Equipo Nizkor - UNSC S/2016/631 - 29th Report of the Secretary-General on the Implementation of Security Council resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014) and 2258 (2015) (June 2016).

United Nations
Security Council

S/2016/631

Distr.: General
20 July 2016
Original: English

Implementation of Security Council resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014) and 2258 (2015)

Report of the Secretary-General

I. Introduction

1. The present report is the twenty-ninth submitted pursuant to paragraph 17 of Security Council resolution 2139 (2014), paragraph 10 of Council resolution 2165 (2014), paragraph 5 of Security Council resolution 2191 (2014) and paragraph 5 of Council resolution 2258 (2015), in which the Council requests the Secretary-General to report, every 30 days, on the implementation of the resolutions by all parties to the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic.

2. The information contained herein is based on the data available to United Nations agencies on the ground, from the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic, other Syrian sources and open sources. Data from United Nations agencies on their humanitarian deliveries have been reported for the period from 1 to 30 June 2016. More recent data have been included when available.

II. Major developments

A. Developments on the ground

3. During the reporting period, military activities continued to threaten the viability of the cessation of hostilities. Military activities, including air strikes, continued, mainly in the northern part of the country, as well as in Rif Dimashq and other governorates. In line with resolution 2258 (2015), the following description of developments on the ground reports on the compliance by all parties in the Syrian Arab Republic with resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014) and 2191 (2014). This information is without prejudice to the work of the International Syria Support Group Task Force on the Ceasefire.

4. Fighting continued throughout the reporting period in Damascus and Rif Dimashq governorates, particularly in eastern Ghutah, where clashes between Government forces and non-State armed opposition groups continued along several fronts. Air strikes and shelling resulting in civilian casualties and injuries were reported in several towns, including Duma, Mayda'a, Marj, Hammurah, and Utaya. According to information received by reliable sources, on 29 June, ground strikes hit an ambulance which was en route from Duma to Hammurah. A female physiotherapist was reportedly killed. On 30 June, air strikes struck residential buildings in Utaya, reportedly killing at least 18 civilians.

5. In western Ghutah, Government forces conducted an offensive on the besieged town of Darayya. After the delivery of humanitarian aid on 1 June, Darayya town witnessed a military escalation and was reportedly hit with air strikes and ground attempts to advance inside the town. On 6 June, air strikes hit residential areas of Darayya, allegedly killing one civilian and injuring five others. A second humanitarian convoy with food aid went into Darayya on 10 June and the town came under ground strikes and air strikes while the convoys were still on the ground. On 19 June, non-State armed opposition groups reopened a corridor with the neighbouring town of Mu'addamiyah al-Sham, before Government forces restored control over the area several hours later. Meanwhile, in Mu'addamiyah al-Sham, three civilians were reportedly killed and at least two others injured when residential areas of the town were hit by ground strikes on 21 June.

6. Government forces reportedly intensified air strikes and artillery shelling on Khan al-Shih area of Rif Dimashq almost on a daily basis during the reporting period, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries to civilians, as well as damage and destruction to civilian homes. For example, according to information received by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), on 29 June, air strikes hit two civilians' houses in Khan al-Shih, allegedly killing six civilians, including a five -year-old child and a woman, and injuring at least 10 other civilians.

7. In Yarmuk camp, fighting resumed between Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Nusrah Front in June, placing civilians at further risk. The Nusrah Front made slight advances after launching counter-attacks to recapture the areas it lost in April. As noted in my most recent report (S/2016/546), on 11 June, in the Damascus suburb of Sayyidah Zainab, two explosions resulted in the death of at least 12 people and wounded many others. ISIL claimed responsibility for the attacks through its Aamaq Twitter posts. The attack was the fourth such incident perpetrated by ISIL against the Sayyidah Zainab shrine area in 2016.

8. Military activity intensified in Aleppo governorate in June. Government and pro-Government forces launched attacks on non-State armed opposition group-controlled eastern neighbourhoods of Aleppo city. OHCHR received reports of scores of civilians, many of them children, being killed in June. For example, on 8 June, an air strike reportedly hit Bayan Hospital, allegedly killing at least 15 civilians. On 14 June, 26 civilians were allegedly killed after air strikes hit several neighbourhoods in eastern Aleppo city, according to information received by OHCHR. On 18 and 20 June, air strikes reportedly hit two health-care centres in Fardous and Tariq al-Bab, causing substantial damage to the facilities, although no casualties were reported.

9. Non-State armed opposition groups continued their attacks on Government-held areas of Aleppo city. The neighbourhoods of Maydan, Salah al-Din and Sulaymaniyah, as well as other areas of Government-controlled Aleppo, were repeatedly hit with mortars and other explosives, killing and injuring many civilians. In a note verbale dated 6 June addressed to OHCHR, the Permanent Mission of the Syrian Arab Republic reported that "terrorist" groups fired hundreds of mortars and other explosives on 3 and 4 June on several neighbourhoods, allegedly killing more than 11 0 civilians, including 40 children. On 23 June, according to information received by OHCHR, four civilians were reportedly killed and others injured when the Khalidiyah and Nil street neighbourhoods were hit by mortars reportedly fired from eastern Aleppo city.

10. Fighting continued along the Castillo road, the last remaining access road in and out of eastern Aleppo city, on a near daily basis, with air strikes and artillery fire reported throughout June and early July. Civilians were reportedly killed and injured while attempting to use the road. For example, an air strike reportedly hit a bus carrying civilians, reportedly killing 10 people, including three children. On 5 June, three civilians were allegedly killed on the road by artillery shells. As of 17 July, the Castillo road has been rendered impassable, cutting off humanitarian, commercial and civilian movement to the eastern part of Aleppo city. According to estimates, between 200,000 and 300,000 people reside in eastern Aleppo city, many of whom are reliant on the humanitarian assistance that was transported along that road to meet their basic needs. Price increases for food and basic goods have already been reported in eastern Aleppo city.

11. The towns of Huraytan, Kafr Hamra, Anadan and Hayyan, in rural areas north of the Castillo road and Aleppo city, were subject to intense aerial bombardment during June. On 5 June, five civilians were allegedly killed when an air strike hit a residential building in Kafr Halab town. OHCHR received reports that, 10 minutes after the first strike, another air strike on the same location injured first responders attending the scene. On 13 June, air strikes on Anadan and in Kafr Hamra reportedly hit a residential neighbourhood, allegedly killing at least three civilians and injuring a dozen more. On 14 June, 11 civilians were allegedly killed and 21 more wounded in air strikes that hit a number of residential facilities in Kafr Halab and Shaykh Ali.

12. Fighting continued in northern Aleppo governorate during the reporting period, leading to civilian casualties, injury and displacement. During June, non-State armed opposition groups made gains against ISIL, taking control of several villages, and breaking ISIL encirclement of the towns of Azaz and Mar'e. Meanwhile, the Syrian Democratic Forces, backed by the United States-led coalition, continued their offensive against ISIL, gaining control of several villages, and entirely encircled the town of Manbij in the eastern countryside of Aleppo, which was held by ISIL. Owing to the fighting, ISIL allowed hundreds of families to leave through a humanitarian corridor from the city of Manbij, established by the Syrian Democratic Forces. An estimated 50,000 civilians remain trapped in the town as of 17 July. According to information received by OHCHR, on 3 June, a series of air strikes hit the village of Uj Qana southeast of Manbij town. One of the strikes hit a residential area and reportedly killed at least 22 civilians, including 12 children. In its briefing on 4 June, the United States Central Command noted that on 3 June, coalition military forces had carried out eight air strikes near Manbij.

13. In Idlib governorate, mutual shelling between the parties and intensified pro-Government air strikes continued throughout the reporting period. On 12 June, air strikes on a market in Idlib city allegedly killed at least 37 civilians, including 11 children. On 12 June, an air strike on the town of Ma'arrat al-Nu'man hit a residential home, reportedly killing a woman and her five children. On 14 June, helicopters dropped at least five bombs on Jabal al-Zawiyah town, hitting a house and allegedly killing six civilians. Some 45,000 people have reportedly fled the aerial bombardment in Idlib city over the past few weeks. Meanwhile, non-State armed opposition groups continued shelling the besieged towns of Fu'ah and Kafraya in Idlib governorate throughout June, reportedly resulting in civilian casualties and injury.

14. Fighting continued between ISIL and Government forces around Dayr al-Zawr governorate. ISIL continued to hit besieged neighbourhoods of Dayr al-Zawr city with sporadic mortar fire, such as the strike on 2 June, which fell close to Sami Jassim school in the Jurah neighbourhood. OHCHR received reports that a child was seriously injured and the buildings damaged. On 12 June, four civilians, including a woman and a child, were reportedly killed by mortar rounds hit close to their home.

15. OHCHR reported a noticeable increase in civilian casualties resulting from air strikes across eastern and rural parts of Dayr al-Zawr governorate in June. On 2 June, three women and three children were allegedly killed when air strikes hit their houses located close to a mosque in Diban town. The following day, aircraft carried out strikes on a residential area of Albu Layl village, reportedly killing at least 10 civilians. On 6 June, the first day of Ramadan, air strikes hit residential areas in Asharah town in eastern rural Dayr al-Zawr, allegedly killing 26 civilians. On 25 June, air strikes hit residential areas in ISIL-controlled Qurriyah town. OHCHR received reports of 41 civilians allegedly killed, including 22 children. OHCHR was unable to verify those responsible for the attacks.

16. In Raqqah governorate, fighting, including air strikes, was reported during the reporting period. On 1 June, air strikes struck a residential area in the Mashlab neighbourhood located on the outskirts of Raqqah city. OHCHR received reports that 11 civilians, including two women, were allegedly killed. On 19 June, air strikes hit residential areas of Tabaqah town located in western rural Raqqah. The strikes reportedly killed 10 civilians, including one woman, and injured at least 22 others. On 21 June, air strikes struck residential areas in the centre of Raqqah city, allegedly killing 21 civilians. OHCHR was unable to verify the parties responsible for those attacks. Meanwhile, ISIL reportedly occupied two schools in Raqqah city, forcibly evicting a number of internally displaced persons from Tadmur, Homs governorate, who had used the schools as a shelter.

17. Elsewhere in Raqqah, on 14 June, a car bomb was detonated near the Democratic Union Party's (PYD) People's House in the centre of Kurdish forces-held Tall Abyad, in the northern rural part of the governorate. At least seven civilians were reportedly killed and 25 others injured. ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack through its Aamaq Twitter posts. According to local sources, on 29 June, ISIL detonated a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device in the town of Tall Abyad in the northern countryside of Raqqah, killing more than 10 persons and injuring several others.

18. The United States Department of Defense confirmed that in June, the United States-led coalition carried out 335 strikes against ISIL targets in the governorates of Aleppo, Raqqah, Hasakah, and Dayr al-Zawr, with over 70 per cent of the incidents taking place in Manbij in Aleppo governorate. The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation provided no information on its operations in June. While OHCHR has received reports of air strikes, allegedly conducted by international actors, which resulted in civilian deaths and injuries, the Office was unable to verify the parties responsible.

B. Human rights

19. OHCHR continued to receive reports of serious violations in Government -run detention facilities, as well as of abuses by non-State armed opposition groups, including the arbitrary deprivation of liberty, torture and killings. Approximately 35 prisoners who had recently been transferred from Saydnaya prison to Adra prison in late 2015 and early 2016 reportedly disappeared from Adra between 7 and 14 June. Their whereabouts remain unknown. OHCHR is gravely concerned that those individuals are at risk of enforced disappearance.

20. The situation remained tense in Hama central prison, where authorities appeared to be staggering their implementation of the release of detainees, which was agreed in a verbal deal reached with the political detainees, following the riots that took place in May in the facility. Prison authorities released some detainees in the early part of the month, but no releases took place between 5 and 21 June. As of 30 June, more than 170 detainees had been released by the authorities, with only 24 released in June, out of the 500 detainees in total who are to be released in accordance with the verbal deal.

21. On the morning of 5 June, Government forces and their allies allegedly raided the homes of three women in the Jurah neighbourhood of Dayr al-Zawr city and arrested them for communicating with ISIL. The three were neighbours, whose husbands were outside the besieged area and unable to return. They reportedly chatted online with their husbands and were subsequently arrested. Their whereabouts remain unknown.

22. Government forces and their allies raided the Thib Antar school in the Jurah neighbourhood of Dayr al-Zawr city on 8 June and reportedly arrested at least 150 students who were sitting exams. Most of the students were around 17 years old and it is believed they were detained for the purpose of military recruitment.

23. On 14 June, Kurdish forces reportedly demolished approximately 200 houses belonging to Arab tribe members and families of Mu'amra in the villages of Jalal, Tall Barak, and in Alwah Sharqiya in Hasakah governorate. The homeowners had fled the area five or six months earlier to escape harassment.

24. OHCHR received reports that on 14 June, ISIL publicly whipped two men with 300 lashes at Dalla roundabout in Raqqah city. Accused of smuggling civilians to Turkey, the men were released after the flogging, although their vehicles were confiscated.

25. On 13 June, ISIL allegedly stoned to death the imam of Khalid bin al-Walid Mosque in Buqrus village in eastern rural Dayr al-Zawr. He was accused of committing adultery. The imam had been held in ISIL custody since being abducted six weeks previously.

26. On 16 June, ISIL reportedly stoned to death a woman in public, after accusing her of adultery. The stoning took place close to Fayhaa roundabout in Albu Kamal town in eastern rural Dayr al-Zawr. On the same day, six male civilians in Mayadin town were allegedly punished with 70 lashes for not fasting during Ramadan.

27. ISIL released a video on 28 June allegedly showing the killing of five men from Albu Kamal town in rural Dayr al-Zawr, whom they claimed had been New Syrian Army fighters who had launched an offensive against ISIL the day before, although OHCHR received reports that the men had been detained several months previously on grounds of spying against ISIL.

28. According to credible sources, on 2 June, an unidentified suicide bomber on a motorcycle detonated close to Al-Khulfah Al-Rashdin mosque in the Da'tur district of Ladhiqiyah town, as people were leaving after prayers, killing at least three civilians and injuring several others. No group claimed responsibility.

C. Humanitarian response

29. In June, United Nations humanitarian agencies and partners continued to reach millions of people in need, through all modalities, from within the Syrian Arab Republic and across borders pursuant to resolutions 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014) and 2258 (2015). Non-governmental organizations also continued to deliver assistance to people in need, in line with previous months. The Government of the Syrian Arab Republic continued to provide basic services to areas under its control as well as in many areas beyond its control.

Table 1
Number of people reached by United Nations system organizations in June 2016

Organization Number of people reached

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 21 000

International Organization for Migration 103 800

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 275 000

United Nations Children's Fund 1 800 000

United Nations Development Programme 71 257

United Nations Population Fund 96 000

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East 383 792

World Food Programme 4 100 000

World Health Organization 1 300 000

30. Cross-border deliveries continued during the reporting period. In June, 14 consignments consisting of 558 trucks crossed from Turkey and Jordan to the Syrian Arab Republic under the terms of resolutions 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014) and 2258 (2015) (more information on United Nations cross-border convoys in June is found in annex I to the present report). Shipments through the Ramtha crossing from Jordan were suspended by the Jordanian Government at the end of June owing to the security situation along the Syrian-Jordanian border.

31. In line with Security Council resolutions, the United Nations notified the Syrian authorities in advance of each shipment, including of its content, destination and number of beneficiaries. The United Nations Monitoring Mechanism for the Syrian Arab Republic continued its operations, monitoring 558 trucks in the 14 consignments in May, confirming the humanitarian nature of each, and notifying the Syrian authorities after each shipment. The Mechanism continued to benefit from excellent cooperation with the Governments of Jordan and Turkey.

32. In June, inter-agency convoys to the besieged and hard-to-reach locations listed in table 2 below were completed by the United Nations and partners. The World Food Programme (WFP) successfully completed 18 airdrop rotations, delivering almost 304 tons of food, which are being used to complement rations for the second distribution cycle for 18,000 households (see also annex II for more information on access to besieged and hard-to-reach locations). United Nations agencies also undertook single agency deliveries to cross-line and hard-to-reach locations or reached those locations through their regular programmes during the reporting period.

Table 2
Inter-agency convoys in June 2016

Date Location Number of beneficiaries Type of assistance

1 and 9 June Darayya 2 400 (food); 4 000 (other supplies) Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, nutrition, education, non-food items, health

1 and 3 June Mu'addamiyah al-Sham 45 000 Food and health

10 June Duma 24 000 (food); 40 000 (other supplies) Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, non-food items, health.

13 June Dar al-Kabirah, Ghantu, Tayr Ma'lah 33 500 Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, nutrition, education, non-food items, health.

16 June Afrin 50 000 Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, nutrition, non-food items, health

16 June Wa'r 37 500 Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, nutrition, education, non-food items, health

19 June Kafr Batna subdistrict 25 000 Food, nutrition, health.

21 June Bludan 25 000 Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, non-food items, health

23 June Jayrud 37 500 Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, nutrition, education, non-food items, health

23 and 28 June Shaykh Maqsud 27 000 Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, nutrition, non-food items, health

27 June Qudsaya 30 000 Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, nutrition, education, non-food items, health

29 June Irbin and Zamalka 21 500 Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, nutrition, education, non-food items, health

29 June Western Harasta 12 500 Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, nutrition, education, health

Humanitarian access

33. The delivery of humanitarian assistance to people in need of assistance in the Syrian Arab Republic remained extremely challenging in many areas of the country as a result of deliberate restrictions by the parties on the movement of people and goods, active conflict and shifting conflict lines.

34. On 23 June, the Emergency Relief Coordinator announced that the number of people living in besieged and hard-to-reach areas stood at 5.47 million, an increase of some 900,000 people from the previous estimate of 4.6 million. The increase is based primarily on the inclusion of areas in parts of Aleppo, Raqqah and Hasakah governorates, as a result of insecurity, as well as constrained access for humanitarian actors both from within the Syrian Arab Republic as well as via cross-border operations. Access to the millions of people living in besieged and hard-to-reach locations remained of critical concern. Overall, the United Nations agencies and partners reached 64 of the 154 besieged and hard-to-reach areas (41 per cent) |1| through either inter-agency convoys or single agency deliveries. Details of assistance to those areas, by sector, in June are contained in table 3. Meanwhile, non-governmental organizations continued to provide limited medical, education and protection services, as well as some support in other sectors, in hard-to-reach locations, under extremely challenging circumstances.

Table 3
United Nations deliveries to hard-to-reach, besieged and priority cross-line locations, June 2016

Sector (United Nations delivery only) Number of people reached
(percentage of 4. 6 million)�

Food security 590 000 (12.8)

Health (treatments) 715 000 (15.5)

Non-food items 210 000 (4.6)

Water, sanitation and hygiene materials 150 000 (3.3)

� Reporting against the new total of 5.47 million people in besieged and hard-to-reach areas will commence in July 2016.

35. Active conflict in several governorates hindered the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance, as well as people's access to essential services. Markets, schools, medical and other civilian infrastructures were damaged as a result of fighting in June, reducing the availability of basic and essential services in critical areas. For example, the electricity supply in Aleppo city remains limited to 10 hours a week and the water supply to 1 day out of 10. The lack of electricity and fuel are disrupting the functioning of the two main water pumping stations in eastern Aleppo, which are halted as a result, depriving over 2 million people of drinking water in Aleppo city. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) continues to provide fuel to power both water-pumping stations, providing over 3 million litres of safe drinking water for over 2 million people.

36. Fighting also disrupted humanitarian supply lines to communities at risk. For example, the security situation along the Castillo road in Aleppo city resulted in the suspension of humanitarian deliveries to the eastern part of Aleppo city, from mid-June onwards. The prevailing security situation also hindered the vaccination campaign for thousands of children in Aleppo city. Meanwhile, on 5 June, non-State armed opposition groups attacked the Homs-Salamiyah road at Snidah junction and closed the road temporarily, negatively affecting United Nations missions to Hama and Aleppo. Elsewhere, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was unable to conduct any mission in June to Yalda, owing to ongoing negotiations with local actors.

37. Deliberate interference and restrictions by the parties also continued to prevent aid delivery. For example, WFP continues to be unable to access populations in need in ISIL-controlled areas of the country, as all plans to deliver assistance to those areas have been suspended owing to the inability to work independently and monitor activities. This is preventing WFP from reaching hundreds of thousands of people in Raqqah and most of Dayr al-Zawr governorates (except the neighbourhoods in the city receiving assistance via airdrops), as well as certain areas in rural Aleppo, rural Hasakah, western rural Dar'a, some villages in Riq Dimashq and north-western rural Hama. Meanwhile, in June, over 10,000 children from besieged and hard-to-reach areas were supported by UNICEF and partners in order to be able to travel to sit for the national examinations. However, some of the children and their families who sought to cross the conflict lines were stopped and questioned by armed groups at checkpoints. They were prevented from leaving and thus were unable to sit the national exams.

38. The United Nations inter-agency convoy plan for June contained requests to reach 1.1 million people in 34 besieged, hard-to-reach and priority cross-line locations. Access to 16 locations was approved in full, to reach 365,250 people; 14 were partially approved, with restrictions on the type of assistance and/or a reduction in the number of approved beneficiaries to 396,200 people (a difference of 176,800 between the number requested and the total approved); and access to four locations, for reaching a total of 208,500 people, was not approved. Two hard-to-reach locations, Bludan and West Harasta, were added to the June humanitarian convoys upon the request of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic. Overall, the inter-agency convoys reached 374,900 beneficiaries in June, in 19 locations. Increased insecurity and delays in administrative procedures at the national and local levels, as well as a lack of agreement between the parties of the Four Towns ceasefire agreement covering Zabadani, Madaya, Fu'ah and Kafraya and surrounding areas, prevented the United Nations agencies and other partners from fully implementing the plan for June. Medical items continued to be removed from convoys (see para. 59).

39. On 19 June, the United Nations submitted its inter-agency convoy plan for July, which included requests to reach 1.2 million beneficiaries across 35 besieged, hard-to-reach and priority cross-line locations. By 4 July, in response to the plan, the Syrian authorities granted approval in full to 17 locations for 556,250 people; an additional 17 locations were approved, with a reduction in the number of approved beneficiaries to 354,000 (a difference of 282,500 between the number requested and the total approved); and one location, Qabun in Rif Dimashq, aiming to reach a total of 28,000 people, was not approved, with no official reason provided. Of the 18 besieged areas included in the request, the United Nations has approvals to reach all 18, either to assist the entire population in need or part thereof. On 10 July, the United Nations submitted a written request to the Syrian authorities reiterating its request for full approval to deliver overland assistance to areas that had been partially approved or not approved under the plan. The Syrian authorities have also approved 38 additional locations, not included in the request by the United Nations, for convoy deliveries; many of those locations are already reached by regular programmes.

40. The Nusaybin/Qamishli crossing in Hasakah governorate has been temporarily closed by the Turkish authorities owing to security concerns since 27 December 2015. Hasakah governorate also remains largely inaccessible by road for United Nations agencies from within the Syrian Arab Republic. WFP stocks of monthly general food rations in the governorate have now been completely exhausted, preventing partners from assisting a projected 275,000 beneficiaries via land access. On 9 July, WFP commenced airlifts from Damascus to Qamishli airport. The first WFP-chartered flight carried 35 tons of food, including rice, bulgur, pulses, salt, vegetable oil, sugar and other items. WFP is targeting 75,000 people for food assistance over the first four weeks of the airlift operation; most of those families have not received any food assistance from the United Nations for the past six months.

41. As of 30 June, the United Nations had submitted 41 new visa applications for United Nations staff; 13 of which have been approved and one of which was rejected, while 27 remain pending. Of those pending, 10 have exceeded the limit of 15 working days.

42. A total of 17 international non-governmental organizations are registered with the Government to operate in the Syrian Arab Republic. Four more international non-governmental organizations are in the process of completing registration. Such organizations continued to face a series of administrative hurdles and restrictions that have an impact on their ability to operate, including in gaining permission to undertake independent needs assessments.

Besieged areas

43. The number of people living in areas designated by the United Nations as besieged currently stands at 590,200. Humanitarian conditions in besieged areas continue to be dire. In besieged areas, the flow of commercial supplies through official routes remained largely blocked, leading to high prices for commodities reaching besieged areas through unofficial and irregular supply lines. Freedom of movement remained heavily restricted, though limited numbers are sporadically allowed to exit and re-enter some besieged areas.

44. Recent inter-agency convoys to besieged areas have highlighted numerous critical protection concerns beyond physical protection from ongoing fighting and lack of freedom of movement. A number of families have been separated, including children from their parents. Indications of severe trauma were observed, with children being particularly affected. People in all locations expressed serious concerns about the unavailability of civil registration and documentation services. Boys and girls are particularly exposed to protection risks. Access to education has been severely affected and significant numbers of children appear to have been recruited into armed groups, with many boys aged under 18 having been observed, both in uniform and in plain clothes, brandishing weapons. While early marriage was a pre-existing practice, the age of marriage has considerably decreased, affecting girls in particular.

45. In June, the United Nations assisted approximately 237,800 people in besieged areas (40.3 per cent of the total besieged population) through inter-agency operations. With the delivery to Irbin and Zamalka in June, all 18 besieged locations designated by the United Nations have been reached at least once in 2016, with partial or full assistance for some or all of their inhabitants.

46. In eastern Ghutah, Rif Dimashq, some 282,500 people remain besieged by government forces in the following locations: Duma, Eastern Harasta, Irbin, Zamalka, Ayn Tarma, Hammurah, Jisrayn, Kafr Batna and Saqba. On 10 June, the United Nations and partners completed the first phase of a multiphase delivery to bring food for 24,000 people, as well as nutritional items, health, hygiene and other humanitarian supplies for some 40,000 people in Duma. Some medical items were not permitted on the convoy. On 29 June, an inter-agency convoy reached Irbin and Zamalka with multisectoral assistance for some 20,000 people, the first United Nations inter-agency convoy to the area since November 2012.

47. In Darayya in Rif Dimashq, about 4,000 people remain besieged by government forces. On 1 June, an inter-agency convoy to Darayya delivered initial assistance of medical supplies, vaccines and nutritional items for children. On 9 June, the United Nations and partners delivered food for 2,400 people, as well as nutritional, health and medical items, water, sanitation and hygiene materials and education assistance for 4,000 people to Darayya. The town came under ground strikes and air strikes following both convoys. Some medical assistance was not permitted on the convoys.

48. In Madaya (and Buqayn) in Rif Dimashq governorate, some 43,000 people remain besieged by government forces. An inter-agency convoy with multisectoral assistance for 40,000 people is pending the parties' consent to facilitate safe passage of the convoys, as part of the Four Towns agreement. Reports of rapidly deteriorating humanitarian conditions have been received from Madaya, including of cases that require urgent medical care and evacuation.

49. In Zabadani, Rif Dimashq governorate, some 700 people remain besieged by government forces. Although not approved under the plan for June, a multisectoral convoy to Zabadani is pending the parties making final arrangements to facilitate safe passage, as part of the Four Towns agreement.

50. In Fu'ah and Kafraya in Idlib governorate, some 20,000 people remain besieged by non-State armed opposition groups and the Nusrah Front. An inter-agency convoy with multisectoral assistance for 20,000 people is pending the parties' consent to facilitate safe passage of the convoys, as part of the Four Towns agreement. Reports of rapidly deteriorating humanitarian conditions have been received from Fu'ah and Kafraya during the reporting period, including cases that require urgent medical care and evacuation.

51. In Mu'addamiyah al-Sham in Rif Dimashq, about 45,000 people remain besieged by government forces. On 1 and 3 June, inter-agency convoys were deployed to Mu'addamiyah al-Sham to deliver food and health supplies for 45,000 people. The third phase of the convoys was approved on 7 June, but has yet to take place.

52. In Yarmuk, in Damascus governorate, some 10,000 people are besieged by government forces and non-State armed opposition groups. UNRWA humanitarian missions into Yalda, from which Yarmuk residents could come and receive assistance, were suspended during June owing to ongoing negotiations with local actors. Meanwhile, Syrian authorities gave permission for 45 grade 12 students from Yarmuk camp to travel to Damascus to sit their national examinations.

53. In the government-controlled western neighbourhoods of Dayr al-Zawr city, some 110,000 people are besieged by ISIL. From 10 April to 13 July, WFP completed 70 high altitude airdrop rotations, delivering 1,23 3 tons of mixed food commodities. Quantities airdropped so far are sufficient to provide 110,000 people besieged in the government-held part of Dayr al-Zawr city (18,000 households registered by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent) with a 41 kg food ration. Ongoing airdrop deliveries are being used to provide all 18,000 households with a second full ration. In addition, UNICEF delivered, through the same airdrops, high-energy biscuits for around 3,600 children and pregnant and lactating women for a month, and enough water purification tablets to purify water for around 20,000 persons for a month (based on an estimation of two l of drinking water per person per day).

54. In Wa'r neighbourhood in Homs governorate, about 75,000 people are besieged by government forces. On 16 June, a United Nations/Syrian Arab Red Crescent convoy delivered multisectoral assistance, reaching half of the 75,000 residents in the area, who were last reached in March. For the first time ever in cross-line convoys from Homs, the United Nations hub was able to deliver complete health kits (without any surgical items being removed).

Attacks on medical facilities and free passage of medical supplies, personnel and equipment

55. Primary, secondary and tertiary health-care services continue to experience severe gaps in performance and service delivery, owing to the extensive damage caused to health-care facilities, the rapid turnover of health staff and the lack of qualified professionals in the different medical specialties. Paediatric and maternal health-care services, including routine vaccinations, remain negatively affected, particularly in the governorates of Aleppo, Hama, Homs and Dar'a as well as in the besieged areas of Rif Dismashq.

56. In blatant disregard for the special protected status of health-care facilities under international humanitarian law, and for Security Council resolution 2286 (2016), adopted on 3 May, medical facilities continued to be damaged or destroyed as a result of fighting in the Syrian Arab Republic. The United Nations and health partners received credible reports, which are in the process of being verified by the United Nations and partner organizations, of scores of attacks on health-care facilities during the month of June, including hospitals in Aleppo and Idlib governorates, as well as the deaths of several medical workers. Further attacks on health-care facilities in early July have been reported.

57. The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF continued to implement the nationwide vaccination campaign. The first round of the cross -border component of the nationwide campaign had reached about 772,000 children by the end of June, equivalent to a coverage rate of 53.6 per cent. Significant access challenges have been experienced in several areas: the cross-border campaign was temporarily suspended in Dayr al-Zawr, Raqqah and parts of Aleppo governorate owing to the security situation, as well as access challenges. Efforts are ongoing to reach those areas. Moreover, the volatile security conditions caused a low turnout of families to have their children vaccinated, in some locations where access was otherwise possible.

58. Since the beginning of 2016, WHO has filed 25 requests with the Syrian government to access 89 locations in 10 governorates (two of the requests were submitted in June). The Syrian government has approved eight of the 25 requests. The approval received in June was to access four locations in Dar'a. Meanwhile, 17 requests remain unanswered, for which WHO has sent four reminders.

59. The removal of life-saving medicines and medical supplies continued. Serum drugs, renewable items (razors, scalpel blades, gauzes) and surgical equipment (forceps, scissors, needles) are consistently removed from midwifery kits, inter-agency emergency health kits, paediatric kits and diarrhoeal disease sets. The treatments and supplies removed from convoys during June are outlined in table 4.

Table 4
Medical items removed from convoys

Location Number of items
Type of item

Darayya 12 606 Analgesics and neuropathic pain relievers. Treatments for 80 trauma cases were removed

Mu'addamiyah al-Sham 5 942 Reduced quantities of basic inter-agency health kits. Treatments for 20 trauma cases and medical equipment such as basic X-ray units, steam sterilizers, ventilators for adults and ventilators for infants were removed

Duma 1 963 Medicines for analgesic injections, dialysis sessions, psychotropic medicine and antibiotics injections. Reduced quantities of inter-agency health kits (basic). Treatments for 20 trauma cases and medical equipment (ventilator and sterilizers)

Hammurah 2 Medical equipment (spectrophotometer and steam sterilizer) was removed

Bludan 2 033 Burn kits, medicines removed from inter-agency health kits (supplementary) and from pneumonia A kits. Treatments for 30 trauma cases

Jirud 1 025 Burn kits, pneumonia B kits, analgesic injections and surgical consumables. Treatments for 20 trauma cases

Safety and security of staff and premises

60. A total of 27 United Nations staff members, 25 of whom are UNRWA area staff, one from the United Nations Development Programme and one from UNICEF continue to be detained or missing. Since the start of the conflict, dozens of humanitarian workers have been killed, including 17 staff members of the United Nations, 53 staff members and volunteers of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and eight volunteers and staff members of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. In addition, scores of staff members of international non-governmental organizations and national non-governmental organizations are reported to have been killed.

III. Observations

61. The toll that the brutal conflict has taken on the Syrian people has gone far beyond anything we could have imagined. Tragically, over the past month, an escalation of fighting and violence in several parts of the country has resulted in the senseless killing and maiming of hundreds of innocent men, women and children. Attacks on hospitals and schools, on mosques and public markets, on ethnic, religious and confessional groups remain an almost daily occurrence, inflicting brutal suffering on the innocent. I am deeply alarmed by the escalating violence in and around Aleppo city, putting hundreds of thousands of people at further risk of death and injury, particularly those in eastern Aleppo city, who are effectively trapped, as the fighting closes in and their access to basic commodities runs out.

62. The plight of those in Aleppo and elsewhere across the country underscores that civilians in the Syrian Arab Republic are as much at risk as they have ever been owing to the continued blatant disregard for humanitarian law by all parties to the conflict. Ongoing sieges are depriving civilians of the most basic items necessary for their survival, such as water and food, and strikes are launched on heavily populated areas from both air and ground, without regard for civilian presence. Parties to the conflict must immediately abide by international humanitarian law and individuals who fail to do so should be brought to account. Civilians must not and cannot ever be a target and all efforts should be made to protect civilian lives, including at the expense of gaining a military advantage.

63. While serious challenges remain, I recognize that some degree of progress has been made on humanitarian access to besieged and hard-to-reach areas over the first half of the year. So far, the United Nations and partners have reached each of the 18 besieged locations at least once in 2016, providing assistance to nearly two thirds of those living in besieged areas. Those small breakthroughs are proof that when there is enough political will, it is more than possible to reach people in desperate need of life-saving assistance.

64. Nevertheless, much more access is required. Access cannot be a one-off, or even an occasional event, and it cannot be limited to a segment of the population or specific kinds of aid. The current levels of access still leave civilians starving and without proper medical care. Despite receiving approval from the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic to reach nearly all requested besieged and hard-to-reach areas requested by the United Nations as part of its plan for July, access to many of those areas continues to be constrained by increased fighting and insecurity, differences in the estimate of the number of beneficiaries and other administrative delays. Such delays are leading to unnecessary loss of life and compounding the suffering of civilians during the hot summer months. I call on the parties and those that support them to lift these barbaric sieges once and for all and ensure unconditional, unimpeded and sustained access to the millions of people in all besieged and hard-to-reach areas. Granting access should never be conditional nor dependent on political negotiations or used as a bargaining chip in talks. The humanitarian imperative must prevail.

65. As has been the case since the formal launch of the International Syria Support Group process, the three-track approach of cessation of hostilities, humanitarian access and the political process remains inexorably intertwined. In preparation for a new round of formal talks, my Special Envoy has continued to conduct technical discussions with the opposition and continues to develop proposals and options to bridge the gaps on issues that remain subject to agreement between the opposition groups and the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic. He also continues to engage civil society on issues such as reconstruction, human rights, detainees and constitutional reform, and with the Women's Advisory Board and other women's groups on elements of political transition and on ways to ensure meaningful gender participation in both the current negotiations and the transition itself. The ongoing engagement of civil society groups in the process is testament to the will of Syrians to seek an end to the conflict and begin the political transition. In support of their efforts, I urge members of the International Syria Support Group, and in particular the co-chairs, to expend all efforts to agree on measures to end the violence and the suffering of the people of the Syrian Arab Republic and to advance a political transition.

Annex I

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Annex II

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Notes:

1. Since the revision to the number of people in besieged and hard-to-reach areas was completed during the reporting period, data for the month of June are based on the previous number of people in besieged and hard-to-reach areas. [Back]

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Organization	Number of people reached
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations	21 000
International Organization for Migration	103 800
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees	275 000
United Nations Children's Fund	1 800 000
United Nations Development Programme	71 257
United Nations Population Fund	96 000
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East	383 792
World Food Programme	4 100 000
World Health Organization	1 300 000

Date	Location	Number of beneficiaries	Type of assistance
1 and 9 June	Darayya	2 400 (food); 4 000 (other supplies)	Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, nutrition, education, non-food items, health
1 and 3 June	Mu'addamiyah al-Sham	45 000	Food and health
10 June	Duma	24 000 (food); 40 000 (other supplies)	Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, non-food items, health.
13 June	Dar al-Kabirah, Ghantu, Tayr Ma'lah	33 500	Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, nutrition, education, non-food items, health.
16 June	Afrin	50 000	Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, nutrition, non-food items, health
16 June	Wa'r	37 500	Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, nutrition, education, non-food items, health
19 June	Kafr Batna subdistrict	25 000	Food, nutrition, health.
21 June	Bludan	25 000	Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, non-food items, health
23 June	Jayrud	37 500	Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, nutrition, education, non-food items, health
23 and 28 June	Shaykh Maqsud	27 000	Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, nutrition, non-food items, health
27 June	Qudsaya	30 000	Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, nutrition, education, non-food items, health
29 June	Irbin and Zamalka	21 500	Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, nutrition, education, non-food items, health
29 June	Western Harasta	12 500	Food, water, sanitation and hygiene materials, nutrition, education, health

Sector (United Nations delivery only)	Number of people reached (percentage of 4. 6 million)�
Food security	590 000 (12.8)
Health (treatments)	715 000 (15.5)
Non-food items	210 000 (4.6)
Water, sanitation and hygiene materials	150 000 (3.3)

Location	Number of items	Type of item
Darayya	12 606	Analgesics and neuropathic pain relievers. Treatments for 80 trauma cases were removed
Mu'addamiyah al-Sham	5 942	Reduced quantities of basic inter-agency health kits. Treatments for 20 trauma cases and medical equipment such as basic X-ray units, steam sterilizers, ventilators for adults and ventilators for infants were removed
Duma	1 963	Medicines for analgesic injections, dialysis sessions, psychotropic medicine and antibiotics injections. Reduced quantities of inter-agency health kits (basic). Treatments for 20 trauma cases and medical equipment (ventilator and sterilizers)
Hammurah	2	Medical equipment (spectrophotometer and steam sterilizer) was removed
Bludan	2 033	Burn kits, medicines removed from inter-agency health kits (supplementary) and from pneumonia A kits. Treatments for 30 trauma cases
Jirud	1 025	Burn kits, pneumonia B kits, analgesic injections and surgical consumables. Treatments for 20 trauma cases