YouSaid · the spoken record

Rajasingham

lines on the record: 169
first: 2019-03-27
most recent: 2023-12-20
sittings or episodes: 13
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

“Afghanistan remains one of the countries with the highest levels of humanitarian need and the country in which we are aiming to reach the greatest number of people with humanitarian assistance. The humanitarian community is committed to doing so. But we cannot be the solution. Ultimately, the Afghan people need sustainable solutions and a longer-term approach that moves them beyond mere survival. They need solutions that allow support for income generation, agriculture, climate resilience and the restoration of basic services. For that, the people of Afghanistan need and deserve peace and stability and an environment in which every Afghan can enjoy respect for their human rights. I urge the Council to continue its efforts to that end.”
2023-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9515 (2023) · source
“That will help to ensure that the tools we deploy to prevent and respond to those different issues are the most appropriate and effective. Humanitarian organizations take very seriously their responsibility to minimize the risk of aid diversion, and we take strict measures to make sure that aid reaches its intended beneficiaries. When instances of aid diversion have occurred, such as in Ghor province — which was brought to the Council’s attention during its meeting in June (see S/PV.9354) — immediate action is taken to cease distribution while issues are resolved. Donors are kept fully informed every step of the way. OCHA has just launched the Global Humanitarian Overview 2024.”
2023-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9515 (2023) · source
“While the forms of interference such as intervening in beneficiary selection or recruitment, exerting pressure to change established service delivery models, requesting data and information with regard to budget and staffing contracts and requesting the payment of new fees, are the same as we see in other humanitarian operations globally and do not necessarily imply aid diversion, they do undermine our capacity to operate in a manner that is independent and impartial. And they do cause delays to assistance. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan continues to work with our humanitarian partners to resolve those obstacles and to categorize the types of interference and nature of aid diversion more accurately.”
2023-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9515 (2023) · source
“The other challenge we are seeing to aid distribution in Afghanistan relates to attempted interference in aid programming by the de facto authorities. Over the past year, there has been a noticeable increase in the desire of the de facto authorities to be more involved in humanitarian programming. The attempted interference has contributed to a 21 per cent increase in bureaucratic and administrative impediments between January and October 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.”
2023-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9515 (2023) · source
“To the extent that aid diversion has occurred, or poses a threat, it tends to take place post-distribution, often in the form of confiscation of assistance by the authorities or community leaders. Aid that is confiscated tends to be taken to ensure that everyone in a community, rather than only the 70 or 80 per cent who are most in need, receives some form of assistance. It is not intended to benefit the authorities or leaders themselves. Redistribution of that kind is a common cultural practice in Afghanistan and something that is frequently undertaken by communities themselves. That in no way means that the practice is not problematic and that it does not constitute aid diversion. It may. But it does mean that the mitigation measures and response need to be tailored to the specific nature of the practice.”
2023-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9515 (2023) · source
“Those payments include, for example, cash payments to officials at the immigration desk at the airport for international visas; payments via bank transfer to line ministries for withholding tax on behalf of national staff, landlords or contractors; or payments in cash deposited in Da Afghanistan Bank for licenses for very high frequency radios or armoured vehicles. All those payments are the cost of operating in Afghanistan, just as they were prior to August 2021. None are aid diversion. Let me now turn to aid diversion specifically. I want to be clear about what we are seeing in Afghanistan. Aid diversion, as frequently seen in other contexts, such as the looting of warehouses or the hijacking of aid convoys, has not occurred in Afghanistan.”
2023-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9515 (2023) · source
“For example, when using hawala providers — as two thirds of our partners inform us they have to do at some point in the banking chain because of ongoing issues in the Afghan banking sector — strict measures are taken to avoid those providers listed under the resolution 1988 (2011) sanctions regime. Indeed, there has been no reported use of those entities. Furthermore, our humanitarian partners ensure that payments strictly match the modalities for payments made during the years of the republic.”
2023-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9515 (2023) · source
“They are payments that have to be made if we are to even start the process of aid delivery. Furthermore, a failure to make any, or all, of those payments would have severe consequences for humanitarian actors, including the freezing of bank accounts, the shutting of offices and even deregistration. A further key component of resolution 2615 (2021) was the clarification that the provision of funds or assets to designated persons or entities is permitted when it is necessary for humanitarian and basic human needs programming. However, let me reassure the Council that the existence of that exception in no way means that humanitarian organizations in Afghanistan approach the matter lightly. On the contrary, all necessary precautions are taken to avoid making payments to designated individuals or entities.”
2023-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9515 (2023) · source
“That is important because, as a matter of operational necessity, humanitarian actors in Afghanistan must make payments to line ministries, some of which are currently headed by designated individuals. Those payments include rent on government-owned premises and warehouses; withholding tax on national or international NGO staff income, rent and suppliers; visas and work permits for national or international NGO staff; fees for imports; landing fees to the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation — headed by a designated individual — for the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service; and licences for NGO registration, communications equipment and municipal charges, among others. Those are requirements we face in any and every humanitarian operation in the world.”
2023-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9515 (2023) · source
“But challenges remain, principally around banking de-risking. Important work is ongoing to establish at a more granular level the specific bottlenecks facing humanitarian organizations — whether they are in relation to the specific currency of transferred funds, issues with intermediary banks, or the willingness of the SWIFT global financial messaging system to accept money-transfer instructions to Afghanistan. The evidence collected will be vital to working with banks and States on solutions in the coming months. Guidance issued by several Member States has also contributed to understanding the exceptions, including the fact that when a designated person holds a leadership position in a ministry, it does not mean that the ministry is also subject to sanctions.”
2023-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9515 (2023) · source
“It continues to provide important reassurance, principally to commercial actors, that the provision of services and goods necessary for delivering humanitarian assistance and supporting basic human needs — including the processing of financial transactions — does not violate United Nations sanctions. That reassurance has been critical to encourage the banking sector to transfer funds into Afghanistan, and it has eased many of the difficulties faced by humanitarian organizations in the aftermath of August 2021. Since the adoption of resolution 2615 (2021), the number of United Nations agencies and NGOs reporting difficulties in moving funds into Afghanistan has dropped from 87 per cent, where it stood two months prior to the adoption of the exception, and has now stabilized at about 50 per cent.”
2023-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9515 (2023) · source
“The humanitarian community remains committed to delivering that principled assistance. Between January and October this year, the United Nations and our NGO partners provided direct life-saving assistance to 26.5 million people, including 14.2 million women and girls. In some sectors, such as education, food security and health, assistance has even increased. Adequate financial resources are required to maintain reach to women and girls moving forward. The humanitarian response has a critical funding gap of $1.8 billion as we end this year. In this challenging context, the humanitarian exception provided by resolution 2615 (2021) continues to play a vital role.”
2023-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9515 (2023) · source
“To date, at least 630 local arrangements have been agreed permitting Afghan women to participate in all manner of response activities, from assessments to registration, distribution and service delivery and monitoring. Some humanitarian programmes that were initially suspended owing to the bans have now resumed and even expanded operations. A recent in-country partner survey has revealed that, since January, just under one third of humanitarian and women-led organizations employing both Afghan women and men are now fully operational. An additional 43 per cent of organizations reported that they are partially operating with both Afghan women and men staff. While aid delivery in Afghanistan remains far from straightforward or ideal, those are signs that principled aid delivery is both possible and ongoing.”
2023-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9515 (2023) · source
“In recent months the de facto authorities have issued a series of official letters to several NGOs and women- led organizations requesting the removal of women from leadership positions, including director, deputy director and board member roles, and as signatories for bank accounts. Partners have reported that documents signed by Afghan women or projects mentioning women beneficiaries have also been rejected. And some local agreements authorizing Afghan women to participate in humanitarian action were revoked by de facto authority departments after they had been secured. Nevertheless, we continue to achieve some degree of practical cooperation with the de facto authorities at the local level, which is enabling Afghan women to be involved in humanitarian action.”
2023-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9515 (2023) · source
“The needs of women and girls in Afghanistan have continued to grow at a scale and intensity commensurate with the repressive approach taken by the de facto authorities. For two years now, girls and women have been marginalized from almost all forms of public life. They have had their access to secondary and higher education systematically denied, their movements restricted and their ability to work, including in the humanitarian sector, prohibited. While no additional bans or restrictions have been imposed on women working for international and national non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or the United Nations since I last addressed the Security Council in June, further attempts have been made to limit their role.”
2023-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9515 (2023) · source
“In the eastern and southern regions, there has been a dramatic surge in the number of Afghans returning from Pakistan, following the Government of Pakistan’s announced repatriation of “illegal foreigners” from 1 November. Since then, more than 450,000 Afghans have returned, more than 85 per cent of whom are women and children. Many have been stripped of their belongings, left disorientated by days of travel and are arriving in poor medical condition. They require both immediate attention and assistance at the border and longer-term support for reintegration. Their sudden arrival could have far-reaching consequences for the whole country unless sustainable and joined-up assistance is received with support from the international community.”
2023-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9515 (2023) · source
“Mr. Rajasingham: It is hard to put into words the extent of the daily struggle faced by so many Afghan families, but the numbers tell their own story. As we come to the end of 2023, humanitarian needs continue to push record levels, with more than 29 million people requiring humanitarian assistance — 1 million more than in January and a 340 per cent increase in the past five years. New developments continue to pile on the pressure. In October, three 6.3 magnitude earthquakes in the space of just eight days in the western province of Herat damaged 40,000 homes, 10,000 of which were completely destroyed, and affected 275,000 people. Thousands of families are now living in tents and makeshift shelters, where they are exposed to rapidly falling winter temperatures.”
2023-12-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9515 (2023) · source
“As we come to the end of 2023 and into 2024, we must redouble our efforts to prevent further escalation in Ukraine. Together, the Council must do everything within its power to end that tragic war.”
2023-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9494 (2023) · source
“Last month, the Russian Federation also reported the transportation of a first tranche of a total of 200,000 metric tons of grain donations pledged to six African countries. The Food Price Index of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has continued to trend downwards, with drops in international cereal prices among the drivers of that. But volatility persists, and we continue to emphasize the imperative of ensuring that all sources of food exports are safely and sustainably connected to global supply chains. The Secretary-General continues his active engagement in support of that. While Ukraine remains under attack and in a state of conflict, the conditions that are causing such devastation and misery and the ripple effects around the world will persist.”
2023-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9494 (2023) · source
“Taking into account other routes, the overall volume of foodstuffs exported from Ukraine last month was comparable to that of November of last year. However, significant risks due to air strikes and sea mines remain, and Ukraine’s deep-sea ports continue to operate significantly below their potential capacity. In an incident on 16 November, explosions rocked an outbound bulk carrier loaded with wheat. Thankfully, the vessel was not badly damaged and was able to continue its journey. High levels of agricultural exports from the Russian Federation continue, primarily via the Black Sea, with the Russian Agriculture Ministry reporting expectations of very large grain harvests in 2023.”
2023-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9494 (2023) · source
“Civilians will not be able to protect or restore their food production and livelihoods, further affecting their food insecurity. Continued financial support is critical to sustain humanitarian operations to the end of 2023 and into 2024, and for as long as civilians endure the war’s terrible toll. Despite the continued attacks on ports and grain infrastructure highlighted by Assistant Secretary- General Jenča, exports from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports through the new corridors announced in August have steadily increased. The United Nations estimates that some 7 million metric tons of commodities have been transported through those corridors, of which approximately 70 per cent are understood to be grains and other foodstuffs.”
2023-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9494 (2023) · source
“Another major concern for front-line communities is the presence of landmines and other unexploded ordnance, which are causing tragic avoidable casualties and significantly hindering community recovery. Humanitarian mine action is critical to prevent further civilian casualties, especially among children. None of that vital humanitarian work would be possible without the incredible donor support to the Ukraine humanitarian response plan, which has received $2.3 billion of the $3.9 billion required in 2023. But the $1.6 billion shortfall is still substantial. It means that civilians have been left without life-saving shelter. Women, girls and boys face the risks of violence and exploitation, while interruptions to safe, life-saving primary health care are putting people’s lives in danger.”
2023-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9494 (2023) · source
“Throughout the year, those convoys have provided critical assistance to almost 400,000 people in hard-hit front-line communities across oblasts from Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhya to Dnipro, Kherson and Sumy. That support was substantially buttressed by deliveries from small individual organizations. They have taken place against the backdrop of significant obstacles, of which the lack of humanitarian access across the front line in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya remained the biggest challenge. At this juncture, I must underscore that, under international humanitarian law, humanitarian access must be allowed and facilitated for all civilians in need, no matter where they live. Obstructions that leave civilians without the essentials to survive are contrary to international humanitarian law.”
2023-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9494 (2023) · source
“The commitment and endurance shown by those organizations in delivering that response is truly admirable, particularly now, as they work against the clock and the elements to support civilians with the services and supplies they need to see them through the harsh winter. In recent weeks, humanitarians have provided more than 361,000 people with some form of direct winter assistance, including winter heating, repair and maintenance of energy and heating systems and much-needed materials for home repair. Similar efforts continue in response to wider needs across all affected areas of Ukraine. Last week, a landmark 100th inter-agency convoy for 2023 reached Chasiv Yar.”
2023-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9494 (2023) · source
“Amid freezing temperatures, that damage is particularly threatening the survival of the most vulnerable, among them elderly persons and those with disabilities, who are already suffering because of the disruption of essential services caused by the war. The situation is deeply concerning. I must reiterate that international humanitarian law is very clear: attacks must never be directed against civilians or civilian objects, and constant care must be taken to spare them at all times. The work of humanitarians is aimed at saving lives and safeguarding dignity in the midst of war and disaster. That remains our steadfast objective in Ukraine. Thus far in 2023, almost 560 humanitarian partners — the majority of them local organizations — have provided life-critical aid and protection services to more than 10 million people.”
2023-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9494 (2023) · source
“Mr. Rajasingham: As the Council has just heard from Assistant Secretary-General Jenča, civilians in Ukraine, including women and children, continue to pay a high price for the war. If the brutal impact of more than 21 months of fighting since February 2022 were not enough, millions of children, women and men are now faced with the prospect of yet another winter of severe hardship amid the impact of increased attacks on hospitals, electricity transmission systems and gas and water supplies. The deaths, injuries and level of destruction of vital civilian infrastructure are staggering. Many people have been left without access to heat, electricity and water, particularly in the east and the south.”
2023-12-06 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9494 (2023) · source
“It is vital that we be able to alleviate the human suffering caused by this war, regardless of where in Ukraine it is caused. As long as this war continues to be waged, civilians across Ukraine will suffer the horrendous humanitarian consequences, and the humanitarian community will continue to do everything it can to assist the people of Ukraine in their hour of need. However, what the people of Ukraine need more than anything else is for this devastating war — with its unceasing death, destruction and suffering — to be brought to an end.”
2023-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9464 (2023) · source
“One of the most significant challenges to our operations remains the lack of humanitarian access to the parts of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhya oblasts that are under the temporary military control of the Russian Federation. We are extremely concerned about the plight of civilians in those territories, whom we are unable to reach at any adequate scale. The consequences of not delivering assistance to the estimated 4 million people in need in those areas are dire, particularly with the winter months soon upon us. Again — as has been stated before — under international humanitarian law, all parties must allow and facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in need and must ensure that personnel have the freedom of movement required for their work.”
2023-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9464 (2023) · source
“However, as winter approaches and temperatures start to drop below freezing, humanitarian needs will be magnified, and the most vulnerable — the elderly, those with disabilities and the displaced living in collective centres — will be most at risk. In preparation, the humanitarian community is putting into effect its winter response plan. The plan focuses on providing support to front-line communities, those in hard-to- reach areas and in collective centres. It includes assisting people to carry out essential household repairs, and it includes ensuring district water and heating systems are functional. The aim is to ensure that every civilian has access to somewhere both safe and warm during the winter ahead.”
2023-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9464 (2023) · source
“It is vital that resources be made available to address those gendered impacts, including for local women’s organizations, which play a critical role in the equitable provision of life-saving assistance. The humanitarian community continues to do everything it can to meet humanitarian needs across Ukraine. Despite the risks, more than 500 humanitarian organizations — the majority of which are local organizations — reached 9 million people with life-saving aid in the first nine months of 2023. That was enabled by substantial donor contributions to the 2023 Ukraine humanitarian response plan — more than $2 billion has been received against requirements of $3.9 billion for this year. I thank donors for their hugely generous support.”
2023-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9464 (2023) · source
“Currently some 18 million people — more than 40 percent of the entire Ukrainian population — are in need of some form of humanitarian assistance. Ten million people also remain displaced, either internally or as refugees in other countries. The war is robbing Ukrainian children of education, of the stability and safety they need during the critical developmental period of their lives and of their hopes for the future. The mental wounds of the war will undoubtedly affect children well into adulthood. The war’s gender dimensions are alarming. The crisis has further exacerbated existing gender inequalities and discrimination, with women and girls, particularly those with disabilities, older women and adolescent girls, facing heightened risks of gender- based violence and limited access to services.”
2023-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9464 (2023) · source
“As we have said in this Chamber many times before, at a time of staggering levels of hunger around the world, it is imperative that all sources of food supplies are safely and sustainably connected to global supply chains. The functionalities of Ukraine’s ports and the ability of cargo vessels to move through the Black Sea safely and predictably have a direct bearing on global food prices and, by extension, on global food security. Any broader escalation of the situation in the Black Sea could have far-reaching global consequences, and we renew our appeal to the Council to do everything in its power to prevent that from happening. The scale of humanitarian needs in Ukraine more than a year and a half into this war is vast.”
2023-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9464 (2023) · source
“Once again, I am compelled to reiterate that under international humanitarian law, parties must take constant care to spare all civilians — including humanitarian personnel — and civilian objects, including homes, schools, hospitals and other essential infrastructure. Indiscriminate attacks are strictly prohibited. Russian strikes have also continued on port infrastructure on the Black Sea and the Danube River, with consequent impacts on the export of grain and other foodstuffs. Ukraine has nonetheless reported a growing number of vessels entering and departing from its Black Sea ports via a temporary corridor announced in August, following the withdrawal of the Russian Federation from the Black Sea Grain Initiative.”
2023-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9464 (2023) · source
“The damage to Ukraine’s health infrastructure comes at a time when it is needed more than ever. In some parts of the east and south, services have been decimated, as not even half of hospitals or clinics remain functional. Humanitarian organizations have not been spared, and the operating environment has become more dangerous as the war in Ukraine continues. The number of humanitarian aid workers killed has more than tripled from 4 in 2022 to 14 so far in 2023. Attacks harming humanitarian assets have also increased, including the destruction of, or damage to, aid storage facilities and relief supplies.”
2023-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9464 (2023) · source
“The devastating toll of those relentless attacks on civilians and civilian objects does not end there. Significant damage to, and destruction of, critical infrastructure continues to severely affect the civilian population’s access to electricity, heating, water and telecommunications. That is a particular concern as winter fast approaches and temperatures start to drop towards -20°C. Since the start of the invasion, the World Health Organization has also verified more than 1,300 attacks on health care. That is more than 55 per cent of all attacks against health care in the world over the same period. One hundred eleven health care workers and patients have been killed, and many more injured. In the past two months alone, since the beginning of September, 13 health facilities have been affected by attacks.”
2023-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9464 (2023) · source
“Near front lines, people’s daily routines now include picking their way around land contaminated by landmines. The dozens of people killed in the horrific attack on the village of Hroza in the Kharkiv region, which we discussed at the start of this month (see S/PV.9431), joined the thousands of others killed in strikes on homes, schools, fields and markets across Ukraine in the course of this war. At the latest count, more than 9,900 civilians have been killed since the start of the invasion. To put that figure into perspective, that is equivalent to almost 16 civilians killed every day. As those are only the figures that the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has formally verified to date, the actual toll is certainly higher.”
2023-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9464 (2023) · source
“Mr. Rajasingham: I want to thank the Security Council for this further opportunity to update it on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine. While much international attention is rightly concentrated on the grave events in the Middle East, it is important that we do not lose focus on other crises, particularly one as brutal and far-reaching as that precipitated by the war in Ukraine. Indeed, this is more so as the conflict continues to inflict unimaginable levels of suffering. Countrywide, air strikes, artillery fire and ground fighting continue on a daily basis. People’s lives are dominated by the constant sound of air raid sirens, as unrelenting air strikes rain down and destroy civilian objects — one day a post office terminal, another day a small café, yet another day a grocery shop.”
2023-10-31 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9464 (2023) · source
“That includes ensuring the delivery of comprehensive and predictable life-saving humanitarian assistance through the most effective means, advocating for the funding required to do so and demanding that the parties respect international law and renew meaningful efforts to secure a nationwide ceasefire, a political settlement and an end to the conflict. We cannot give up on the people of Syria. The people of Syria are indeed counting on us.”
2023-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9383 (2023) · source
“In addition, assistance to up to 40 per cent of them, or 2.5 million people, has been discontinued this month, owing to funding shortfalls. One month after the Brussels Conference, it is now critical that the generous pledges announced be converted into early disbursals of funding. We are now at a moment of inflection — one of change, but also continuity. As the Secretary-General regularly reiterates, in all our discussions, deliberations and decisions, we must keep our collective focus on addressing the urgent needs of the people of Syria.”
2023-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9383 (2023) · source
“Despite the severe vulnerabilities, the 2023 humanitarian response plan for Syria is only 13.3 per cent funded. I am extremely concerned about the consequences of such acute underfunding, which means that we will have to further prioritize our response and make difficult choices once again this year. That will likely compromise life-saving assistance and curtail investments in livelihoods and essential services. They will result in more drop-outs from school, more acute food insecurity and fewer protection interventions. In order to give members of the Council an example of what that means in practice, the beneficiaries of food assistance are currently receiving only 50 per cent of the standard ration size.”
2023-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9383 (2023) · source
“As the fighting and hostilities continue, I urge the parties to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law and to take all feasible precautions to avoid and minimize civilian harm. As the Special Envoy just mentioned, throughout Syria, socioeconomic conditions continue to deteriorate. The rapid depreciation of the currency to a new record low in July and other forms of economic deterioration have resulted in significant food and fuel price hikes. The price of essential food commodities has surged by more than 90 per cent in the course of this year, putting basic food items and other essentials out of the reach of millions of families. Approximately 12 million people— more than 50 per cent of the population — are currently food insecure, and a further 2.9 million are at risk of sliding into hunger.”
2023-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9383 (2023) · source
“Furthermore, such short time frames do not provide us with the minimum time needed for effective early recovery programming, including support for livelihoods and the rehabilitation of infrastructure damaged by the earthquakes. We will continue our concerted effort to scale up early-recovery activities throughout Syria. I am also deeply alarmed by the intense hostilities in north-west Syria in the past weeks, with air strikes and shelling resulting in civilian casualties. The hostilities have also left people in fear of more attacks and could fuel further displacement. Altogether, since the beginning of this year, at least 26 civilians have been killed, including five women and six children, and at least 74 civilians injured, according to monitoring carried out by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.”
2023-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9383 (2023) · source
“Record levels of needs give even greater urgency to facilitating humanitarian access through all available routes, both cross-border and cross-line, in line with the obligation to facilitate rapid and unimpeded passage of relief under international humanitarian law. Some of Syria’s most vulnerable populations live in the north-west of the country — 4.1 out of 4.6 million people who live there need humanitarian assistance to meet their most basic needs. Nearly 80 per cent of those people are women and children. In order to address those severe levels of vulnerability, we need greater predictability, which a three- or six-month permission does not provide. Such a short duration poses serious challenges to our operations, funding, logistics and procurement. And, in all likelihood, it could lead to disruptions in the humanitarian response.”
2023-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9383 (2023) · source
“The United Nations cross-border operation is among the most scrutinized humanitarian operations in the world, and the future of any monitoring mechanism at the border crossings will need to be explored to guarantee the humanitarian nature of cross-border consignments. Moreover, once assistance enters Syria, the strong monitoring of aid delivery remains. It is done at three distinct levels and is a critical component of United Nations cross-border operations. I am hopeful that the consent granted by the Government of Syria to use the two additional crossings of Bab Al-Salam and Al-Rai border crossings will be extended before it expires on 13 August. The crossings will remain indispensable for the foreseeable future.”
2023-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9383 (2023) · source
“Since 10 July, 18 trucks and 10 cross-border missions have used the two crossings to replenish stocks, monitor programmes and assess needs on the ground. Our essential operations are, for now, taking place through the two crossings. In parallel, most of the United Nations agencies are currently using the humanitarian aid items that had been strategically prepositioned inside north-west Syria prior to 10 July in order to ensure continuity of the humanitarian assistance. As we have already indicated, cross-border operations in north-west Syria have always been, and must continue to be, guided by the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality and independence. The overriding objective is to ensure safe and timely access to civilians in need at the speed and scale required.”
2023-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9383 (2023) · source
“We have taken note of the letter from the Government of Syria granting the United Nations permission to use the Bab Al-Hawa crossing to deliver humanitarian aid in north-west Syria. We continue to engage on the terms outlined in that letter and the modalities that are fundamental to our principled operations. Several Council members have encouraged the Emergency Relief Coordinator and the Government of Syria to undertake bilateral discussions on the modalities for humanitarian operations in north- west Syria. We will pursue that engagement to ensure we have the working modalities to enable us to fulfil our mandate in a principled manner. In the meantime, United Nations personnel, relief supplies and protection assistance continue to enter north-west Syria via the Bab Al-Salam and Al-Rai border crossings.”
2023-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9383 (2023) · source
“Mr. Rajasingham: Let me begin with an urgent and common concern, which is the continuation of cross-border assistance to north-west Syria to provide vital support to millions of vulnerable civilians. As has been said so many times in this Chamber, cross-border aid is a matter of life and death for those millions. The future of cross-border assistance should not be a political decision but a humanitarian one. And therefore it was deeply disappointing, as the Secretary-General said, when the Security Council was unable to reach an agreement on extending its authorization of United Nations cross-border relief operations in Syria. The United Nations and its partners stand ready to continue providing cross-border life-saving humanitarian assistance through Bab Al-Hawa at the scope and scale needed.”
2023-07-24 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9383 (2023) · source
“They should take steps to facilitate humanitarian activities and exclude humanitarian and medical activities from the scope of counter-terrorism and sanctions measures. They should investigate alleged war crimes, prosecute perpetrators, ensure reparations for victims and strengthen other States’ capacity and resources to investigate and prosecute. Finally, States should develop policy frameworks and build upon those good policies and practices. Parties to conflict and States must apply much greater political will and commitment in order to respect the rules of war and implement good policies and practices.”
2022-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9042 (2022) · source
“They should increase the understanding of the effects of conflict on the natural environment and integrate legal protection for the environment into military training, doctrine and policy and legal frameworks. In operations involving a coalition with security partners and allies, including non-State armed groups, States should engage in political dialogue, training and joint operational planning and withhold arms transfers where there is a clear risk that the arms will be used to commit serious international humanitarian law violations. They should ensure that humanitarian operations are shielded from the political dynamics of conflict and support humanitarian engagement with all parties to conflict, including non-State armed groups.”
2022-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9042 (2022) · source
“Globally, food, fuel and fertilizer prices are skyrocketing. Price increases of up to 30 per cent for staple foods have threatened people in countries across Africa and the Middle East, including Cameroon, Libya, Somalia, the Sudan and Yemen. That is hitting the poorest people the hardest, exacerbating suffering in other conflict situations and planting the seeds for further political instability and unrest worldwide. As the Secretary-General has stated repeatedly, protecting civilians depends on full compliance with international humanitarian law by all parties. That entails many practical steps that States and non-State armed groups should take. I will mention a few here. They should track reports of civilian harm to gauge the impact of military operations and shift course, if necessary.”
2022-05-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9042 (2022) · source