Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Martin Griffiths, Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria - 29 June 2023

As prepared for delivery.

Thank you, Madam President [Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates, H.E. Ms. Lana Nusseibeh],

I returned yesterday from Damascus with a greater sense of the profound humanitarian challenges but also the urgent opportunities facing Syria.

This mission was my third since the February earthquakes devasted the region. I traveled to Syria to resume discussions with President Bashar al-Assad and Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad. It was also an important opportunity to hear firsthand from UN and NGO leadership.

In Jordan, I also had a chance to exchange views with Foreign Minister Ayman al- Safadi about regional dynamics.

These discussions left me with several lasting impressions.

Madam President,

The people of Syria are suffering more than we can truly appreciate.

Families across the country are gathering today to celebrate the holy day of Eid al- Adha with less food on their plates, little fuel in their stoves, and limited water in their homes.

Households must pool their wages to cover basic expenses, and even that is often not enough to keep pace with rising prices.

Twelve years of conflict, economic collapse, and other factors have pushed 90 per cent of the population below the poverty line.

Millions of people across Syria, I am afraid, will find little respite during one of the holiest times of the year.

Madam President,

This hardship comes at a time when the United Nations and our humanitarian partners have limited means to help the most vulnerable people in Syria.

This year’s Humanitarian Response Plan, the largest in the world at $5.4 billion, is less than 12 per cent funded.

As you were briefed last month, a $200 million deficit will force the World Food Programme to slash its emergency food aid in Syria in July by 40 per cent.

Operations outside the Humanitarian Response Plan are also challenged.

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency, I learned, only has funds for 18 per cent of its annual budget, the lowest since the crisis began in 2011. UNRWA operations for Palestine refugees are liable to ground to a halt by the end of August without additional support.

Madam President,

We appreciate all donor support, including the billions of dollars pledged earlier this month at the 7th Brussels Conference.

As High Commissioner Grandi, Administrator Steiner, and I noted, every contribution helps alleviate suffering and bring some measure of hope to millions of people in Syria.

But with donor support lagging behind soaring needs and operational costs, such pledges must swiftly turn into contributions to keep programmes running.

Madam President,

After more than 12 years of crisis, early recovery needs pose a defining challenge to the humanitarian response across Syria.

This is not to diminish the many other pressing humanitarian issues in Syria, including protection risks for women, girls and other vulnerable groups.

But, it is clear that further expanding early recovery activities is the humanitarian community’s best chance to support to the future of the Syrian people.

Madam President,

Any move towards a more sustainable response will require a different approach, one with longer timelines and fewer donor redlines.

Young people can receive vocational training but must also be mentored to turn these capacities into new incomes and livelihoods.

Irrigation systems can be constructed for communities of farmers without qualifying as development.

Distinctions between a “rehabilitated school” and a “reconstructed school” can be relaxed to provide students with safe places to learn.

Stronger international consensus is needed on the importance of early recovery programmes in Syria.

I look forward to returning in the coming weeks with ideas on how to forge such a consensus in partnership with the region.

Madam President,

In the weeks prior to my arrival in Syria, we have witnessed a marked increase in violence in the north-west, particularly in Lattakia and Idleb.

It is with great sadness that we learn of the deaths of at least 11 people, including nine individual who lost their lives in a bombing near a market outside Jisr al- Shughour. Many more have been injured in recent days.

I offer my deepest condolences to all families affected by the recent violence, which remain a tragic reality in many parts of the country.

Madam President,

The Security Council’s cross-border resolution will expire in eleven days, on July 10th.

The Secretary-General has reiterated, in the clearest terms, his wish to see the Security Council reauthorize the cross-border operation for an additional 12 months.

This conclusion is a carefully considered one. It reflects the latest assessments about the humanitarian situation on the ground, all of which point to growing needs and deepening hardship.

Food prices exceed the national average. The highest concentrations of displaced families are along the Syrian-Turkish border. Cholera continues to spread.

Moreover, a 12-month authorization reflects a pragmatic outlook on the current operation.

The United Nations and its partners reach, on a monthly basis, some 2.7 million of the most vulnerable men, women, and children with essential and lifesaving assistance.

The vast majority of this assistance comes through the Security Council-authorized Bab al-Hawa border crossing.

Prior to my arrival, several weeks of effort culminated in a ten-truck convoy from Aleppo safely reaching Idleb, with assistance for some 22,000 people.

This is an important result, but it is also a reminder that, at the moment, crossline modalities cannot match the volume of desperately needed aid that comes cross- border.

More time, support, and negotiations will be needed to enable crossline assistance to comprise a larger portion of the total humanitarian response in north-west Syria.

Madam President,

A 12-month authorization enables the United Nations and our partners to deliver better humanitarian outcomes in the months ahead.

Operational planning, staff recruitment, and fundraising can be undertaken in a more deliberate fashion, translating into a more efficient response effort.

An authorization until next July will ensure aid flows throughout the desperate winter season.

A yearlong authorization is more conducive for early recovery programmes, which necessarily require more time to complete.

Finally, a 12-month authorization will build on the unprecedented support for humanitarian efforts in Syria since the February earthquakes.

We have seen a range of donors fully fund the $397 million Flash Appeal. Member States have dispatched trucks, boats, and planes full of assistance. President al-Assad granted the UN access to two additional border crossings, among other emergency measures.

A 12-month authorization will be a critical step in the demonstrable efforts to improve the humanitarian situation across Syria.

Madam President,

The humanitarian response in Syria is at a critical juncture.

Considerable challenges are apparent, but many important opportunities are to be pursued.

We hope the Security Council the help us overcome these challenges and, importantly, realize these opportunities.

Thank you.