The Joint statement issued by the heads of the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Program (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
If the Council does not renew resolution 2642“The consequences will be dire for 4.1 million people in areas not controlled by the government,” top UN officials stressed.
Survival at stake
The statement said that at the height of winter and in the midst of a severe cholera outbreak, women and children make up the majority of those who need assistance “just to survive”.
“Without the UN’s cross-border operations, millions of people, especially those who have been displaced many years and many times, would be without food and shelter; to help cope with harsh winter conditions; the surveillance, treatment and testing capacity needed to prevent cholera; to a safe water source; and protection from gender-based violence”.
Any failure by the Council to extend the resolution would mean that the UN Oversight Mechanism (UNMM) as cross-border aid will be shut down, which will verify the movement of humanitarian supplies.
‘Consistent and clear’ stance
“Our position remains consistent and clear: Humanitarian assistance and protection services should always be allowed to reach those in need through the safest, most direct and effective route,” the officials said. a senior UN official said.
They outline that by 2022, with partners, aid deliveries from across the Turkish border into Syria will reach an average of 2.7 million people per month – including early recovery assistance. and livelihoods to strengthen communities across the country.
The statement continued: “We are also able to increase support in Syria from Government-controlled areas across the front lines to the northwest of the country, providing food, health care, education, and other services. another source of supply for thousands of people in need.”
“We are determined to maintain and expand these deliveries, and we call on all stakeholders to have unhindered, sustainable and predictable humanitarian access to northwestern Syria. from areas controlled by the Government”.
Salvation ‘indispensable’
While they are effective, existing cross-border deliveries cannot match the size and scope of the necessary cross-border operations, which are and will continue to be “indispensable.” , the head of the agency added.
Unlike previous resolutions, which extended cross-border activities for 12 months, the most recent Council authorization lasted only six months.
This has resulted in additional logistical and operational challenges, increased operational costs, and limited the humanitarian partners’ ability to provide needed aid.
“Millions of people who depend on a cross-border lifeline for survival need this resolution to be renewed immediately,” the statement concluded.
