 treatments.”
2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source