{"id":141844,"date":"2019-09-02T12:00:08","date_gmt":"2019-09-02T11:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=141844"},"modified":"2024-09-23T14:42:16","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T13:42:16","slug":"millions-in-idlib-counting-on-your-support-to-make-the-violence-stop-un-relief-chief-tells-security-council","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2019\/09\/millions-in-idlib-counting-on-your-support-to-make-the-violence-stop-un-relief-chief-tells-security-council\/","title":{"rendered":"Millions in Idlib \u2018Counting on Your Support to Make the Violence Stop\u2019, UN Relief Chief Tells Security Council"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

29 Aug 2019 – Despite an agreement signed nearly a year ago on a halt to further escalation in Syria\u2019s war-battered Idlib, \u201cthe bombing and fighting go on in plain sight, day in and day out\u201d, the UN humanitarian chief told the Security Council today.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

Noting that he has briefed \u201cmany times over the last few months\u201d, Mark Lowcock<\/a>, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that \u201cthree million people \u2013 two-thirds of them women and children \u2013 are counting on your support to make this violence stop<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n

According to \u201cconservative estimates\u201d in the Secretary-General\u2019s latest report, he revealed that \u201cmore than 500 civilians had been killed and many hundreds more injured\u201d in northwest Syria since late April.<\/p>\n

Most recently, 44 civilians were killed by airstrikes between 16 and 18 August, 15 others on Monday and 17 more just yesterday.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the last three weeks, since the collapse of the conditional ceasefire on 5 August, dozens of communities have emptied out in northern Hamaand southern Idlib\u201d, he stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cSatellite imagery shows that entire towns and villages have been razed to the ground,\u201d he said, adding that many fled northwards closer to the Turkish border and those who stayed behind \u201care cowering in basements or in what\u2019s left of their homes\u201d.<\/p>\n

And yet, despite the many challenges, \u201cthe humanitarian community is doing everything it can to respond to the needs\u201d of the people in and around Idlib, Mr. Lowcock said, elaborating that some 15,000 aid workers continue to provide shelter materials, food assistance and health services, including for newly displaced people.<\/p>\n

More than a million people who receive general food assistance every month are reached exclusively through a cross-border operation because \u201caccess from within the country is impeded,\u201d the UN Humanitarian Coordinator stated.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Traveling with his family via an unofficial border crossing from Syria to Lebanon, the nine-year-old boy pictured here was injured during an unidentified explosion; abrasions from the explosion are also visible on his face. \u00a9UNICEF\/Kate Brooks<\/p><\/div>\n

Dire Conditions Drive People Out of Rukban<\/strong><\/p>\n

Turning to Rukban, Mr. Lowcock said dire conditions and lack of assistance, coupled with the hope for durable solutions, have led many people to leave.<\/p>\n

And per a UN agreement with the Syrian authorities, a mission is planned to help those who wish to leave find for shelters in Homs.<\/p>\n

\u201cSatellite imagery shows that entire towns and villages have been razed to the ground.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u2013 UN Humanitarian Coordinator <\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cAll movement must be voluntary, safe, well-informed and dignified, with humanitarian access assured throughout\u201d, assured Mr. Lowcock.<\/p>\n

In Al Hol, \u201cthere are currently some 68,600 people in the camp\u201d, living in extremely difficult conditions, he informed. \u201cMost have been exposed to violence and trauma under ISIL\u201d.<\/p>\n

He mentioned that the United States and Turkey plan to coordinate a so-named \u201csafe zone\u201d in the country\u2019s north-east, for which the UN is not a party, and emphasized that the welfare of civilians must be insured, including by guaranteeing \u201cunimpeded and safe humanitarian access to civilians in need\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe UN and humanitarian agencies run a large relief operation all across Syria, reaching six million people\u201d, including humanitarian assistance, he stated, however, with \u201csignificantly less\u201d funding this year, he asked those who pledged at the Brussels conference in April \u201cto take early action to implement them\u201d.<\/p>\n

Acknowledging that \u201cwe cannot turn back the clock on what has happened\u201d, Mr. Lowcock underlined that \u201cthis Council and its members can take meaningful action now to protect civilians and ensure full respect for international humanitarian law.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is within your power to do that\u201d, he concluded.<\/p>\n

\u2018Alarming\u2019 Scale of Violence<\/strong><\/p>\n

For his part, Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria,<\/a> flagged that the scale of violence and instability in Syria is \u201cextremely alarming<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n

He painted a grim picture of rising civilian death tolls; millions displaced; untold tens of thousands detained or missing; large territories fragmented between different actors; and ISIL terrorists stepping up guerrilla attacks, saying \u201cand not yet the launch of a real political process\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese dynamics can and must change\u201d, he stressed as he highlighted five of the current dangers beginning with resumed hostilities in and around Idlib, in the country\u2019s north-west, where three million civilian lives are at risk.<\/p>\n

He next turned to Syria\u2019s north-east, where tensions flared in July with troop concentrations on the Turkish side of the border.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no military solution for Syria\u201d<\/em><\/strong>
\n\u00a0\u2013\u00a0UN Special Envoy <\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Thirdly, he spoke about Israeli-Iranian tensions that are putting the country in the crosshairs by planning drone attacks from Syrian soil.<\/p>\n

Turning to the country\u2019s south-west, he warned of reports of detentions, demonstrations, disappearances and assassinations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no military solution for Syria\u201d, Mr. Pedersen underscored. \u201cOnly a political process and ultimately a political solution can restore Syria\u2019s sovereignty, protect the rights and future of all Syrians, and begin to address the deep divisions within Syrian society\u201d.<\/p>\n

Constitutional Committee <\/strong><\/p>\n

Amid surging violence and lagging political progress, he spoke of a constitutional committee in Geneva, maintaining that \u201cto be a meaningful door opener\u2026that turns the page towards a new Syria\u201d it should be \u201caccompanied by measures that have real impact on the ground\u201d, pointing to \u201creal action on detainees, abductees and missing persons\u201d as being \u201csuch a measure\u201d.<\/p>\n

According to the UN envoy, \u201cinternational players have the responsibility to deepen their dialogue too\u201d and support the UN \u201cas we work directly with the Syrian parties.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the Syrians are to overcome their mistrust and division, and move step-by-step along a path to heal Syrian society and restore Syria\u2019s place in the international community, a common international support format for Geneva will be absolutely key\u201d, he stressed.<\/p>\n

In closing, he asked for Council\u2019s support \u201cin making this happen\u201d.<\/p>\n

Go to Original \u2013 news.un.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

29 Aug 2019 – Despite an agreement signed nearly a year ago on a halt to further escalation in Syria\u2019s war-battered Idlib, \u201cthe bombing and fighting go on in plain sight, day in and day out\u201d, the UN humanitarian chief told the Security Council today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":141845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[204],"tags":[120,267,487,504,767,291,91,86,109,287,413,292,70,126,118,172,75],"class_list":["post-141844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-syria-in-context","tag-conflict","tag-geopolitics","tag-human-rights","tag-international-relations","tag-middle-east","tag-military","tag-nato","tag-occupation","tag-politics","tag-power","tag-syria","tag-un","tag-usa","tag-violence","tag-war","tag-west","tag-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141844","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141844"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141844\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":275230,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141844\/revisions\/275230"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141844"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141844"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141844"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}