UN Security Council extends cross-border aid to northwest Syria

"Today’s reauthorization will not completely fill the vast needs on the ground, but it will provide crucial relief."

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2021/07/09 20:10

Syria

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The United Nations Security Council on Friday unanimously passed resolution 2585 to extend the UN cross-border aid mechanism to northwest Syria through the Bab al-Hawa crossing.

Many countries including the United States have also argued for restoring the al-Yaroubiya crossing point in northeast Syria that was closed in January 2020 due to a Russian and Chinese veto.

#BREAKING #UNSC unanimously passed resolution 2585 to extend UN cross-border aid mechanism to NW #Syria through Bab al-Hawa crossing after lengthy deliberations/"compromise". It’s an initial 6-month extension followed by a Sec Gen report on cross-line aid, then another 6 mo ext. pic.twitter.com/QVdjYseGek
— Rawya Rageh (@RawyaRageh) July 9, 2021

Rawya Rageh, a Senior Crisis Adviser for Amnesty International, tweeted that the resolution was passed after lengthy deliberations and compromise.

July 10 marks the expiration of the Security Council authorization for the Bab al-Hawa crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border, the last site where UN cross-border aid delivery is permitted.

"It’s an initial 6-month extension followed by a Sec Gen report on cross-line aid, then another 6 months ext.," she said.

Russia had threatened earlier to use its veto power to shut down the entire UN cross-border aid program, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported.

Millions of people in northern Syria need cross-border distribution of food, medicine, COVID-19 vaccines, and other lifesaving assistance, HRW also said.

Abdulkarim Omar, the foreign relations co-head of the local administration in northeastern Syria, told the local Hawar News Agency (ANHA) that, if al-Yaroubiya is excluded again from cross-border aid, "the international community should seek alternatives to deliver aid to north and east Syria."

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a statement that "thanks to this resolution, millions of Syrians can breathe a sigh of relief tonight, knowing that vital humanitarian aid will continue to flow into Idlib through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing after tomorrow."

"With the reauthorization of the Syria cross-border humanitarian mechanism for the next 12 months, the UN can now get back to its important business of saving lives through the delivery of food, shelter, medicine, and other humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people," she added.

She acknowledged, however, that "today’s reauthorization will not completely fill the vast needs on the ground, but it will provide crucial relief. And we will continue working to expand all forms of access.