NGO statement on the UN Security Council failure to renew the Syria cross-border resolution
Published: Jul 9, 2022 Reading time: 2 minutes
The Syria INGO Regional Fourm (SIRF) and NGO Forum for Northwest Syria condemn in the strongest terms possible the failure of the UN Security Council to authorise a resolution that would have ensured humanitarian aid continues to reach millions of people in Northwest Syria. Members of the UN Security Council have put politics ahead of the lives of Syrian civilians, most of them children and women, who are in urgent need of life-saving assistance. The UN Security Council now has just one day to reconvene and pass a new resolution before the current cross-border authorization expires on 10th July 2022.
In Northwest Syria, 93% of the population is dependent on humanitarian assistance. The UN’s cross-border operation currently reaches 2.4 million each month—nearly 60% of the 4.1 million people in need. Yesterday’s failure by the Security Council to stand up for Syrian children and families puts the lives of millions of Syrians in jeopardy.
Year after year, the ability of humanitarian organisations, including Syrian NGOs, to provide assistance wherever it is needed has been slowly chipped away. In 2014, there were four border crossings that helped to ensure food, shelter, water, protection, critical medical services, and other life-saving support reached Syrians in need. As a result of the UN Security Council’s decision, and if no further resolution is approved, by Monday there will be no border crossings despite higher humanitarian needs.
There is simply no justification for restricting aid to Syrians at a time when humanitarian needs are at their height. Reaching all Syrians in need via the most direct routes is not a political choice, it is a humanitarian imperative. The job of the Security Council is to protect civilians, not to be the direct cause of suffering and loss of life.
NGOs urgently call on the Security Council to reconvene and authorize UN-led cross-border humanitarian assistance for a minimum of 12 months in order to avert an impending, yet completely preventable and avoidable catastrophe.
