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

“Thirdly, anyone with influence on the parties should ensure that humanitarian response efforts are not impeded and that all South Sudanese in need of assistance can be reached in a principled and cost- effective manner. Continued pressure and action on the parties to the conflict to abide by their commitments is crucial. Finally, we need adequate funding for the humanitarian operation. Only half of the requirements of the 2015 Humanitarian Response Plan have so far been met. I am concerned that, without timely and sustainable funding, we will not be able to deliver on our promise to enable the people of South Sudan to realize their basic right to be safe and to live with dignity and free from want.”
2015-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7511 (2015) · source
“Over the past four months alone, and despite the best efforts of UNMISS and humanitarians, an untold number of civilians, among them many women and children, have died cruel deaths, were wounded or lost their livelihoods. The Government needs to do more to protect civilians and prevent or stop violations of international humanitarian law. While we work towards peace, we must ensure that, even if current developments lead to a political change, the United Nations continues to put protection at the centre of its focus as well. We also need to put an end to the prevailing impunity for violations of international humanitarian law committed by all parties to the conflict and for violations and abuses of human rights law.”
2015-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7511 (2015) · source
“First and foremost, the people of South Sudan are looking for lasting peace. A first step would be a credible cessation of hostilities, which would give people breathing space and allow humanitarian workers to deliver assistance to those currently cut off from life-saving aid by insecurity. As a second step, a durable peace agreement would allow people to consider returning home and rebuilding their lives. But we must be realistic: a peace agreement that is not inclusive and does not bring an end to the fighting will ultimately fail the people of South Sudan. Secondly, the call on the parties to the conflict to protect civilians must be reinforced.”
2015-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7511 (2015) · source
“Health workers have seen more than 1.1 million patients in conflict-affected states, and more than half a million people have received critical items, such as tarpaulins, blankets and cooking sets, while more than 200,000 children have been provided with child-friendly spaces. The cholera outbreak, which resulted in 1,644 cases and 45 deaths, has been largely contained. Challenges remain, including the need to scale up the response fast enough to meet the ever-increasing needs, especially in places such as the Bentiu and Malakal protection-of-civilian sites, where people continue to arrive by the hundreds on a daily basis. To help address the humanitarian challenges I have mentioned, I believe the international community should address the following four priority areas.”
2015-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7511 (2015) · source
“There has also been a worrying trend of robberies of non-governmental organization compounds in Juba, with 24 such robberies in July alone. That is unacceptable. I raised that concern in my meetings with the Government of South Sudan, but I again wish to recall parties' obligations to protect and respect humanitarian personnel and supplies. Despite the increasingly difficult operating environment, I am glad to report that in 2015 humanitarian workers have so far reached more than 2.3 million people with food and livelihood assistance, and more than 1.6 million people with water, sanitation and hygiene services.”
2015-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7511 (2015) · source
“Humanitarian staff are still being prevented from delivering aid to Wau Shilluk from Malakal, but they have at least been able to fly in aid from Juba, reaching 20,000 so far. That is neither cost- effective nor the best way to ensure that all needs are met. We therefore need to continue to call on authorities to facilitate the safe, rapid and unimpeded access of humanitarian organizations and supplies to all persons in need of assistance within South Sudan, in line with international humanitarian law. I am very concerned about the security of humanitarian workers in South Sudan. At least 29 humanitarian workers have been killed since the beginning of the conflict, including, sadly, the recent confirmation of the three WFP workers. Many more have been wounded or abducted, and they have often been ethnically targeted.”
2015-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7511 (2015) · source
“The attacks are inhumane and illegal, and the international community should reiterate its call on all parties to the conflict to meet their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians. While needs are increasing, our ability to reach people in a timely manner is hampered by severe restrictions. During my visit, I was able to discuss the ban on barge movement on the Nile and the use of Malakal Airport with President Kiir and Minister Lomuro. I am pleased that the Government of South Sudan then moved to lift those restrictions at the beginning of August, but I remain deeply concerned about access restrictions to neighbouring Wau Shilluk from Malakal. More than 16,000 people have arrived in the Malakal protection-of-civilians site since mid-July, primarily because humanitarian assistance to Wau Shilluk has stopped.”
2015-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7511 (2015) · source
“While insecurity has made it difficult for humanitarian staff to maintain a presence in southern Unity state, we are making all possible efforts to reach the displaced people, and host communities in urgent need of assistance. To further boost those efforts, I recently approved over $5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund for survival kits that contain food, seeds, mosquito nets and other essential items. We have reached over 33,000 people with the kits so far. I am concerned about civilians being attacked at distribution sites in southern Unity state. We have had to halt the provision of assistance in some instances where people did not dare to come out of hiding to receive life-saving aid.”
2015-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7511 (2015) · source
“In another instance, a witness from Rubkona county said that she saw Government forces gang-raping a breast- feeding mother after tossing her baby aside. Those who can flee from the unspeakable violence hide in the hard-to-reach swamp lands, while some others make the long journey by foot to the Bentiu protection-of-civilians site in search of safety. In Nyal, I met many women and children who had been separated from their husbands and other family members. One woman had just arrived after walking for several days from close to Leer with her seven children to seek safety among fellow Nuer in Nyal. The host community in Nyal was very welcoming, but the food and resources they were sharing with those arriving were running quite low.”
2015-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7511 (2015) · source
“I am very concerned about the atrocities that continue to be reported. The scope and level of cruelty that has characterized the attacks against civilians suggests a depth of antipathy that goes beyond political differences. Allegations include rampant killing, rape, abduction, looting, arson and forced displacement, and even such horrific acts as burning of people inside their own homes. There is evidence of deliberate ethnic targeting of, and reprisals against, women and girls. According to information received from Unity state, hundreds of women and girls have been abducted, and hundreds more have been subjected to sexual Violence, including gang rape. For example, a survivor from Koch county reported how she was dragged out of her tukul and gang-raped alongside her neighbour by Government soldiers in front of her 3-year-old child.”
2015-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7511 (2015) · source
“The situation for children in the protection-of-civilians sites is particularly concerning. UNICEF reports that global acute malnutrition is higher inside the Bentiu protection-of-civilians site, at 12.9 per cent, than for new arrivals, at 1.6 per cent, which could be attributed to overstretched basic services and outbreaks of disease that can contribute to malnutrition. Large spikes in malaria across South Sudan have also raised the possibility of a second consecutive season with exceptionally high numbers of malaria cases and preventable deaths, which, as we know, particular affect children under 5 and pregnant mothers. The situation is particularly alarming in areas directly affected by armed conflict, in particular in Unity and the Upper Nile states. I was able to see that for myself during my visit to Bentiu and Nyal.”
2015-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7511 (2015) · source
“There is no doubt that we will continue to see higher than usual food insecurity in the conflict-affected states. In those states, displacement, the inability to plant crops now and the destruction of livelihoods has just been too severe and has left people unable to meet their own most basic needs. Host communities, such as those in Nyal as I saw, are generously giving up their own resilience to those to whom they are giving sanctuary as they flee or die and wade through the currently saturated chest-high swamps to safety, however temporary, before the fighting again catches up with them. The lives of more than a quarter million children are at risk from rapidly worsening malnutrition. ln half of South Sudan's states, one in three children suffers acute malnutrition.”
2015-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7511 (2015) · source
“It was a very deeply harrowing experience. The overall humanitarian situation continues to sharply deteriorate. As oftoday, over 2.2 million people have been displaced due to the conflict, an increase of 200,000 since the beginning of this year. More than 1.6 million are displaced internally and over 616,000 people have fled to neighbouring States. Almost 200,000 internally displaced persons (lDPs) are now seeking refuge in United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) bases, as compared to 121,000 just four months ago. Severe food insecurity is affecting 4.6 million people this year, as compared to 3.8 million at the height of the lean season last year. While the World Food Programme (WFP) and its partners have reached more than 2.3 million in 2015, severe hunger will be a threat well into next year, especially if fighting continues.”
2015-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7511 (2015) · source
“Mr. O'Brien: 1 thank you, Madam President, for this opportunity to brief the Security Council following my visit to South Sudan from 22 to 25 July. It was my first visit to South Sudan as the Emergency Relief Coordinator. My objective was to evaluate the humanitarian situation first-hand and to address critical concerns affecting our operations in South Sudan. During my visit, I had the opportunity to meet with President Salva Kiir and the Minister for Cabinet Affairs, Mr. Elias Lomuro. I also met with Ambassadors from the region and with donor Member States. I also was able to Visit civilians directly affected by the conflict in the Juba protection-of-civilians site, as well as those in Bentiu and Nyal in southern Unity state. I witnessed the consequences of over 20 months of brutal conflict on the lives of men, women and children.”
2015-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7511 (2015) · source
“Otherwise, there will be nothing left to fight for. As we reflect on the state of play globally on World Humanitarian Day, we unfortunately see a worsening situation and a scale ofneedless humanitarian suffering that is truly shocking. We must act. We must do more to ensure that those ofus in a position to do so prevent the abuses perpetrated against those who can do nothing, and that those who continue to carry them out are held to account.”
2015-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7507 (2015) · source
“United Nations agencies have still not received the funding from Saudi Arabia of $274 million pledged in April. Even once those funds are received, the response plan will be funded at only 33 per cent. Substantial additional resources will be needed to support the Yemeni people through the rest of the year and beyond. Throughout my mission, I emphasized that peace is essential to ending the tremendous suffering of the people. There is no military solution to this conflict. Peace must be reached through a dialogue of words, not a dialogue of weapons. We, the international community, must match our actions with our words and take immediate measures to end the violence that is destroying the lives of millions of people across the country. We must get the parties to stop the fighting and return to the negotiating table before it is too late.”
2015-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7507 (2015) · source
“We continue to scale up the humanitarian response so that we can reach all those in need with the assistance they so sorely need. That includes positioning more international staff across the country, outside of Sana'a and Al-Hudaydah. We aim to establish operational hubs in Aden, Ibb, Sa'ada and Al-Mukalla as soon as the security situation allows. The success of our efforts to continue to assist the people depends on our having sufficient resources to respond. Today, the World Food Programme warned again that a lack of immediate and unhindered access to people who urgently need food assistance and the shortage of funding create the possibility of famine for millions of Yemenis. To date, only 18 per cent - some $282 million of the $1.6 billion requested through the Yemen humanitarian response plan - has been received.”
2015-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7507 (2015) · source
“People are overwhelmed by the scale of the destruction and the task ahead in rebuilding their shattered city. Electricity, essential for water-pumping and cereal-milling, is rare and intermittent. It is appropriate on the occasion of World Humanitarian Day to reflect on the courage of my colleagues - Yemeni and international - who continue to deliver vital assistance despite the tremendous operational challenges, often risking their own lives to help others. Since the conflict began in late March, nearly 7 million people in Yemen have been supported by United Nations agencies and their partners with food, water, shelter, health support and protection assistance. I am humbled by the tireless efforts of my colleagues. But much more needs to be done.”
2015-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7507 (2015) · source
“Hospital staff informed me that the blood bank recently closed due to a shortage of laboratory reagents used for screening. In Faj Attan, a neighbourhood in Sana'a, I saw homes destroyed by air strikes; neighbours told me of the numerous civilian deaths and injuries. In Aden, an entire road of homes and businesses were destroyed by street battles and air strikes, which left the streets littered with tanks and unexploded ordnance. I heard the story of a father and daughter who had been killed just days earlier by an improvised explosive device. The Governor of Aden informed me that some people were slowly returning to their homes and basic services were being restored, but not in vast swathes of the city, where unexploded ordnance litter the streets and buildings.”
2015-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7507 (2015) · source
“In Sana'a, I witnessed queues for fuel that were kilometres long, and people waiting for several days to meet the basic needs of their families. I visited Al-Thawra hospital, where the lights flickered as the generators ran low on fuel, patients lay on the floor and cardboard was used as mattresses. There I saw a young man injured by shrapnel. He said he had been a soldier since he was 15 years of age. I saw a young woman who was grazed by a bullet across her face while sitting in her own home, and I saw a young Somali man with tuberculosis. The hospital has run out of examination gloves and has insufficient quantities of essential medicines because the supplier in Dubai is unable to fly their cold-chain aircraft to Sana'a.”
2015-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7507 (2015) · source
“I am extremely concerned that the damage to the port of Al-Hudaydah could have a severe impact on the entire country and will deepen humanitarian needs, making more people food insecure and leaving them without access to water or medicines, which could also mean the spread of disease. The parties to the conflict must ensure that humanitarian aid is facilitated and not hindered. All parties to the conflict must respect and implement international humanitarian law; possible violations must be investigated and perpetrators held accountable. I have seen the anguish of the Yemeni people with my own eyes - men, women and children alike, unsure where their next meal will come from or if they will ever be able to return to their homes.”
2015-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7507 (2015) · source
“That is exacerbated by impediments to commercial imports, resulting in widespread scarcity of food and fuel. Humanitarian assistance alone cannot meet all the needs of an entire country with a population of 26 million people. That is why airports and seaports need to remain open and be used for both commercial imports and humanitarian supplies without restriction. Disregard for human life on the part of all parties continues, with attacks on residential areas and civilian infrastructure having a disproportionate impact on the lives of ordinary people in Yemen. Reports of air strikes and other shelling in and around the port of Al-Hudaydah earlier this week damaged the main lifelines for the import of basic goods: food, medicines and fuel. Those attacks are in clear contravention of international humanitarian law and are unacceptable.”
2015-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7507 (2015) · source
“The contexts in which humanitarian workers serve around the world and the terrible plight of the more than 100 million people in need of humanitarian assistance they seek to reach continue to deteriorate. I have just returned from Yemen, where the scale of human suffering is almost incomprehensible. I was shocked by What I saw. The civilian population is bearing the brunt of the conflict - a shocking four out of five Yemenis require humanitarian assistance and nearly 1.5 million people are internally displaced. More than 1,000 children have been killed or injured, and the number of young people recruited or used as fighters is increasing. As I highlighted in my 28 July briefing on Yemen (see S/PV.7493), the needs of the people are massive.”
2015-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7507 (2015) · source
“Mr. O'Brien: Today marks World Humanitarian Day, commemorating the 19 August 2003 terrorist attack on the Canal Hotel, which served as the United Nations compound in Baghdad. The attack killed 22 people and injured over 100, most of whom were working tirelessly on the humanitarian relief effort in Iraq. Sadly, in the years since then, the number of people attacked while delivering life-saving assistance continues to rise. Ten humanitarian workers were killed in every month of 2014. In Syria, 77 humanitarians have lost their lives since the beginning of the conflict. In Yemen, five aid workers have been killed, others have been injured and another two were kidnapped this year. Over the past 10 years in Yemen, 17 humanitarian workers have died in the line of duty and 44 have been kidnapped.”
2015-08-19 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7507 (2015) · source
“I wish to inform Council members that I will travel to Yemen in the coming weeks to see for myself the needs of the Yemeni people and the challenges faced in meeting them. This conflict has brought appalling damage on an already suffering people. We must redouble our efforts to secure a pause in the fighting that is adhered to by all parties, to reach all those in need with basic assistance and urgently to give time and space to seek to reach a more durable ceasefire and a political solution.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7494 (2015) · source
“Recognizing the need to scale up operational presence, the United Nations is establishing five hubs across the country, and international United Nations staff began working in Al-Hudaydah today, the first time that United Nations international staff have been based outside the capital since the start of the conflict. We can go where we have access * there are no partial judgments involved. Efforts to respond to the overwhelming levels of humanitarian need are woefully underresourced. The humanitarian appeal for Yemen stands at $1.6 billion, of which only 15 per cent - $241 million - has been received. Much has already been spent by United Nations agencies and their partners, who have advanced their own funds in expectation of the original Saudi pledge of $274 million being forthcoming. Additional resources are urgently needed - now.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7494 (2015) · source
“Yesterday, humanitarian agencies, including the World Food Programme, dispatched food for 62,000 people to Al-Hudaydah, Abyan, Amran, Al-Dhale'e, Lahj and Taizz. In Sa'adah city and the Rahban area, 50,000 people continued to receive water after UNICEF and its partners delivered fuel for the pumping station. In Al-Jawf, four mobile clinics provide nutritional health services. In Aden, humanitarian partners have reopened health facilities that serve 360,000 people, and began a vaccination campaign for 120,000 children. Brilliant as this is, it is a mere fraction of What is needed, and what could and can be delivered, if the violence and fighting paused, preferably ceased.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7494 (2015) · source
“Humanitarian partners, with the expectation that the planned pause would take hold, had developed an operational plan to reach an additional 3 million people with vital assistance in the initial five-day period, including 3 million people with water and sanitation, 600,000 people with life-saving health care, 3.1 million people with food and 2,200 children under 5-years-old with treatment for acute malnutrition. That plan is live and ready to go now, if only we could get a pause to stick. With ongoing violence making deliveries dangerous, and with key roads and bridges destroyed, humanitarian access is limited. However, partners continue, amazingly and bravely, to deliver assistance to the people in need whenever and wherever possible, often at great risk to themselves.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7494 (2015) · source
“A light, United Nations- led inspections mechanism to enable the flow of commercial imports to increase has long been proposed and is still urgently needed. Negotiations continue. The Humanitarian Coordinator visited Aden this week, where he witnessed at first-hand the scale of the destruction caused. He described the situation as harrowing. It is against that backdrop that the international community continues to call for a substantial humanitarian pause that is respected by all parties, that is, an unconditional freeze in the fighting to allow humanitarian actors to reach more people in need - whoever, wherever they are in Yemen and however their need arises - with critically needed assistance.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7494 (2015) · source
“Since March, the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance in Yemen has increased by 33 per cent, from an already staggering 16 million people to more than 21 million in July. The number of those facing food insecurity has risen from 10.6 to 13 million, an increase of 21 per cent. Some aid agencies are now using the term starvation to describe the situation of those most food insecure. Conditions caused by the fighting have contributed to the spread of preventable diseases such as acute diarrhoea, dengue fever and polio. More than 15.2 million people lack access to basic health care, and more than 20 million lack access to safe water. Commercial imports - which accounted for 90 per cent of Yemen's food and fuel before the conflict - have decreased dramatically.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7494 (2015) · source
“Rockets were launched from Houthi/pro-Saleh-held areas of Lahj into neighbouring Aden, prompting return fire by popular committees. Parties to the conflict continue to fail to meet their responsibilities under international humanitarian law and international human rights law. We continue to witness the death and injury of civilians and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, including homes, hospitals, schools, roads and bridges. As of 24 July, health facilities had reported over 4,000 conflict-related deaths, and over 19,800, injuries since 26 March. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reports that 1,895 civilians have been killed and 4,182 injured.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7494 (2015) · source
“Airstrikes hit a residential complex in Mokha on 24 July, killing at least 73 civilians, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Bodies continue to be pulled out of the rubble, and the final death toll is unknown. A humanitarian pause announced over the weekend has not been respected by any party to the conflict, with airstrikes and ground fighting reported in eight governorates. Since the nominal beginning of the unilateral pause announced by Saudi Arabia, set to begin at a minute before midnight local time last Sunday, coalition airstrikes have been confirmed in Haijah, Lahj, Sa'ada and, most recently, in Sana'a. In Hajjah, an airstrike hit a health centre, killing one person and injuring others. Ground fighting has also been confirmed in Al-Dhale'e, Lahj, Marib and Taizz.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7494 (2015) · source
“Mr. O'Brien: When I last reported on the situation in Yemen, in a closed meeting of the Security Council on my second day in post, on 2 June, I described Yemen as a looming humanitarian catastrophe. By every test, that catastrophe has now loomed, and loomed large. This is an intense disappointment, given the extent of our efforts here at the United Nations and with partners to find ways of alleviating the suffering and the descent into catastrophe. The dire humanitarian situation in Yemen continues to deteriorate rapidly. With 80 per cent of the population of about 26 million people in need of some kind of humanitarian assistance, and more than 1,895 civilians killed by fighting since March, the impact of this conflict on civilians is indeed catastrophic.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7494 (2015) · source
“I urge the Security Council to consider its options through their eyes, the eyes of the beleaguered, now long-suffering Syrian people.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7493 (2015) · source
“But, as we have said repeatedly to the Council, there are no humanitarian solutions to this crisis. Each day that passes without the parties upholding their most basic obligations to protect civilians, and the strong demands of the Council, results only in more lives lost; more people displaced; more people without access to basic services; and a generation of children who struggle to obtain an education or have any sense of a future for themselves. It is their innocent voices and their suffering that need advocating, as indeed it is my mandate, and thus that of all of us within the United Nations, to do. A political solution is more urgent than ever to end this futile, hopeless cycle of brutality and violence. We must show the people of Syria that the world has not forgotten them or the plight of their country.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7493 (2015) · source
“In advance of my proposed visit to Damascus next month, I can only report on the verified facts, but the facts speak for themselves. I am shocked and outraged; Syria today - among, sadly and appallingly, an enlarging pool of humanitarian need and human misery across many parts of the world, but notably in this region - is the most acute, unrelenting and shameful blot on the world's humanitarian conscience. I hope that my proposed visit to Damascus next month will provide an opportunity to constructively engage with the Government to address some of the significant access challenges that seriously impede humanitarian operations and prevent ordinary Syrians from getting the assistance they so desperately need. Carving out space to meet the humanitarian needs of Syria's people is today's imperative.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7493 (2015) · source
“But there were some areas where these items were prevented from being delivered, including to Talbiseh, in Homs governorate, where life-saving medical and surgical items were removed from aid convoys by Government authorities. Some progress was made when the Government approved an additional number of inter-agency convoys in June. However, 45 convoy requests, including 33 made on 1 July, remain pending, and I call upon the Government of Syria to positively consider and grant these requests. At a time when needs are deepening, we must have rapid, sustainable access to deliver essential humanitarian items to all people in need, in all parts of the country, without delay or hindrance. It is the obligation of all parties under international humanitarian law to facilitate this.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7493 (2015) · source
“Of these, some 422,000 people are in areas that remain besieged by the parties. These people remain largely cut off from assistance and face a daily struggle to survive. In June, humanitarian actors were able to bring assistance only in one besieged area following an airlift ofWorld Health Organization medical assistance to areas of Deir ez- Zor city, besieged by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. That is less than 5 percent ofpeople in besieged areas. No other type of United Nations assistance was permitted into any other besieged area during June. United Nations organizations and partners delivered medical supplies and treatments to more than 4 million people in June, including over 350,000 treatments across conflict lines.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7493 (2015) · source
“Until there is a political settlement, humanitarian needs will only grow. The courageous efforts of humanitarians to reach people with assistance should not hide the fact that widespread fighting, shifting conflict lines and intentional obstacles and restrictions put in place by all parties continue to significantly hinder the delivery of aid to people in need in Syria. Seventy- seven humanitarian workers have been killed since the start of the conflict. A total of 32 United Nations staff members, 28 of whom are United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East staff, continue to be detained or are missing. Some 4.6 million people, around a quarter of the country's population, live in areas that remain extremely hard to reach for humanitarian actors.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7493 (2015) · source
“In the first months of 2015, United Nations agencies and NGOs provided food assistance to 5.8 million people per month, medicine and supplies for nearly 9 million treatments, and water and sanitation support for almost 5 million people; and it provided basic relief items such as blankets and other necessities of life for nearly 3 million people. With unimpeded access, imagine how many more millions could be reached. But access is severely restricted, and, of course, to make a difference, it is vital that humanitarian organizations have the resources necessary to do their critical work. The response plan for Syria is only 27 per cent funded. I thank donors for their generous contributions so far and urge them and others to step up their financial support to the humanitarian response effort.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7493 (2015) · source
“This Will have profound implications for generations to come. A child born in 2011, entering school this year, will know only war. With the bombing of schools and the fear experienced by young people, this is producing a completely lost generation of educated Syrians, which bodes ill for the future we all hope Syria will one day start rebuilding. Despite the difficult environment, United Nations organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating from within Syria and from neighbouring countries support millions of people in need using all available modalities, including across borders pursuant to resolution 2165 (2014), which the Security Council united behind.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7493 (2015) · source
“The lack of access to clean water has resulted in a significant increase in water-borne diseases during the hot summer months, with thousands of cases of acute diarrhoea, hepatitis A and typhoid reported, as families can drink only unsafe water. More broadly, the relentless conflict in Syria is gradually destroying the country's social and economic fabric, eroding the development gains made over several generations: 80 per cent of people living in poverty; rampant food insecurity amid rising prices; degradation of vital infrastructure and limited access to basic services; and families and community networks destroyed. Neither should we lose sight of the immeasurable human impact of the crisis, the trauma and emotional toll on civilians, particularly young people, too long exposed to living in a climate of violence and fear.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7493 (2015) · source
“I commend the neighbouring countries which shoulder this extraordinary burden with remarkable generosity and hospitality, despite the destabilization it brings. The members of the international community must do more to support these refugee-hosting countries, as well as themselves receiving a higher share of those seeking safety. The parties to the conflict continue deliberately to cut essential services to civilians. In July, non-State armed groups cut the water supply in Aleppo city, affecting some 1.7 million people. Such acts, which are clear violations of international humanitarian law, serve only to worsen humanitarian conditions. Overall, water availability has been reduced by half around the country since the start ofthe conflict. Many people have only sporadic access for a few hours per day.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7493 (2015) · source
“Considerably more than 100,000 people fled the southern areas of Hasakah city following the advances of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) last month. In Raqqa governorate, more than 70,000 had to flee as fighting escalated between ISIL and non-State armed groups. In southern Syria, more than 40,000 fled Dar'a city following an offensive launched on it by non-State armed groups. Altogether, more than 1 million people have been displaced from their homes in 2015 so far, many for the second or third time, and those in addition to the 7.6 million who were already internally displaced as of the end of 2014. Another tragic milestone was recorded when the number of registered refugees reached 4 million in early July, the largest refugee population from a single conflict worldwide in more than a quarter of a century.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7493 (2015) · source
“Over the past several weeks, the Government of Syria and allied forces have pressed their attack on Zabadani in rural Damascus, leading to an unprecedented level of destruction and deaths among civilians. At the same time, non-State armed groups have threatened to overrun two Government- held villages near Idlib city, Kefraya and Foah. I remain extremely concerned about the 15,000 civilians caught in the middle of the fighting in those areas. Regarding the deaths Ijust mentioned, I do not have the precise number, and since it has not been verified and I have focused today's statement totally on incontrovertible facts, I am therefore not able to give that number. Intense fighting across the country has also caused a surge in displacement.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7493 (2015) · source
“Later that month, nine civilians, including six from one family, were killed when mortar rounds from a non-State armed group hit the heart of a shopping area in the city of Damascus. In late June, a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device near a mosque in Al-Tal, in rural Damascus, killed 14 civilians just after evening prayers had concluded. Attacks on medical facilities continued, with 14 recorded in June, 12 of them from air strikes. Such attacks further degrade the capacity to provide medical care when and where it is most needed, and blatantly ignore the special protection afforded to medical facilities and personnel under international humanitarian law.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7493 (2015) · source
“Indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks by all parties to the conflict, including through the use of barrel bombs and other explosive weapons in populated areas, remain by far the primary cause of civilian deaths and injuries. Not even residential neighbourhoods or places of community life - public markets, schools, hospitals and places of religious worship - are immune to attack. In the face of such violent, indiscriminate onslaughts, it is simply not difficult for any of us to feel what it must be like for the Syrian people, community by community. As the Council can imagine, it is the worst of all choices - either flee or be killed. In early June, 60 civilians were killed and 120 injured when missiles were fired on the central market of Janudiyah, west of Idlib city.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7493 (2015) · source
“Since the adoption of resolution 2139 (2014), almost 18 months ago, each of the Secretary-General's reports have detailed the widespread violations of international humanitarian law and the inability or unwillingness of all parties to uphold their basic minimum legal obligations. The latest report (S/2015/56l) is no different and comes, depressingly, as no surprise, highlighting how much worse the situation has become for so many civilians across Syria. There are 12.2 million Syrians in need of humanitarian assistance today. It is estimated that some 220,000 people have been killed in Syria since the start of the conflict. Violence has continued to escalate across the country in recent weeks, causing death and destruction and complicating and severely impeding brave aid efforts.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7493 (2015) · source
“Mr. O'Brien: Greatly to my regret, my inaugural statement to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria continues where my predecessor left off, chronicling yet another month of grim statistics to convey the horrors of a brutal conflict and the immense suffering of beleaguered civilians, particularly women, children, the elderly and those living with disabilities. What began in Syria as unrest in March 2011 has been transformed into a war characterized by a complete failure to protect civilians, generating gargantuan levels of suffering for most civilians.”
2015-07-28 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7493 (2015) · source
“These are divided into measures of a more general nature, including a number that may be considered by the Council itself, and specific measures 12-23794 of assistance to be taken by UNDP and UNODC. Again, I should underline that these specific implementation measures are included on the basis of maximizing the caseload capacities of the courts in Puntland, Somaliland, Seychelles, Kenya, Mauritius and Tanzania. Before such measures are taken, it may be necessary for further research and analysis to be carried out to consider the actual demand for prosecutions in these States, which is likely to be generated by requests for the transfer of suspects apprehended at sea by naval forces.”
2012-02-22 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.6719 (2012) · source