Scale, severity of humanitarian needs in Syria should provoke collective conscience of UN Security Council: India

India has mentioned the size and severity of humanitarian needs in Syria should provoke the “collective conscience” of the UN Security Council, stressing that “politicisation” of the humanitarian monitor should finish because it voiced concern over the war-torn nation’s dire state of affairs.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti instructed the Security Council open briefing on the humanitarian state of affairs in Syria on Thursday that India firmly believes that every one humanitarian help supply to Syria have to be according to the United Nations guiding ideas of humanitarian help.

“The scale, severity and complexity of humanitarian needs should provoke the collective conscience of this Council, particularly those who advocate linking of humanitarian assistance to their expected outcomes on the political track. It is difficult to comprehend such an approach,” Mr. Tirumurti mentioned.

“Politicisation of the humanitarian track must end. It is not feasible for people in need of urgent and dire humanitarian assistance to wait endlessly till political objectives of all parties to the conflict are met fully,” he mentioned.

In his remarks, Mr. Tirumurti addressed two inter-linked questions of humanitarian entry and ideas, that are intently inter-related in the context of Syria.

“Humanitarian help to Syria, be it cross-border or cross-line, should consider the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Syria,” he mentioned.

Mr. Tirumurti mentioned that concrete steps should be taken to deal with hurdles which are obstructing the functioning of each cross-border and cross-line operations, in explicit, the delays in granting requisite approvals to humanitarian help convoys.

“All parties need to protect health and humanitarian workers.” He additional mentioned the opposite inter-connected subject is that of complete and goal evaluation of unilateral measures imposed by nations on Syria.

“Such measures only aggravate the prevailing economic, humanitarian and development crisis, with devastating effects for the entire population, particularly the women, children and the elderly,” Mr. Tirumurti added.

India underscored the significance of energetic engagement of the UN with Syria in the direction of the implementation of the UN Strategic Framework to realize the outcomes which were set out.

India continues to face shoulder by shoulder with the folks of Syria in this grave hour of want, Mr. Tirumurti mentioned.

He added that earlier this month, responding to the request for emergency humanitarian help from the Syrian Government, India delivered greater than 2000 metric tons of rice for Syrians by means of the port metropolis of Latakia and shared greater than 10 MT medicines final 12 months to assist them by means of the pandemic.

“We stand ready to work with the UN and its agencies to ensure that ‘Made in India’ vaccines, in keeping with the clarion call of our Prime Minister of ‘Vaccines for all’, can also be brought to the aid and assistance of the people of Syria,” Mr. Tirumurti mentioned.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock, in the briefing to the Council, mentioned Syria’s fragile financial system has suffered a number of shocks over the previous 18 months, the buying energy has dwindled considerably in consequence and thousands and thousands of Syrians are resorting to determined measures to outlive.

“More than 70 % of Syrians say they have taken on new debt over the last year. Many are selling assets and livestock. Parents are eating less so they can feed their children, and they are sending them to work instead of to school. Those who have run out of options are simply going hungry,” he mentioned.

Lowcock added that every one humanitarian help that enters northwest Syria is delivered cross-border and helps 2.4 million folks month-to-month. Without it, “the situation would go from terrible to catastrophic”. Mr. Tirumurti voiced concern that Syria is dealing with a dire state of affairs compounded by a multiplicity of elements like COVID, harsh winter circumstances, meals insecurity and placing into peril the longer term of its 17.6 million residents, together with practically 6.2 million displaced folks, the most important internally displaced inhabitants wherever in the world. “Across the region, 10 million people, including 5.5 million Syrian refugees continue to remain dependent on humanitarian assistance. Children have been particularly badly affected,” he mentioned.

He famous with concern that the dire humanitarian state of affairs in Syria has been additional worsened by deteriorating financial circumstances in addition to persevering with meals insecurity.

Mr. Tirumurti cited a January 2021 World Food Programme (WFP) report that mentioned the value of Syria’s normal primary meals gadgets basket in December 2020 was 236 % greater in comparison with December 2019, a month-to-month improve of 13 % that introduced the value to its highest document since WFP began monitoring costs in 2013.