Equipo Nizkor - UNSC S/2016/159 - Letter from Syria on the humanitarian assistance deliveries that Syria has approved for areas of the country that are controlled by terrorist groups.

United Nations
Security Council

S/2016/159

Distr.: General
19 February 2016
English
Original: Arabic

Identical letters dated 18 February 2016 from the Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council

On instructions from my Government, I wish to transmit to you a summary of the humanitarian assistance deliveries that the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic has recently approved for areas of the country that are controlled or besieged by armed terrorist groups.

- On 16 February 2016, the Government gave its approval for the United Nations to deploy joint humanitarian assistance convoys to the following areas: Dayr al-Zawr governorate; the towns of Kafraya and Fu'ah in Idlib governorate; and the towns of Madaya, Zabadani, Kafr Batna and Mu'addamiyah in Rif Dimashq governorate. On 17 February, 32 trucks entered Mu'addamiyah with food aid for 4,400 families (half of what was needed), nutritional products for children and pregnant women, medicine, medical supplies and dialysis kits (all of what was needed). Plans are in place to deliver food aid to the remaining 4,400 families next week. An 18 -truck convoy with a cargo of humanitarian assistance (food, nutritional products, medicine and medical supplies) reached Fu'ah and Kafraya, meeting the needs of 20,000 people. A 65-truck convoy with a cargo of humanitarian assistance (food, nutritional products, medicine and medical supplies) reached Madaya and three of the trucks went to Zabadani, meeting the needs of 40,000 people.

- On 21 December 2015, the Syrian Government approved the United Nations request to deploy humanitarian assistance to Bludan in Rif Dimashq governorate and to the districts of Sabburah and Harbnafsah in Hama governorate. To date, no action has been taken on those approvals.

- Approval been granted for the delivery of assistance to Bludan, Mu'addamiyah and Tall in Rif Dimashq not merely in principle, but in practice; humanitarian assistance has in fact been delivered to Mu'addamiyah and Tall in February 2016.

- The United Nations requests for joint humanitarian assistance deliveries to the towns of Nubul and Zahra' in 2015 were approved but have not been acted on.

- On 5 February 2016, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent delivered humanitarian assistance provide by the World Food Programme to Darah al-Kabirah in Homs governorate.

- In June 2015, the Syrian Government approved the United Nations request for the deployment of joint assistance convoys to the Arbin and Zamalka districts of Rif Dimashq governorate. However, the approvals were not acted on, because the United Nations insisted on following an unsafe itinerary that the Syrian Government could not approve.

- Medical humanitarian assistance provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) was delivered to Duma, in Rif Dimashq governorate, on 14 February 2016.

- The Syrian Government has approved the request of WHO for the delivery of leishmaniosis medication to Raqqah governorate and of tuberculosis medication to Raqqah and to Ayn al-Arab in Hasakah governorate. Plans are in place to deliver the aid in February 2016.

- Assistance was delivered to the Wa'r area of Homs city on 11 January and 5 February 2016.

- Humanitarian assistance was delivered to the Suq Wadi Barada area of Rif Dimashq governorate in January and February 2016.

- On 8 February, approval was granted for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to deliver humanitarian assistance to Yarmouk camp in Damascus governorate and Yalda, Babila and Bayt Saham in Rif Dimashq governorate. Delivery operations began on 11 February.

- Humanitarian assistance was delivered to the Shaddadi, Arishah and Markada districts of Hasakah governorate in January 2016.

In view of its responsibilities towards its citizens, the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic reaffirms its commitment to delivering humanitarian assistance to all affected citizens, especially in areas in which armed terrorist groups have deployed, or which they have occupied. Syria calls on the Security Council to rescind the unjust unilateral measures imposed by the United States and the European Union on Syria. Those measures have considerably exacerbated the suffering of the Syrian people.

I should be grateful if you would have the present letter issued as a document of the Security Council.

(Signed) Bashar Ja'afari
Ambassador
Permanent Representative

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19Feb16

Letter from Syria on the humanitarian assistance deliveries that Syria has approved for areas of the country that are controlled by terrorist groups