PRESS RELEASE : A more sustainable approach is needed for lifesaving cross-border aid into Syria – UK statement at the Security Council [September 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 27 September 2023.
Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on Syria.
Thank you, President, and I thank Special Envoy Pedersen, Director Wosornu, and IRC Vice President Jarbawi for their briefings. With humanitarian needs in Syria at their highest in years, it is critical that the Council have before us the facts, as well as the insights from your teams.
First, the UK welcomes the news that aid is once again reaching the people of north-west Syria, 70 days after Russia vetoed the cross-border resolution. We are clear that those deliveries must be secure and unhindered, and delivered in accordance with the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality, and independence.
But once again the UN is having to develop contingency plans for when permissions for Bab al-Rai and Bab al-Salam expire in 45 days’ time. Short-term agreements are not a sustainable solution for the people of north-west Syria who rely on the UN’s life-saving aid.
And those short-term arrangements distract humanitarian teams on the ground with constant contingencies and planning for worst-case scenarios when their most pressing priority is to engage with the people who need their support. We do need a more sustainable approach for the lifeline of cross-border assistance.
Turning to political developments. We are following closely the demonstrations in Sweida in defence of their political and economic rights. It is disappointing that despite readmission to the Arab League, Syria refuses to abide by the decisions of this Council and to engage meaningfully in the political process. The trafficking of large quantities of captagon across the region continues unabated: this month we have seen some of the largest captagon seizures on record.
We therefore urge the regime to begin to engage seriously in the political process established by UNSCR 2254, including the early convening of the Constitutional Committee.
The peace and stability of the region depend on it.
