YouSaid · the spoken record

Obrien

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875

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2010-06-29

most recent

2017-08-30

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46

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un-security-council

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1. “As I have said to the Council before, we need to make urgent progress to reach people in hard-to-reach and besieged areas as living conditions in these areas continue to deteriorate and the onset of winter is not far away. So far this year, only 30 per cent of the convoy requests made by the United Nations have been approved in principle by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and less than half of those approved have been able to actually proceed due to a combination of lack of final security clearances from Syrian authorities, lack of safe passage from non-State armed opposition groups, and insecurity. I call upon the Syrian authorities to urgently approve the 46 currently pending inter-agency convoy requests and allow convoys previously agreed in principle, which are awaiting their clearance, to proceed.”

   2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source

2. “This includes some 200,000 people under siege by ISIL in Deir-ez-Zor city; some 181,200 people beseeged by the Syrian Government in various locations in eastern Ghutah, as well as Darayya and Zabadani in rural Damascus; and some 12,500 people under siege by non- State armed opposition groups and the Al-Nusra Front in Foah and Kefraya in Idlib. These people have next to no access to the basic essentials of life and our ability to reach them is extremely limited. So far in 2015, the United Nations has been able to reach only 3.5 per cent of people with health assistance and only 0.7 per cent of people with food per month in besieged areas. Such an inhumane tactic of war is unlawful and must end immediately.”

   2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source

3. “While active conflict and insecurity are limiting factors, the parties continue to delay or obstruct assistance to people in need. We have only been able to reach a small proportion of the 4.5 million people in need in hard-to-reach areas in 2015. Nearly half of those in need in hard-to-reach areas - some 2.2 million - are living under terror and subjugation in ISIL-controlled areas, to which the United Nations and its partners continue to have virtually no access. We must spare no effort to ensure that these people receive the assistance they desperately need. The parties to the conflict, largely ISIL and the Government of Syria, continue to use siege as a war tactic, with an estimated 393,700 people living under siege.”

   2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source

4. “The routine immunization coverage in Syria has dropped from 95 per cent in 2010 to 64 per cent in 2015, and in some places, is as low as 20 per cent. This poses an acute risk for deadly epidemic disease in many areas. Surely, meeting the health needs of children, who represent our future, should be considered the lowest common denominator of our humanity. We need a firm commitment from the parties to the conflict to take all necessary measures to protect civilians and stop the targeting of civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, schools and key infrastructure networks. In spite of repeated calls by the Council, humanitarian actors continue to be prevented from gaining sustained, unhindered access to millions of people in need.”

   2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source

5. “Attacks on civilian infrastructure also continue unabated, including relentless attacks against health- care facilities and personnel across the country. According to Physicians for Human Rights, in October there were 16 attacks on medical facilities - the highest in a single month since the conflict began - and seven medical staff were killed. Parties to the conflict must ensure respect for, and protection of, health facilities and personnel and patients under international humanitarian law. Meanwhile, medicines and medical supplies continue to be prevented from reaching those who desperately need them. The overall impact on the health situation has been devastating, with many civilians, particularly in areas not controlled by the Government, unable to access even the most basic medical care.”

   2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source

6. “Not only are such indiscriminate attacks a tragedy that kills and injures innocent people; they may also amount to war crimes. The perpetrators must be aware that they will one day be held accountable for their actions. The pace of displacement in Syria remains relentless. In Aleppo, at least 50,000 people are confirmed to have been displaced since early October following an escalation of fighting between non-State armed opposition groups and the Government of Syria. The number could be as high as 100,000. ISIL attacks on Mahin and Hawarin in eastern rural Homs in late October has led to the displacement of an estimated 25,000 people. Further displacement is expected to continue at a similar rate unless there is a reduction in the violence.”

   2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source

7. “The day before, air strikes reportedly hit the main field hospital in Douma killing at least 15 civilians and injuring 50 others. Following these attacks, Jaish Al-Islam reportedly used dozens of prisoners as human shields, placed in cages around heavily populated areas, to seek to deter further air strikes in civilian areas. Elsewhere, just a few days ago, on 10 November, more than 23 people were killed and 40 injured when non-State armed opposition groups caused two explosions in Lattakia city. Meanwhile, ISIL and other terrorist and extremist groups continue to cause carnage across the country. For example, in Aleppo governorate, ISIL detonated a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device in Haritan, killing more than 20 people in early October.”

   2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source

8. “As we have sat in the Council Chamber month after month, we have borne witness to the failure of all the parties to the conflict to protect civilians. Each month, I speak of what seems like never-ending Violence killing innocent civilians, including children. The indiscriminate use of weapons continues unabated in the Syria conflict. In October, hundreds of civilians were killed orinjuredin direct orindiscriminate attacks by all parties, owing to the continued use of explosive weapons in populated areas, including through barrel bombs and other aerial weapons, shelling and car bombs. On 30 October, several air strikes hit the Al-Hal market in Douma, rural Damascus, killing at least 60 civilians and injuring 200 more.”

   2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source

9. “Yet, many Syrians, who have lost hope and are fleeing unspeakable violence and whose resources are all but depleted, are willing to risk their lives in perilous journeys across the Mediterranean. Some 400,000 people - over 50 per cent of the arrivals by sea in 2015 - are Syrian. And still they flee - yesterday, today, and without a political settlement, tomorrow and the day after, and the day after that - each day, even as winter approaches and, I sadly predict, all the way through it. Security Council members and the international community must also redouble their efforts to oblige the parties to finally comply with the demands made by the Council in resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165(2014) and 2191 (2014).”

   2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source

10. “That momentum must be seized to leave no stone unturned to put an end to the horrendous war that has cost the lives of an estimated 250,000 people, given rise to extremist and terrorist groups and reduced much of the country - a middle-income country - to rubble. The fighting has also propelled the world's largest humanitarian crisis of the twenty-first century, with some 13.5 million people in Syria in need of some form of humanitarian assistance, including 6 million children, and it has driven over 4 million people to seek safe refuge outside their home country. The neighbouring countries are shouldering most of the burden with remarkable generosity and sacrifice.”

    2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source

11. “Mr. O'Brien: I would like to begin my briefing by expressing my deepest condolences to those affected by the recent attacks of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) perpetrated in France and Lebanon. The Syria crisis is a chronicle of missed opportunities on the part of the Security Council, Member States with influence on the parties and the broader international community to bring the conflict to an end. More than five years since the unrest in Syria began, the parties to the conflict continue to commit unthinkable atrocities on a daily basis, plunging Syria and its citizens deeper into darkness. I very much welcome the recent international talks in Vienna.”

    2015-11-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7560 (2015) · source

12. “In the absence of such a solution, I sincerely hope that the Council and relevant Member States will continue to use their influence with the parties to the conflict in order to remind them to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, to distinguish between civilians and combatants, and to take all feasible precautions to avoid further civilian injury and loss of life.”

    2015-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7543 (2015) · source

13. “Humanitarian workers are putting their lives on the line, but remain undeterred. I strongly encourage donors to maintain, and where possible increase their generous support for life-saving humanitarian operations, as well as recovery and resilience activities, in 2016. As I have said to the Council before, the crisis urgently requires a political solution that addresses the root causes of the conflict and meets the aspirations of the Syrian people, who have suffered for far too long.”

    2015-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7543 (2015) · source

14. “Entire neighbourhoods and communities are at risk from explosive weapons; over 11 million people are in need of health assistance, including 25,000 trauma cases per month; nearly 9 million are unable to meet their basic food needs; 70 per cent of the population are without regular access to safe drinking water amid continuing water cuts; schools and hospitals are attacked; and poverty and unemployment are rampant amid rising prices. Winter is fast approaching and is likely to further exacerbate the situation for many families. The United Nations and its humanitarian partners will continue to respond to the growing needs to the best of their ability. While we are reaching millions of people per month, we continue to try and find ways to scale up life-saving assistance throughout Syria in an extremely complex and insecure environment.”

    2015-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7543 (2015) · source

15. “We would be able to reach an additional 1.5 million people in dire need of assistance in hard-to-reach and besieged locations through these inter-agency convoys if approvals and safe passage were granted. We all need to guard against becoming numb to the impact of this conflict, given the vast numbers and the sense of political impasse. Yet recent developments in Syria are a telling reminder that it is ordinary women, men and children who continue to bear the brunt of this conflict. Living conditions in all areas of the country continue to deteriorate sharply.”

    2015-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7543 (2015) · source

16. “So far this year, only 23 of the 85 convoy requests made by the United Nations have been approved in principle by the Syrian Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and fewer than half of those approved have been able to actually proceed due to a combination of lack of final security clearances from Syrian authorities, lack of safe passage from non-State armed opposition groups, and insecurity. I once again call upon the Syrian authorities to urgently approve the 46 currently pending inter-agency convoy requests and to allow convoys previously agreed in principle, which are awaiting their clearance, to proceed. I also call on Non-State Armed Groups, as well as listed terrorist groups, to allow the deliveries they are preventing.”

    2015-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7543 (2015) · source

17. “This complex mission shows once again that when there is the political will, there is a way to improve the situation for civilians trapped in conflict in Syria. Even as the political and military situation evolves, the immediate priority for humanitarian organizations remains reaching all people in need wherever they may be found in Syria. To do this, we must have sustained, predictable and unimpeded access throughout the country. While I welcome the continued progress made on visas for United Nations staff members by the Syrian authorities, this must be followed by urgent and significant progress in other areas.”

    2015-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7543 (2015) · source

18. “A joint convoy of the United Nations, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross accompanied 23 SARC trucks to rural Damascus, where two trucks crossed into Zabadani and 21 more entered Madaya and Buqayn, hosting many people displaced from Zabadani. Eight trucks delivered a proportional amount of health, food, nutrition, non-food items and water, sanitation and hygiene supplies to Foah and Kefraya via a United Nations cross-border operation through Turkey's Bab al-Hawa border point, with the support of the Idlib branch of the SARC. The United Nations and its partners stand ready to immediately implement the remaining points covered under the agreement, including the delivery of additional humanitarian assistance and the evacuation of the critically wounded.”

    2015-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7543 (2015) · source

19. “So far in 2015, the United Nations has been able to reach only 3.6 per cent of people with health assistance and only 0.5 per cent of people with food per month in besieged areas. Last week, humanitarian operations began under the framework of the ceasefire agreement covering Zabadani, Madaya, Foah, Kefraya and neighbouring towns, reached in Istanbul on 22 September with the facilitation of the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria. On 18 October, 31 trucks delivered medical and humanitarian supplies simultaneously to 29,500 people in Madaya, as well as the besieged areas of Zabadani, Foah and Kefraya.”

    2015-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7543 (2015) · source

20. “Following a comprehensive review, we now estimate that some 393,700 people are living under siege in Syria, including some 200,000 people in Deir ez-Zor city, besieged by ISIL; some 181,200 people besieged by the Syrian Government in various locations in eastern Ghutah, as well as Darayya and Zabadani in rural Damascus; and some 12,500 people besieged by non-State armed opposition groups and the Al-Nusrah Front in Foah and Kefraya in Idlib. The 26,500 people in Nubul and Zahra, in Aleppo governorate, are no longer considered besieged following consistent and credible reports that access to and from the enclave for people and commercial goods have significantly improved over the past three months, although access remains challenging and protection concerns acute. Access to besieged areas remains pitiful and wholly insufficient.”

    2015-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7543 (2015) · source

21. “Such attacks should cease immediately; parties to the conflict must ensure respect for and the protection of health facilities, workers and patients under international humanitarian law. While we know where those considered to be most vulnerable are located, humanitarian organizations are still not able to get sustained, unimpeded access to millions of affected people. Latest estimates indicate that some 4.5 million people are living in hard-to-reach areas. Despite our best efforts, we have been able to reach only a small fraction of people living in these areas in 2015 as a result of active conflict, shifting front- lines, bureaucratic hurdles and conditions imposed by the parties. The parties to the conflict continue to use siege as a weapon of war in Syria.”

    2015-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7543 (2015) · source

22. “Well over 1.2 million people have been displaced so far this year, many for the second or third time. Further displacement is expected to continue at a similar rate unless there is an end to the fighting. Attacks on health facilities and health workers also remain relentless. The United Nations and partners have recorded attacks on five hospitals in Hama, Idlib and Aleppo governorates since the launch of recent offensives, leading to a number of casualties and their immediate closure due to severe infrastructural damage, exacerbating an already dire situation for civilians living in these areas. Since the start of the conflict, Physicians for Human Rights has documented attacks on at least 313 medical facilities and the deaths of 679 medical workers.”

    2015-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7543 (2015) · source

23. “The latest estimates indicate that over 120,000 people have been displaced in northern Syria since early October as a result of aerial bombardment and ground offensives among the parties. This includes some 45,000 people displaced from the southern outskirts of Aleppo city to relatively safer areas to the west and south following a Government forces offensive over the past week. Meanwhile, approximately 80,000 people have been displaced from northern Hama and southern Idlib governorates to relatively safer parts of these governorates since early October following an offensive by Government forces. Elsewhere in Syria, thousands more have been displaced in Horns, rural Damascus and Deir ez-Zor governorates over the past few weeks. The pace of displacement in Syria remains relentless.”

    2015-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7543 (2015) · source

24. “In Aleppo city, for example, pro-Government forces and non-State armed opposition groups have continued mutual shelling inside civilian-populated areas, with hundreds killed and injured in September. Meanwhile, clashes erupted in the city in late September between the Kurdish People's Protection Units, the Al-Nusra Front and non-State armed opposition groups, resulting in multiple civilian deaths and temporarily impacting humanitarian access to eastern Aleppo city. On 23 October, the main access route from Hama to western Aleppo city was cut due to an offensive by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). We are very concerned at this development, which places at further risk some 700,000 people living in the western part of the city.”

    2015-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7543 (2015) · source

25. “In addition, nearly 4.2 million have fled the country, with neighbouring countries in the region bearing an enormous burden. An increasing number of Syrians fleeing the war and violence are willing to risk everything aboard unseaworthy boats and dinghies to reach Europe; of the 680,000 arrivals by sea in the Mediterranean in 2015, over 50 per cent are Syrian. They have a right to seek asylum without any form of discrimination. The rising levels of fighting and violence over the past few weeks have had an enormous humanitarian impact, resulting in large-scale death, injury and displacement to civilians, particularly in northern Syria. Indiscriminate attacks on civilian-populated areas continue with impunity.”

    2015-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7543 (2015) · source

26. “The failure of the parties to uphold the basic tenets of international humanitarian and human rights law has propelled the Syrian people to levels of tragedy and despair that could barely have been imagined five years ago. By any measure, the situation in Syria has worsened since the beginning of the year. We now estimate that some 13.5 million people in Syria are in need of some form of protection and humanitarian assistance throughout the country - an increase of some 1.2 million injust 10 months. More than 6 million of those in need are children. This is one of the largest displacement crises of modern times. Fighting and violence have forced over half of the people in Syria from their homes in a period of just over four years, many of them multiple times. There are now some 6.5 million people displaced inside Syria.”

    2015-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7543 (2015) · source

27. “Mr. O'Brien: The members of the Council unanimously adopted resolution 2139 (2014) in February 2014 in recognition of the magnitude of the human cost this conflict carried. The purpose and intent of the resolution was clear and unambiguous - to seek protection for civilians caught in the midst ofthe fighting, to ensure that civilian facilities and infrastructure were not attacked, and to compel the parties to enable unimpeded access for humanitarians trying to reach people in desperate need of assistance. The 20 reports of the Secretary-General submitted to the Council since the adoption of the resolution highlight the parties' contempt - month after month - for the Council's resolution and their minimum legal obligations under international law.”

    2015-10-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7543 (2015) · source

28. “While the parties to this conflict are responsible for upholding their obligations under international law, the members of the Security Council and other Member States with influence can and must do more to demand that the indiscriminate violence stop, that sieges be lifted, that civilian infrastructure be respected, and that vital humanitarian assistance reach all areas of the country without delay. But above all else, the Council must focus its efforts on finding a political solution. I call again on members of the Council to set aside their differences and work together to finally bring an end to this nightmare for the Syrian people. As bestowed by the Charter of the United Nations, the Security Council has an inescapable responsibility to help the Syrian people realize a future of peace.”

    2015-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7524 (2015) · source

29. “We require some $738 million to fund essential life-saving operations until the end of this calendar year in Syria. I appreciate the generosity of donors in 2015 already, and ask them to consider making additional pledges given the extraordinary level of need we are facing. We are running out of words to describe the utter disregard for human life and dignity that has become the hallmark of this crisis. Every day that passes, more Syrian children, women and men die. Millions more are forced to live in appalling conditions where there is no safe refuge in their country, where their basic needs for protection are unmet, where their fundamental rights are trampled upon, and where their futures and that of their country appear increasingly bleak.”

    2015-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7524 (2015) · source

30. “Meanwhile, Government-approved convoys to Nubul, Zahra, Afrin in Aleppo and to Foah and Kefrayah in Idlib have been stalled by the lack of approval by non-State armed groups for safe passage. There can be no justification for deliberately obstructing humanitarian access and depriving civilians of access to services essential to their survival. On a more positive note, I welcome the recent progress made in August on visas, with the Government of Syria granting of 109 visas for United Nations staff members from 12 different offices. Some 96 per cent of the visa applications submitted in August were approved during the same month. I very much hope that this trend will continue, not only with visas, but also for other administrative obstacles. The lack of funding for humanitarian operations continues to be a major challenge.”

    2015-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7524 (2015) · source

31. “In addition to insecurity, the parties to the conflict continue to place restrictions that limit or obstruct where, to whom and how often we deliver assistance. Some 422,000 people continue to live under the most intolerable siege conditions, unable to leave their communities, and we are largely unable to get in to deliver much needed humanitarian assistance. Over the past three months, only 9 per cent ofpeople in besieged areas have received much-needed health assistance from the United Nations per month, while no food or other basic relief supplies have entered these areas despite the overwhelming need. Approval for 46 requests for inter-agency convoys remains pending with the Government of Syria. If approved, the United Nations could reach an additional 1.2 million people in desperate need of assistance.”

    2015-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7524 (2015) · source

32. “We should all recognize the commitment and bravery of the thousands of workers who deliver much-needed aid at great personal risk, particularly the Syrian organizations and volunteers who are often the first responders on the front lines. While we are reaching a significant number of people, we are still unable to deliver sufficient quantities of aid to people in the hardest-to-reach areas. Fighting and insecurity hamper our ability to respond. For example, during August, the World Food Programme was unable to reach over 1 million people in rural Damascus, rural Horns and rural Hama. A further 750,000 people in ISIL-controlled areas cannot be reached with food due to safety concerns.”

    2015-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7524 (2015) · source

33. “According to reports of the Commission of Inquiry and others, children are murdered, tortured and subjected to sexual violence by all parties to the conflict. Millions of children have been traumatized by the horrors they have witnessed. Young people have few prospects. The conflict is not only destroying Syria's present, but it is also destroying its future. One missing cohort of educated young people will soon become two cohorts. Despite the volatile and insecure environment, the United Nations and non-governmental organization partners continue to deliver life-saving assistance to millions of people in need. In the past month alone, 4.2 million people received food aid, medicines and supplies for 1.1 million treatments were dispatched, and nearly 450,000 received relief items and other support.”

    2015-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7524 (2015) · source

34. “All parties will unquestionably be held to account now and however far into the future it takes after investigation and due judicial process. I have spoken before about the impact of the conflict on Syria's children and young people, but it bears repeating once again. Today, Syria is one of the most dangerous places on Earth to be a child. Over 5.6 million children are in need of immediate assistance. Although the school year commenced this past week, over 2 million children - one out of every three - are not in school in Syria, and an additional 450,000 children are at risk of dropping out. We are extremely concerned about hundreds of thousands of children in areas controlled by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), forced to follow a curriculum designed by the designated terrorist group.”

    2015-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7524 (2015) · source

35. “Since the start of 2014, there have been 169 attacks on medical facilities and 252 medical workers have been killed. Attacks on such facilities have had a multiplier effect, not only killing and injuring, but also destroying the health-care system as a whole, leaving many Syrians unable to obtain the most basic levels of care. Schools, which should be safe places for children to learn and grow in, continue to be attacked. Since the start of 2014, the United Nations has verified at least 84 attacks on or near schools, although the actual number of schools attacked is likely higher. One in four schools cannot be used because it has been damaged or destroyed, or is being used as a shelter for the internally displaced or for military purposes. Deliberate attacks on hospitals and schools are war crimes.”

    2015-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7524 (2015) · source

36. “The deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure continues to occur with alarming frequency. Attacks by non-State armed groups have resulted in significant disruption to municipal water and electricity networks in Aleppo, Damascus and in Dar'a over the past weeks and months. Most recently, approximately 2 million people went without water in Aleppo city for two weeks in August. Deliberately depriving families and communities of water and electricity only serves to worsen humanitarian conditions and drive ordinary Syrians into greater despair and desperation. Hospitals and medical facilities continue to be attacked. In August, Physicians for Human Rights documented 12 attacks on medical facilities, while 15 medical workers were killed.”

    2015-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7524 (2015) · source

37. “For example, between 17 and 26 August, Government forces repeatedly attacked residential areas in Douma, in rural Damascus, killing at least 90 civilians and wounding nearly 300 more. Meanwhile, in the last week ofAugust, non-State armed groups launched hundreds of shells on civilian-populated areas of Damascus and rural Damascus, killing at least 20 civilians and injuring many more, while yesterday, shelling by non-State armed groups on civilian populated areas of Aleppo killed at least 33 people, including women and children, and injured over 150 more people. Allegations of attacks with chemical agents continue to be received. The joint mechanism of the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons established by resolution 2235 (2015) is the relevant body to investigate those allegations.”

    2015-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7524 (2015) · source

38. “In the absence of such a political solution, the Security Council adopted resolution 2139 (2014) in February, which demands action by the parties in a number of areas, including an end to attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure and facilitating unhindered humanitarian access. I deeply regret to inform the Council that, some 18 months later, the Council's strong demands continue to go unheeded. By any measure, human suffering in Syria has worsened, not diminished. Over the past month, violence has continued throughout the country. There has been no reduction in the appalling patterns of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law. Indiscriminate attacks, including with explosive weapons, continue to cause widespread death and destruction.”

    2015-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7524 (2015) · source

39. “These refugees are fleeing for their lives from war and violence, and have a right to seek asylum without any form of discrimination. As an international community, it is our responsibility to support the neighbouring countries that shoulder most of the burden. At the same time, stronger efforts must be made to address the root causes that force people to leave their homes and seek asylum abroad - addressing the flee-or-die response natural to each and everyone of us faced with peril or a challenge to our survival. For Syria, it should be clear to all that this means a political settlement that brings about an end to the crisis.”

    2015-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7524 (2015) · source

40. “Mr. O'Brien: The recent images of the 3-year-old boy Aylan Kurdi lying lifeless on a beach in Turkey encapsulate the profound and prolonged desperation of the Syrian people, too long exposed to the horrors of a brutal and savage conflict. I recount the words of Abdullah Kurdi, Aylan's father, who said, "I tried to catch my children and wife, but there was no hope. One by one they died." Tragically, far too many Syrian families have spoken similar words over the last five years. It is civilians who continue to bear the brunt of this war. As the plight of Syrian refugees desperately trying to reach Europe in recent weeks has shown, the effects of the Syria crisis are not just national or regional, but global in nature. The conflict in Syria has propelled one of the largest refugee exodus since the Second World War.”

    2015-09-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7524 (2015) · source

41. “I left the country deeply saddened and outraged by the needless and immense suffering of ordinary Syrians and the abhorrent destruction the conflict has wrought on the country. I am angry because we as the international community are not allowed, or able, to do more to protect Syrians who more than ever need our unfaltering support. But I come away determined not to give up, not to be exasperated by the relentless repetitiveness of the challenges we as humanitarians face and the need to explore every avenue to do everything possible to provide lifesaving aid and protection to the people in need. I urge Council members to do everything in their power to end this crisis. With all the will in the world, humanitarian action cannot be a substitute for political action. The Council must exert leadership to push for a political solution.”

    2015-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7513 (2015) · source

42. “I spoke with a man called Ahmed who told me his harrowing tale. Above all, he said, he wanted peace in his country. Despite the destruction and daily challenges, he and his family are glad to have been able to return to their home at last; they were among the first to do so. I will be travelling to Turkey and Jordan in September, where I will be able to see for myself the ongoing response efforts to meet the needs of the refugees and of the communities hosting them. It is difficult to find words that would justly describe the depth of suffering that Syrians face on a daily basis. Having just returned from the country, I have seen a glimpse of this grim reality myself.”

    2015-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7513 (2015) · source

43. “I welcome the recent granting of the visas for United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs staff that had been pending for months. And with respect to visas, I have also just this minute received news from the Syrian Mission that the 47 pending visas for United Nations staff are going to be granted, following the specific request I made during my visit. We will seek official confirmation later today on this matter. I also welcome initial reports on the reduction in time to obtain approvals to import humanitarian supplies. I also visited the Old City of Homs. I was utterly shocked to see the destruction that four years of fighting had brought about. Almost every home had been completely destroyed. I met with affected families and was able to hear their stories.”

    2015-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7513 (2015) · source

44. “The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East was able to access Yalda on 18 August, and again on 19 and 24 August, as well as today, to provide lifesaving health-care consultations for 1,000 people, and 200,000 water purification tablets. However, much more is needed, and I remain extremely concerned about the situation of Palestine refugees in Syria. During my visit to Syria, I discussed with senior Government representatives the need to strengthen the protection of civilians and the overall humanitarian response. I urged the Government to grant full and unhindered access to all people in need wherever they may be located. It is my sincere hope that the necessary steps will be taken towards improving access, including approving requests for inter-agency and agency convoys.”

    2015-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7513 (2015) · source

45. “During the first half of 2015, each month the United Nations only reached 12 per cent of people in hard-to-reach areas with food, and 3.4 per cent with health supplies, which indicates major access challenges that limit the humanitarian community's ability to reach the most vulnerable and affected people in Syria. Similarly, parties to the conflict continue to severely restrict access to besieged areas. Each month of the first half of this year, the United Nations managed to reach less than 1 per cent with food and non-food items, and 2 per cent with health supplies. In July, no food or other type of humanitarian assistance by the United Nations reached any besieged areas through official routes where some 422,000 people are located.”

    2015-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7513 (2015) · source

46. “It is unconscionable to make anyone live under such conditions. Despite the increasingly challenging environment, millions of people continue to receive lifesaving assistance using all available modalities, including across borders, pursuant to resolution 2165 (2014). During the first half of 2015, United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations provided food assistance for 5.9 million people on average per month, medicine and supplies for 9 million people, water and sanitation support for over 5 million people, and basic relief items for more than 4 million people. While these numbers are significant, I regret to say that many more could be reached should unimpeded access be allowed. I am particularly concerned about the severely limited access to the 4.6 million people living in hard-to-reach and besieged areas.”

    2015-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7513 (2015) · source

47. “The destruction of civilian infrastructure continued over the reporting period. Non-State armed groups and designated terrorist groups deliberately cut access to essential services such as water and electricity. Such acts violate international humanitarian law and must be stopped immediately. In Aleppo city, the water supply was cut from 2 to 18 July and again in early August - during the hottest months of the year - affecting an estimated 1.7 million people. Similarly, in Dar'a city and the surrounding villages, active fighting disrupted the supply of water and electricity for more than 10 days, affecting some 300,000 people. The city ofDamascus was also affected by water disruptions, as non-State armed groups cut off the supply from the Wadi Barada springs, which provide water to Damascus.”

    2015-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7513 (2015) · source

48. “That tit-for-tat approach by the warring parties is causing devastation to the ordinary women, men and children of Syria, and it must stop. The parties' callous disregard for human life and for basic survival seemingly knows no bounds. In early July, barrel bombs reportedly hit a shelter in the village ofAl-Hawash, in Hama, killing five civilians. In Aleppo governorate, an alliance of armed groups, including the designated terrorist group the Al-Nusra Front, launched attacks on Government-controlled areas of Aleppo city, reportedly killing more than 30 civilians. Attacks on civilians are unlawful and unacceptable, and they must stop. I appeal to every party engaged in violence and fighting to protect civilians. All parties involved in violations of international humanitarian law must be held to account.”

    2015-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7513 (2015) · source

49. “Indiscriminate and targeted attacks by all parties to the conflict have resulted in loss of life and the destruction of infrastructure. In addition, access to basic services, such as water, has been denied to hundreds of thousands of Syrians. On 12 and 16 August, Government airstrikes hit a market place in Duma, killing over 100 people and injuring many more. The attack took place just a few days after the indiscriminate shelling of Damascus by non-State armed groups. Despite the outrage and condemnations, there has since been at least one further similar attack. According to reports, since mid-August, approximately 200 people have been killed and 400 injured in eastern Al-Ghutah. The shelling ofDamascus has also continued, reportedly killing over 30 people on 23 and 24 August.”

    2015-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7513 (2015) · source

50. “Mr. O'Brien: Since the conflict began, over a quarter ofa million people have been killed in Syria and more than 1 million have been injured. Some 7.6 million people have been displaced inside the country. Over 1 million people have had to leave their homes this year alone. Over 4 million people have fled across borders in a desperate search of survival and a future, placing host countries and communities under pressure - and now stretched to the breaking point. We may all be living on borrowed time. In the name of both security as well as humanity, we need to find a better, more sustainable way forward for the wider international community to share the burden in hosting Syrian refugees. Over the past month, violence has continued to escalate across the country.”

    2015-08-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7513 (2015) · source