UN Chief Says Cross-Border Aid into Syria Essential
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The UN chief is urging the Security Council to authorize the delivery of critically needed humanitarian aid across borders into Syria.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a report to the council circulated Monday that over 1 million people in Syria receive cross-border assistance every month.
“The United Nations does not have an alternative means of reaching people in need in the areas in which cross-border assistance is being provided,” he said, AP reported.
Since 2014, the Security Council has sent aid through four border crossings — Bab al-Salam and Bab al-Hawa in Turkey, Al Yarubiyah in Iraq, and Al-Ramtha in Jordan.
Guterres said 2019 saw “a further deterioration of an already extremely difficult humanitarian situation for people throughout Syria, where over 11 million people remain in need of assistance.”
He said this year's humanitarian appeal for Syria for $3.3 billion is only 55 percent funded, at $1.8 billion', and urged donors to provide additional support.