Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos Statement to the press on Syria

Today I briefed the Security Council on the situation of the millions of Syrians in desperate need of aid and protection, and on progress in implementing resolutions 2139 and 2165 on humanitarian access in Syria.

Attacks on civilians by all parties to the conflict and human rights abuses continue in flagrant violation of the most basic principles of international humanitarian and human rights law.

In addition attacks on medical facilities are at their highest levels since December 2012.

And the targeting of vital services like the main Aleppo water pumping station has interrupted the supply of clean water and electricity. Almost one million people remain without safe drinking water, in temperatures as high as 50 degrees Celsius.

Deliveries to people in hard-to-reach areas have further dropped this month, largely due to the centralization of Government approvals of deliveries to those areas, while arbitrary restrictions by some opposition groups are also obstructing humanitarian access, especially in the eastern governorates of Syria.

After more than 20 requests, the United Nations reached the besieged town of Madamyiet El Sham - also known as Moadamiyeh - in Rural Damascus earlier this month, and delivered food and medical care. The 24,000 people living there had not had assistance since the end of 2012.

This month WFP dispatched food to 3 million people, and medicines were delivered to 2.1 million people.

Despite deliveries to Madamyiet and Yarmouk, approximately 241,000 people are still living under siege conditions.

Resolution 2165, unanimously adopted by Council members on 14 July, authorized the United Nations and our partners to use routes across four additional border crossings with Turkey, Jordan and Iraq. The resolution also authorized the establishment of a monitoring mechanism to confirm the humanitarian nature of supplies brought through those crossings points.