Syria: Appeal to Security Council to support people through a harsh winter

Remarks by Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Martin Griffiths to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria, delivered by Ms. Ghada Eltahir Mudawi, Officer in Charge, Operations and Advocacy Division, OCHA: 

Thank you, Mr. President.

In January, it is tradition that we wish each other a happy and prosperous new year ahead.

We wish joy and peace for everyone.

And this is what the people of Syria need more than at any time since the conflict began. No one deserves it more. And they rightfully expect the support of the international community to make this wish come true.

People have endured 12 years of conflict and humanitarian crisis. As 2023 begins, they face the worst year yet. 15.3 million people – nearly 70 per cent of Syria’s population – need humanitarian assistance. It is hard to imagine such levels of distress.

Mr. President,

People are facing a harsh winter – with rain, flooding, and frigid temperatures, and an ongoing cholera outbreak.

In the northwest alone, 1.8 million people live in camps or overcrowded sites, in tents and below zero temperature, with limited or no access to water, health services and electricity. For many families, this is their twelfth winter in displacement. Some have been uprooted multiple times, while others have lived in the same tents for more than a decade.

In this dire context, humanitarian efforts to help face and adapt to the winter in north-west Syria remain 78 per cent under-funded. Throughout Syria, the response for winterization is equally poorly funded at 29 per cent. With available resources 1.4 million individuals only have been reached as of the end of December, leaving 2.8 million vulnerable people without adequate emergency shelter or NFIs to protect against harsh winter conditions.

In other words, we need more donor support. More support for the winterization effort and more support for the overall humanitarian response in Syria. Let me remind you that the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan has only been 47.2 per cent funded, the lowest funding level ever.

The cholera outbreak continues to spread across the country with suspected cases in all 14 governorates. Thanks to donors generosity, two million doses of Oral Cholera Vaccines have arrived in Syria and 1.7 million in north-west Syria. Immunizations have wrapped up in Deir-ez-Zor, Raqqa and Aleppo and shortly in Al-Hassakeh. The vaccination campaign is about to start imminently in north-west Syria.

I call for strong support to the cholera response to continue, including funding to health facilities as several of them in north-west Syria have closed in recent weeks due to funding cuts. Adequate investment needs also to be done in water and sanitation to address the root causes of the outbreak.

Mr. President,

There can be no prosperity for the vast majority of people in Syria in the current socio-economic context.

In December, the sharp drop of the Syrian Pound led to skyrocketing prices for basic commodities. Life is increasingly unaffordable. Twelve million people are food insecure, and families’ resilience to withstand shocks continues to erode.

In Aleppo Governorate, the average price of rice surged 60 per cent between November and December. In Rural Damascus, the prices of vegetables, fruit and other commodities climbed by 20 to 50 per cent since the beginning of this month.

Moreover, every aspect of life in Syria has been impacted by severe fuel shortages and reduced access to electricity, making the already dire economic situation even worse.

The acute fuel crisis is also affecting humanitarian operations, leading to fewer field missions and more project delays. Life-saving sectors like water and sanitation, health and shelter are among the most severely impacted.

Electricity blackouts and lack of fuel for generators have severely limited operations of water pumping stations. Critical maintenance work has been put on hold as authorities struggle to secure transportation for technicians and equipment. The economic decline and the fuel crisis makes it even harder for the most vulnerable and marginalized people to access essential services.

Another example of the impact of the fuel crisis is the suspension of mobile teams and the reduction of protection services by some of our protection partners. This will ultimately result in heightened vulnerability for women and girls.

Mr. President,

The hostilities on the frontlines and in pockets of the country leave people in fear of attacks and at risk of new displacement.

In Idleb and Western Aleppo, airstrikes, shelling and unexploded ordnance continue to kill and injure civilians, including women and children. Last year, in north-west Syria alone, the UN Human Rights Office reported at least 145 civilian deaths, including 58 children, and 249 civilian injuries, including 97 children.

Shelling, drone- and airstrikes have continued sporadically throughout northern Syria with sadly predictable results: civilian casualties, damage to civilian infrastructures, displacement, temporary suspension of humanitarian activities, and suspension of schools, health services, and other services.

An additional threat to communities is landmines and unexploded ordnance. Funding of mine action programmes, especially clearance, and increasing the number of operators in country able to carry out clearance work are critical. I am glad to report that progress has been made on this front. For example, one million square meters of agricultural land were cleared in rural Damascus last year. But much more needs to be done as this work is critical to our ability to implement other projects, especially early recovery ones.

International humanitarian law requires that parties to conflict take constant care to spare civilians and civilian objects – including homes and essential infrastructure – throughout their military operations. I urge all parties to respect this fundamental obligation.

Mr. President,

The extension of the Security Council’s authorization for UN cross-border humanitarian operations earlier this month was indispensable. Cross-border aid is a matter of life and death for millions of people in north-west Syria.

I want to welcome Brazil and Switzerland as the new penholders. We will continue to do everything in our power to facilitate progress in all areas covered by Security Council resolution 2672. This includes enhanced cross-line operations throughout Syria and early recovery programming, building on work over the past years. Humanitarian relief to civilians in need should be allowed and facilitated through all available routes, in line with International Humanitarian Law.

However, I want to be clear that a six-month extension poses challenges to our operations and funding and disruptions to humanitarian logistics and procurement.

Mr. President,

I say it regularly: Syria is one of the most complex humanitarian and protection emergencies in the world. More people need aid than at any time since 2011.

We need renewed commitment from all parties. We need better access. We need sustained donor generosity and rapid, substantial and unearmarked pledges. Such investments will be critical to expand life-saving and early recovery programming.

I sincerely hope that 2023 will not be another bleak year for people in Syria.

I hope that the spirit of unity in this Council that resulted in the unanimous decision to extend cross-border authorization will prevail and that it will uphold its moral duty to support people in Syria.

I hope that joy, prosperity, and peace will visit all Syrians.

Thank you.