UN humanitarian chief asks for re-authorization of cross-border aid delivery for Syrians

UNITED NATIONS, April 28 (Xinhua) -- UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock on Wednesday asked the Security Council to re-authorize cross-border aid delivery for Syrians.

Every month the cross-border operation from Turkey reaches some 2.4 million people in northwest Syria who depend on it for food, medicines, shelter and other vital supplies. A failure to extend the cross-border authorization would sever this lifeline, he told the Security Council in a briefing.

The current authorization for the only border crossing of Bab al-Hawa expires in July 2021.

"We can't, under current conditions, substitute for the cross-border channel. We are continuing to engage with the parties to deploy a first cross-line humanitarian convoy into northwest Syria. A revised concept of operations for that convoy and the delivery was presented in March. It has not yet been rejected, but nor have the operational details of the proposed mission been agreed by everybody," he said. "So consultations continue to try to address parties' reservations, including on the question of how aid would be distributed once the convoy reaches the places it is intended to reach."

In northeast Syria, hostilities in and around Qamishli and Al-Hasakeh are affecting operations as well. Twenty-five trucks containing food rations have been stuck at a checkpoint outside Qamishli since Friday, said Lowcock. "That kind of disruption is really unacceptable, and is another example of the challenging operating environment humanitarian organizations face in northeast Syria."

While the United Nations has scaled up cross-line deliveries, needs continue to outstrip its ability to respond. Many medical facilities remain short of the necessary supplies and equipment. And overall, the situation in the northeast has worsened since the removal of the Al-Yarubiyah authorized border crossing in January 2020, he said.

Lowcock expressed concern over the impact of sanctions on Syria.

"I note, again, the public assurances by the United States and by the European Union that their sanctions programs don't ban the flow of humanitarian supplies to Syria, and that they are committed to fully and expeditiously apply humanitarian exemptions. Unfortunately, we see the impact of sanctions on humanitarian operations in the form of over-compliance with the measures put in place, including in the financial sector."

More than half of the international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that are operating out of Damascus have reported serious problems with their banking requirements this year, he said, calling on the relevant member states to work closely both with the NGOs and with the banks to try to resolve these problems.

The United Nations currently reaches around 7.7 million people every month across Syria, compared with the target of 12.3 million people. It is vital that additional resources and access are made available, he said.