Humanitarian aid crosses border from Nusaybin, Turkey to Qamishli, Syria

(Nusaybin, Turkey, 20 March 2014) The first eight trucks of a United Nations humanitarian convoy crossing into Syria from Turkey today through the Nusaybin-Qamishli border point have started to unload humanitarian supplies at UN warehouses in Qamishli, under the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 2139.

Four UN agencies are participating in the joint convoy, supported by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: the World Food Programme, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the World Health Organization, together with the International Organization for Migration. The convoy contains food supplies, blankets and mattresses, family kits, hygiene kits, medicines and medical supplies.

The convoy is a tangible illustration of the impact of Security Council Resolution 2139, which clearly articulated the requirement for both cross-border and cross-line access to the millions of Syrian civilians whose lives, homes and communities have been shattered by this long and terrible conflict.

Nigel Fisher, Regional Humanitarian Coordinator, speaking on behalf of the humanitarian agencies, expressed his appreciation for the approvals given by Turkey and Syria, which enabled the convoy crossing, and said, "The opportunity to start the dispatch of a convoy of 79 trucks through the Nusaybin/Qamishli border is a sign of progress. We are encouraged by this development, which, although a small step, gives us hope that additional border crossing points will be opened up, to enable us to provide much more humanitarian assistance to the countless Syrians who are in desperate need of support for their very survival.”

Mr. Fisher noted that, “It is imperative that humanitarian assistance be provided on a massive scale to Syrian civilians in need, many of whom are children, traumatised by loss and the destruction of the very fabric of their lives. More border crossings have to be opened so that United Nations agencies and partners can reach Syrians purely on the basis of their humanitarian needs.” He called on all parties to the conflict “to enable the UN and its humanitarian partners - national and international - to accelerate the delivery of vital aid, across international borders and across internal conflict lines so that we can reach people in a desperate situation, from besieged cities, towns and neighbourhoods to the many civilians trapped in hard-to-reach areas. With each day that passes, more Syrian civilians suffer and die needlessly."

For further information, please contact: Jutta Hinkkanen, OCHA Amman, hinkkanen@un.org, +962 79 867 4612 Iyad H. Nasr, OCHA Cairo, nasri@un.org, +201 095558662 Amanda Pitt. OCHA New York, pitta@un.org, +1 917 442 1810