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UN Security Council calls on Syria to facilitate humanitarian access

03 October 2013 03:28 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The UN Security Council on Wednesday called on all parties in Syria to take "immediate steps" to facilitate humanitarian operations and lift all obstacles to humanitarian access in the war-torn country, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The over-two-year conflict in Syria has produced one of the most dramatic and rapid forced displacement situations of recent years, with an estimated 4.25 million people internally displaced while more than 2.1 million either registered as refugees or waiting to register in surrounding Middle Eastern countries, according to the UN refugee agency.

In this context, the Security Council, in a presidential statement adopted unanimously Wednesday, urged all parties in Syria "to take immediate steps to facilitate the expansion of humanitarian relief operations, and lift bureaucratic impediments and other obstacles."

"The Security Council also urges all parties to take all appropriate steps to ensure the safety and security of United Nations personnel, those of its specialized agencies, and all other personnel engaged in humanitarian relief activities," said the presidential statement which is not legally binding like a resolution.

The statement specifically called for increased presence of international and national non-governmental organizations and the importation of "humanitarian" and "medical resources" across conflict lines in to all areas.

The Security Council voiced "deep concern" at the consequences of the refugee crisis caused by the conflict, "which has a destabilizing impact on the entire region."

"The Security Council also urges all member states to respond swiftly to the United Nations' humanitarian appeals to meet the spiraling needs of people inside Syria, in particular internally displaced persons, and Syrian refugees in neighboring countries, and to ensure that all pledges are honored in full," the statement said.

"The Security Council emphasizes that the humanitarian situation will continue to deteriorate in the absence of a political solution to the crisis," which the UN said has left more than 100,000 people dead, said the statement.

Therefore, the Security Council reiterated its "endorsement of the Geneva Communique of 30 June 2012" and demanded that all parties work towards its "immediate and comprehensive implementation."