Equipo Nizkor - S/2016/796 - 31st Report of the Secretary-General on the Implementation of Security Council resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014) and 2258 (2015) (August 2016).

United Nations
Security Council

S/2016/796

Distr.: General
16 September 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 thirty-first submitted pursuant to paragraph 17 of Security Council resolution 2139 (2014), paragraph 10 of Council resolution 2165 (2014), paragraph 5 of Council resolution 2191 (2014) and paragraph 5 of Council resolution 2258 (2015), in which the Council requested 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 31 August 2016.

Box 1
Key points in August 2016
(1) Food assistance was provided to some 4.19 million people. However, only 5 per cent of this assistance was delivered through inter-agency convoys to besieged and hard-to-reach locations. A total of five inter-agency convoys were deployed to 10 hard-to-reach and besieged locations.
(2) The humanitarian situation across Aleppo continued to deteriorate with indiscriminate attacks, a shortage of basic supplies in the east and active fighting displacing some 30,000 people in western Aleppo.
(3) Forty medical evacuations were successfully undertaken from the besieged towns of Fu'ah and Madaya (1 on 13 August, 36 on 19 August and 3 on 20 and 21 August).
(4) Following Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) being pushed out of Manbij and Jarabulus, large movements of people going back into the towns were recorded.
(5) On 26 and 27 August, following a local agreement between Syrian authorities and local representatives, the entire population of Darayya was evacuated.
(6) Fighting in late August resulted in the displacement of more than 55,000 people in Hama.

II. Major developments

3. During the reporting period, military activity and general insecurity resulted in the death of civilians and had a negative impact on the overall humanitarian situation. This includes the further damaging of civilian infrastructure, such as hospitals and schools. Insecurity was also one of the major factors limiting the ability of United Nations agencies and their partners to deliver much-needed humanitarian assistance. Heavy fighting continued across the country, including in Aleppo, Dayr al -Zawr, Hasakah, Idlib, Rif Dimashq and other governorates.

4. The humanitarian situation continued to deteriorate across Aleppo throughout the month. The United Nations remained largely unable to bring humanitarian assistance to eastern Aleppo throughout August. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) was able to deliver fuel to run the generators powering two of the three pumping stations, located in eastern Aleppo, for the entire city. In addition, the International Organization for Migration entered through the temporarily open Ramusah corridor in the south with one truck, but halted operation when a second was hit by a rocket. Owing to the fighting around Ramusah, the main supply route into western Aleppo was cut and regular food distributions to the west were not possible from mid-July until 13 August. The fighting also displaced nearly 30,000 people in the south-west of the city. The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation released a statement on 18 August supporting the United Nations call for a weekly 48-hour pause in fighting to allow for the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and discussions between the Co-Chairs of the International Syria Support Group, the Russian Federation and the United States of America, continued throughout the month.

Box 2
Aleppo city
(1) By early August, humanitarian access to eastern Aleppo had been cut for nearly a month, and conditions for the 250,000 to 275,000 people living in that area were deteriorating. Non-state armed opposition groups took control of Ramusah in the south-west on 7 August, opening a tentative corridor, but ongoing fighting limited access. The fighting also cut the main supply route into western Aleppo and displaced 5,970 families.
(2) In addit ion to ongoing air strikes and shelling, attacks on the power stations in the south of the city resulted in a citywide blackout. The power outage also temporarily stopped water service throughout the city. Without reliable access to goods and with prices rising, the eastern Aleppo local council began distributing food rations from their stocks on 13 August. The number of doctors in eastern Aleppo is limited, with only 35 reported in the area.
(3) Although a new route from the north into western Aleppo was opened, access was irregular. Humanitarian needs remained high, in particular in eastern Aleppo, where stocks of food and fuel were running low. Efforts to provide much needed relief continued.

Note: See annex for full map.

5. On 13 August, after a 42-day stalemate, the Syrian Democratic Forces, backed by the international counter-ISIL coalition led by the United States, assumed full control over the town of Manbij and large swathes of land in the eastern countryside of Aleppo. Following the departure of ISIL, tens of thousands of internally displaced persons returned to Manbij, despite reports of significant protection concerns, owing in particular to high levels of improvised explosive device contamination. The United Nations has been unable to secure a route to provide humanitarian assistance owing to ongoing insecurity in the region. Hundreds of ISIL fighters who were forced out of Manbij moved to the town of Jarabulus in the northern countryside of Aleppo, taking approximately 2,000 civilians, used as human shields during the move. Civilians were subsequently released.

6. From 24 to 28 August, non-State armed opposition groups backed by a military operation against ISIL carried out by Turkey and elements of the international coalition captured the town of Jarabulus and large swathes of land to the west and the south of that town that were previously controlled by ISIL.

7. On 24 August, a local agreement was reached between the Government and non-State armed opposition groups to evacuate the fighters and civilians from the town of Darayya. On 26 and 27 August, 1,906 persons were evacuated from Darayya. A total of 1,411 persons, including fighters and their families, were evacuated to territory controlled by non-State armed opposition groups in Idlib governorate, while another 485 were evacuated to a government-controlled area in the town of Hirjillah (Rif Dimashq). The United Nations was not a part of the agreement, nor did it support the evacuation. United Nations humanitarian teams monitored the situation, however, in Darayya and at the reception centre in Hirjillah, to ensure that protection concerns could be recorded and addressed. Similar negotiations were reported to take place between the Government and local negotiating committees in the town of Mu'addamiyah in Rif Dimashq and in Wa'r in Homs.

8. Towards the end of August, following advances by non-State armed opposition groups in the Hama countryside, at least 11,530 families were displaced from towns in northern rural Hama to Hama city and nearby villages. The governor of Hama estimated the actual number of displaced persons as much higher, at close to 20,000 families.

9. Consultations between the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary -General for Syria and regional interlocutors continued during the reporting period, focusing on prospects for resumed negotiations to end the conflict and bring about a political transition in the Syrian Arab Republic. In parallel, the Office of the Special Envoy also proceeded with further discussions with the Co-Chairs of the International Syria Support Group. The Office of the Special Envoy reminded the Co-Chairs and the members of the Group that the interrelated nature of humanitarian, military and political elements continued to dictate dynamics on the ground in the Syrian Arab Republic. Bilateral discussions reportedly continued between the Co-Chairs at various levels, on issues related to combating terrorism, cessation of hostilities and delivery of humanitarian assistance to Aleppo.

Figure I
Key dates in August 2016

Protection issues

10. The protection of civilians has been consistently identified as a significant area of concern in all governorates across the Syrian Arab Republic. Indiscriminate attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, such as schools and markets, and against medical personnel and facilities, threats from explosive ordnance, threats against women or the most vulnerable civilians, such as children, the elderly or the disabled, and widespread human rights abuses continued throughout the reporting period.

11. Based on information received by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the killing of civilians and other abuses and violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law remained high in August. Much of the violence occurred in Aleppo, Dayr al-Zawr, Idlib and Rif Dimashq governorates (see table 1 for a list of OHCHR-recorded attacks against civilians). OHCHR documented attacks by all parties to the conflict, including government forces, non-State armed opposition groups and designated terrorist groups. Attacks on residential areas resulted in particularly high casualty rates, including air strikes on residential buildings in Abu al-Zuhur (Idlib) on 1 August, allegedly killing at least 15 civilians, including two children, and injuring dozens more, and air strikes on residential areas in opposition-held neighbourhoods of Aleppo city, including Tariq al-Bab and Sakhur, which reportedly killed at least 19 civilians, including three children, and injured more than 10 others on 19 August. On 22 August, Syrian authorities sent a note verbale to OHCHR reporting that 43 persons had been killed and 159 injured as a result of attacks launched by non-State armed opposition groups from 13 to 20 August in Aleppo, Dar'a, Dayr al-Zawr, Hama, Homs, Idlib and Qunaytirah.

Table 1
Reported attacks against civilians in August 2016ª

Date Location Type of attack Number of people killed, including women and children Number of people injured Infrastructure or site type

Aleppo governorate

9 August Manbij Mine 3 12 Residential

10 August Zabdiyah (eastern Aleppo) Bomb (allegedly toxic) At least 3, including 2 children At least 20 Residential

12 August Huraytan Air strike 2 5 Medical

12 August Huraytan Air strike 12, including 8 children - Residential

13 August Aleppo city (various) Air strike Several Several Not specified

13 August Aleppo countryside (various) Air strike Several Several Not specified

19 August Aleppo city (various) Air strike At least 19, including 3 children 10 Residential

19 August Bustan al-Qasr (eastern Aleppo) Air strike At least 11 Several Market and commercial

23 August Sukkari (eastern Aleppo) Air strike At least 13, including 4 children At least 10 Residential

24 August Manbij Mine 6 children - Residential

Damascus governorate

3 August Dahiyat al-Assad Ground-based strike At least 2 10 Residential

22 August Dahiyat al-Assad Ground-based strike 2 8 Residential

24 August Qassa' (Damascus city) Ground-based strike - 4 Residential

Dar'a governorate

6 August Yadudah Air strike 4, including 1 child and 2 women - Road

20 August Sahhari (Dar'a city) Ground-based strike 1 woman - Residential

Dayr al-Zawr governorate

4 August Qusur Ground-based strike 3, including 1 child and 1 woman 4 Residential

7 August Qusur Ground-based strike 6, including 3 children and 1 woman At least 3 Residential

11 August Jurah Ground-based strike 3 children and 1 woman At least 10 Residential

17 August Jurah Ground-based strike At least 5, including 2 children and 2 women - Residential

5 August Hajin Improvised explosive device 5, including 2 women - Vehicle

9 August Hawijat Saqr, Huwayqah, Ma'mal roundabout Air strike At least 15, including 2 women Several Residential/ school (housing internally displaced persons)

10 August Hatla Air strike 7 14 Marketplace

11 August Hatla Air strike 6, including 3 women At least 25 Residential

16 August Ummal Air strike At least 10 At least 72 Bakery

18 August Salihiyah Air strike At least 6, including 3 children - Residential

Hasakah governorate

16-31 August Hasakah city Crossfire/air strikes At least 22, including 4 children 32 Residential

Idlib governorate

1 August Saraqib Bomb (allegedly toxic) At least 30, including 10 children and 18 women Residential

1 August Abu al-Zuhur Air strike At least 15, including 2 children Dozens Residential

6 August Millis Air strike At least 10, including 3 women and 3 children 12 Hospital

10 August Saraqib Air strike At least 9, including 4 children More than 20 Residential

11 August Ariha Air strikes At least 6 More than 10 Residential

12 August Saraqib, Ma'arrat al-Na'san, Ma'arrat Misrin, Haranbush Air strikes At least 11, including 7 children Residential

21 August Ma'arrat al-Na'san Missile At least 9, including 3 children - Residential

Raqqah Governorate

11 August Raqqah city Air strikes 27 At least 55 Residential

Rif Dimashq governorate

1 August Khan al-Shih (western Ghutah) Air strike 5, including 3 children and 1 woman At least 2 Residential

5 August Mudayra Air strike 5, including 2 children and 1 woman 2 Residential

9 August Tuman-Misraba road Ground-based strike 3, including 1 child and 1 woman At least 1 Road

11 August Madaya Sniper 1 woman - Not specified

16 August Darayya Air strike - - Hospital

17 August Irbin Air strike At least 6, including 2 children and 2 women - Residential

21 August Duma Air strike At least 5, including 1 child and 2 women 2 Residential

22 August Duma Air strike 6, including 2 children and 3 women - Residential

23 August Duma Air strike 3 children and 1 woman - Residential

23 August Darayya Ground-based strike 2 At least 4 Residential

Source: OHCHR.

ª In line with resolution 2258 (2015), the present description of developments on the ground relates to the compliance with resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014) and 2191 (2014) by all parties in the Syrian Arab Republic. The information is provided without prejudice to the work of the Task Force on the Ceasefire of the International Syria Support Group. The list is not exhaustive.

12. Attacks allegedly carried out by ISIL were also of notable concern during the reporting period. On 17 August, at least five civilians, including two women and two children, were reportedly killed when ISIL fired on residential areas of the Jurah neighbourhood of Dayr al-Zawr. Five civilians, including two women, were allegedly killed and three others injured when an improvised explosive device hit a minibus on 5 August in an attack claimed by ISIL. The civilians were trying to leave ISIL-controlled Hajin for Hasakah governorate.

13. The United States Department of Defense confirmed that, in August, the United States-led international coalition carried out at least 274 strikes against ISIL targets in the governorates of Aleppo, Dayr al-Zawr, Hasakah, Homs and Raqqah, 50 per cent of which were around the area of Manbij. The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation made several statements during the month, in which it announced that it had carried out strikes against armed opposition groups in the governorates of Aleppo, Dayr al-Zawr and Raqqah. OHCHR received reports of air strikes allegedly conducted by international actors that resulted in the deaths or injury of civilians, but was unable to identify the parties responsible. Of serious concern are air strikes carried out on 28 August on the town on Suraysat, south of Jarabulus, during which a number of houses and vehicles were reportedly hit and at least 20 civilians were killed and many others injured.

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

15. In blatant disregard for the protected status of medical facilities under international humanitarian law, which was further articulated by the Security Council in its resolution 2286 (2016), such facilities continued to be damaged or destroyed as a result of fighting. The United Nations and health partners received credible reports, some of which are in the process of being verified by the United Nations and partner organizations, of 55 attacks against medical facilities in August alone, of which 15 were confirmed. Those include 10 hospitals (3 in Aleppo governorate, 2 in Homs governorate, 4 in Idlib governorate and 1 in Rif Dimashq) that were attacked and are now closed. One of the reported attacks occurred on 12 August, when an air strike hit a medical unit in the town of Huraytan, reportedly killing two medical staff and injuring five others. In addition, the main field hospital in Darayya was partially damaged by air strikes on 16 August, and then hit again on 19 August, putting it out of service.

16. In addition, a nursing education school and an ambulatory system centre in Aleppo, a primary health-care centre in Homs and a civil defence ambulance were hit. Collectively, those confirmed attacks resulted in 28 people being killed, including 5 health staff, and 47 injured.

17. On 11 August, the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria made a particular appeal for the evacuation of people with urgent medical needs from the besieged towns of Fu'ah and Madaya. A 10-year-old girl was also evacuated from Madaya on 13 August. From 19 to 21 August, 39 people were evacuated from those towns by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, including several children and other people needing urgent medical assistance. On 12 August, conjoined twins were evacuated from eastern Ghutah to one of the private hospitals in Damascus; however, they did not survive.

18. Following the security incident in Rakban, Jordan, on 21 June, dialogue with the Jordanian authorities for the resumption of the evacuation of the wounded and sick from southern Syrian Arab Republic into Jordan continued.

Violations of human rights

19. OHCHR continued to receive reports of serious human rights violations in August. On 5 August, security forces reportedly used live ammunition in an attempt to put down unrest in Suwayda' central prison. Authorities allegedly fired through the windows at a number of cells, injuring at least 29 detainees, 2 of whom reportedly died of their injuries on 7 August. On 6 August, ISIL reportedly publicly beheaded two men in Raqqah city. The men had been accused of smuggling people out of ISIL-controlled areas. On 8 August, ISIL allegedly took over three houses inhabited by civilians in Tall Abu Hasan, Dayr al-Zawr governorate, because their owners were living outside ISIL-controlled areas. The houses were reported to have been housing relatives of the owners and the relatives were evicted without being allowed to take any belongings with them.

Humanitarian access

Box 3
Key points
(1) Five inter-agency convoys reached 189,500 people in need in two besieged and eight hard-to-reach locations.
(2) Following the evacuation of Darayya, the number of besieged locations decreased from 18 to 17 and that of besieged people decreased from 590,200 to 586,200.
(3) A total of 8,892 medical items were removed from convoys in August.
(4) The September inter-agency convoy plan seeks to reach 1.19 million people in need across 34 besieged, hard-to-reach and priority cross-line areas.

20. 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 active conflict, shifting conflict lines and deliberate restrictions by the parties to the conflict on the movement of people and goods.

21. In August, the number of people living in besieged and hard-to-reach areas stood at 5.47 million. However, the number of besieged locations decreased from 18 to 17 and that of people living in besieged areas decreased from 590,200 to 586,200, as Darayya was completely evacuated on 26 and 27 August. Owing to ongoing fighting, an additional large number of civilians were on the verge of besiegement, including the population in eastern Aleppo, where an estimated 250,000 to 275,000 people reside.

22. Access to the millions of people living in besieged and hard-to-reach locations remained of critical concern. Throughout the month of August, five inter-agency convoys reached a total of 189,500 people in need in 10 besieged and hard-to-reach locations. This total constitutes 37 per cent of the roughly 506,000 beneficiaries approved under the August plan, and about 19 per cent of the total 991,050 people to whom access had been requested in the plan (see para. 26 for an overview of the August plan). In addition to the United Nations providing ongoing assistance to those areas (highlighted in table 2), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) 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.

Figure II
United Nations inter-agency cross-line operations: number of people reached each month in besieged areas

23. 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 August, reducing the availability of basic and essential services in critical areas. For example, on 2 August, an air strike reportedly hit the Usama bin Zayd school in Aleppo, causing destruction on the upper floors of the building as well as some minor damage to the ground floor. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was not able to access Yalda again in August because of ongoing security concerns. The previous UNRWA mission to that area was on 25 May 2016.

Table 2
United Nations inter-agency cross-line humanitarian operations (from 1 January to 31 August 2016)

24. Deliberate interference and restrictions by the parties to the conflict also continued to prevent aid delivery. For example, the World Food Programme (WFP) continued 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 because of the inability to work independently and monitor activities. This is preventing WFP from reaching Raqqah governorate and most of Dayr al-Zawr governorate, as well as pockets of northern rural Aleppo, southern rural Hasakah and north-western rural Hama. The besieged parts of Dayr al -Zawr city, inaccessible by land since March 2014, are being reached by WFP through high-altitude airdrops.

25. The removal of life-saving medicines and medical supplies from humanitarian aid convoys continued. Serum drugs, renewable items (razors, scalpel blades, gauzes) and surgical equipment (forceps, scissors, needles) were consistently removed from reproductive health and midwifery kits, inter-agency emergency health kits, paediatric kits and diarrhoeal disease sets. The treatments and supplies removed from convoys during August are shown in table 3.

Table 3
Supplies removed from convoys in August 2016

Location Number of treatments Type of supplies

Wa'r 2 400 Trauma kits, medical equipment, intravenous fluids and antiseptics, consumables and other life-saving medicines from pneumonia kits A+B

Taldu 4 834 Steam sterilizer, anticoagulant and anaesthesia medication, atropine and psychotropic medicines and surgical consumables

Rastan 1 058 Pneumonia kits B, inter-agency emergency health supplementary and basic kits (such as intravenous fluids, psychotropic medicines and anaesthetics) and antiseptics

26. The United Nations inter-agency convoy plan for August requested access to 32 locations, including all besieged locations, aiming to reach 991,050 people, comprising 523,550 people in hard-to-reach areas and 467,500 people in besieged areas. In its response, due on 28 July, as per the agreement to respond within seven working days, but received on 3 August and amended twice thereafter, the Syrian authorities approved access to 505,750 of those 991,050 people in 23 of the 32 locations. The Syrian authorities also requested that 41 other locations be reached in August outside the plan. All in all, the United Nations was not granted access to more than 50 per cent of the requested beneficiaries.

27. On 21 August, the United Nations submitted to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs the September inter-agency convoy plan, which comprised 26 requests to reach 1.19 million people in need across 34 besieged, hard-to-reach and priority cross-line areas. A response from the Ministry was expected around 30 August, in accordance with the agreed review process, but was not received until 6 September.

28. The Nusaybin/Qamishli crossing in Hasakah governorate has been temporarily closed by the Turkish authorities because of security concerns since 27 December 2015. Hasakah governorate also remains largely inaccessible by road for United Nations agencies from within the Syrian Arab Republic. On 9 July, the United Nations commenced airlifts from Damascus to Qamishli airport.

Visas and registrations

29. A total of 28 new visa requests were submitted in August. Thirty requests were approved, comprising 15 submitted in August and 15 older applications, while 11 remain pending. Five new visa requests were rejected in August (2 submitted in August and 3 submitted before then). Moreover, a total of 52 visa renewal requests were submitted during the month. Forty-four applications were approved, while 35 remain pending.

30. A total of 17 international NGOs are registered with the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic to operate in the country. Four more international NGOs are in the process of completing registration. Those organizations continued to face a series of administrative hurdles and restrictions that affect their ability to operate, including in gaining permission to undertake independent needs assessments. Some 172 national NGOs are authorized to operate in the Syrian Arab Republic. Twenty-one additional national NGOs were added in August.

Overview of humanitarian response

31. In August, 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 (see table 4). NGOs also continued to deliver assistance to people in need in line with previous months. The Government continued to provide basic services to areas under its control as well as in many areas beyond its control.

Table 4
Number of people reached by United Nations organizations, August 2016

Organization Number of people reached

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations -

International Organization for Migration 45 373

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 242 662

United Nations Children's Fund 2 000 000

United Nations Development Programme 1 200 000

United Nations Population Fund 384 507

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East 450 000

World Food Programme 4 190 000

World Health Organization 595 150

32. During the reporting period, cross-border deliveries continued from Turkey and Jordan into the Syrian Arab Republic under the terms of resolutions 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014) and 2258 (2015) (see figure III for details). In line with the Security Council resolutions, the United Nations notified the Syrian authorities in advance of each shipment, including content, destination and number of beneficiaries. The United Nations Monitoring Mechanism for the Syrian Arab Republic continued its operations, monitoring 756 trucks used to deliver 21 consignments in August, 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.

Figure III
Number of beneficiaries assisted by the United Nations and its partners per cluster through cross-border deliveries, August 2016

33. The inter-agency convoys to the besieged and hard-to-reach locations listed in table 5 were completed in August. Moreover, WFP completed 22 airdrops of food commodities and humanitarian assistance on behalf of other United Nations agencies over Dayr al-Zawr city. In addition, the WFP Logistics Cluster continued ai rlifts to Qamishli from Damascus. During the reporting period, United Nations agencies also undertook single-agency deliveries to cross-line and hard-to-reach lo cations or reached those locations through their regular programmes.

Table 5
Inter-agency convoys, August 2016

Date Location Requested target (number of beneficiaries) Targeted people reached Type of assistance

23 and 25 August Wa'r 75 000 75 000 Multisectoral

29 August Eastern Harasta 21 000 10 000 Multisectoral

29 August Dar al-Kabirah, Tayr Ma'lah, Ghantu 33 500 10 000 Multisectoral

31 August Hulah area (Kafr Laha, Taldu, Tal Dhahab, Burj Qa'i, western Tayyibah) 71 000 71 000 Multisectoral

34. The World Health Organization and UNICEF continued with the implementation of the nationwide vaccination campaign. The second round of the multi-antigen campaign was launched on 24 July 2016 for one week, targeting 713,543 children under 5 years old in hard-to-reach and besieged areas in 12 governorates. The campaign was then extended to reach additional areas, with a total of 157,568 children reached during that second round. Ministry of Health teams reached all targeted areas in four governorates, namely Dar'a, Ladhiqiyah, Qunaytirah and Suwayda'.

Figure IV
"Whole of Syria" approach: type of assistance and number of beneficiaries reached, July 2016ª

ª Because of lag time in data collection, figure IV shows information from the preceding reporting month.

Humanitarian response plan funding

35. The status of the funding of the humanitarian response plan as at 31 August 2016 is shown in figure V.

Figure V
Humanitarian response plan funding, 31 August 2016

Safety and security of humanitarian personnel and premises

36. A total of 27 United Nations staff members, 25 of whom are UNRWA staff, one is from the United Nations Development Programme and one is from UNICEF, are still detained or missing. Since the start of the conflict, dozens of humanitarian workers have been killed, including 18 staff members of the United Nations, 53 staff members and volunteers of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, and 8 staff members and volunteers of the Palestine Red Crescent Society. In addition, many staff members of international and national NGOs are reported to have been killed.

III. Observations

37. Despite five years of disastrous conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. Month by month, as hospitals, schools and markets are destroyed and doctors, teachers and shopkeepers are killed, the Syrian Arab Republic increasingly becomes a shell of its former self. At the end of August, Darayya, a town besieged for years and attacked relentlessly, was completely evacuated. Through the first half of 2016, there have been another 900,000 people internally displaced, and even for those who are able to return to their homes, basic infrastructure is often destroyed. In former ISIL-controlled areas in particular, high levels of contamination from explosive ordnance represent a significant risk. Protection needs are high for all, but in particular for the most vulnerable, such as children, the elderly and people with disabilities.

38. At the same time, United Nations humanitarian actors have not been able to keep pace in their provision of assistance with the increase in needs. Civilians most in need, that is those on the front line of fighting and in locations besieged by parties to the conflict, suffer unnecessarily. In the worst cases, their suffering is used as an instrument of war. Requests and pleas to assist them are made monthly through access requests, weekly through meetings of the Task Force on Humanitarian Access of the International Syria Support Group, and daily through the engagement of brave humanitarians on the ground. Nonetheless, access to those in need has eroded.

39. The United Nations and its partners have been and continue to be ready to deliver assistance. Despite that, in the month of August, only five inter-agency cross-line convoys were able to deploy to provide assistance and reached fewer than 200,000 people. In addition, such assistance could be provided only in the last nine days of the month. This is against a request to deliver assistance to almost a million people in 32 locations. The lack of access was due to active conflict and insecurity, as well as to bureaucratic blockages: the initial late response to the August plan, twice amended by the authorities, resulting in not having the final approved list until 14 August; delays in issuing facilitation letters; and slow clearance of items to be loaded. In Fu'ah, Kafraya, Madaya and Zabadani, which have not received United Nations assistance since 30 April 2016, tensions among parties to the Four Towns ceasefire agreement, fuelled by heavy aerial bombardment in Idlib and shelling on Fu'ah and Kafraya, caused access to be blocked again in August.

40. The United Nations continues to deliver assistance. The United Nations and its partners reached nearly 6 million people in July, and WFP alone provided food assistance to some 4.19 million people across the Syrian Arab Republic in August. Hundreds of trucks cross the border every month with life-saving assistance. Yet even those numbers represent only half of the 13.5 million people estimated to be in need. More is needed to reach them all: more access by the parties to the conflict to those in the hardest-to-reach areas; more exercising of political will by those with influence over the parties to the conflict to prioritize humanitarian issues; and, with a response plan funded up to only 33 per cent for 2016, more resources from Member States to allow the United Nations to carry out its mission.

41. While humanitarians do their most to stem the suffering from what has become the worst conflict of a generation, what is most needed is for the conflict to end. As world leaders come together for the seventy-first session of the General Assembly in late September, there should be no greater goal than to put the collective power of the world's leaders together to end the world's greatest humanitarian tragedy. I call upon all Member States, on those who are engaged in the conflict, on those who are engaged in the International Syria Support Group, on any who have influence, to act. The world is watching.

Annex

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Date	Location	Type of attack	Number of people killed, including women and children	Number of people injured	Infrastructure or site type
Aleppo governorate
9 August	Manbij	Mine	3	12	Residential
10 August	Zabdiyah (eastern Aleppo)	Bomb (allegedly toxic)	At least 3, including 2 children	At least 20	Residential
12 August	Huraytan	Air strike	2	5	Medical
12 August	Huraytan	Air strike	12, including 8 children	-	Residential
13 August	Aleppo city (various)	Air strike	Several	Several	Not specified
13 August	Aleppo countryside (various)	Air strike	Several	Several	Not specified
19 August	Aleppo city (various)	Air strike	At least 19, including 3 children	10	Residential
19 August	Bustan al-Qasr (eastern Aleppo)	Air strike	At least 11	Several	Market and commercial
23 August	Sukkari (eastern Aleppo)	Air strike	At least 13, including 4 children	At least 10	Residential
24 August	Manbij	Mine	6 children	-	Residential
Damascus governorate
3 August	Dahiyat al-Assad	Ground-based strike	At least 2	10	Residential
22 August	Dahiyat al-Assad	Ground-based strike	2	8	Residential
24 August	Qassa' (Damascus city)	Ground-based strike	-	4	Residential
Dar'a governorate
6 August	Yadudah	Air strike	4, including 1 child and 2 women	-	Road
20 August	Sahhari (Dar'a city)	Ground-based strike	1 woman	-	Residential
Dayr al-Zawr governorate
4 August	Qusur	Ground-based strike	3, including 1 child and 1 woman	4	Residential
7 August	Qusur	Ground-based strike	6, including 3 children and 1 woman	At least 3	Residential
11 August	Jurah	Ground-based strike	3 children and 1 woman	At least 10	Residential
17 August	Jurah	Ground-based strike	At least 5, including 2 children and 2 women	-	Residential
5 August	Hajin	Improvised explosive device	5, including 2 women	-	Vehicle
9 August	Hawijat Saqr, Huwayqah, Ma'mal roundabout	Air strike	At least 15, including 2 women	Several	Residential/ school (housing internally displaced persons)
10 August	Hatla	Air strike	7	14	Marketplace
11 August	Hatla	Air strike	6, including 3 women	At least 25	Residential
16 August	Ummal	Air strike	At least 10	At least 72	Bakery
18 August	Salihiyah	Air strike	At least 6, including 3 children	-	Residential
Hasakah governorate
16-31 August	Hasakah city	Crossfire/air strikes	At least 22, including 4 children	32	Residential
Idlib governorate
1 August	Saraqib	Bomb (allegedly toxic)		At least 30, including 10 children and 18 women	Residential
1 August	Abu al-Zuhur	Air strike	At least 15, including 2 children	Dozens	Residential
6 August	Millis	Air strike	At least 10, including 3 women and 3 children	12	Hospital
10 August	Saraqib	Air strike	At least 9, including 4 children	More than 20	Residential
11 August	Ariha	Air strikes	At least 6	More than 10	Residential
12 August	Saraqib, Ma'arrat al-Na'san, Ma'arrat Misrin, Haranbush	Air strikes	At least 11, including 7 children		Residential
21 August	Ma'arrat al-Na'san	Missile	At least 9, including 3 children	-	Residential
Raqqah Governorate
11 August	Raqqah city	Air strikes	27	At least 55	Residential
Rif Dimashq governorate
1 August	Khan al-Shih (western Ghutah)	Air strike	5, including 3 children and 1 woman	At least 2	Residential
5 August	Mudayra	Air strike	5, including 2 children and 1 woman	2	Residential
9 August	Tuman-Misraba road	Ground-based strike	3, including 1 child and 1 woman	At least 1	Road
11 August	Madaya	Sniper	1 woman	-	Not specified
16 August	Darayya	Air strike	-	-	Hospital
17 August	Irbin	Air strike	At least 6, including 2 children and 2 women	-	Residential
21 August	Duma	Air strike	At least 5, including 1 child and 2 women	2	Residential
22 August	Duma	Air strike	6, including 2 children and 3 women	-	Residential
23 August	Duma	Air strike	3 children and 1 woman	-	Residential
23 August	Darayya	Ground-based strike	2	At least 4	Residential

Location	Number of treatments	Type of supplies
Wa'r	2 400	Trauma kits, medical equipment, intravenous fluids and antiseptics, consumables and other life-saving medicines from pneumonia kits A+B
Taldu	4 834	Steam sterilizer, anticoagulant and anaesthesia medication, atropine and psychotropic medicines and surgical consumables
Rastan	1 058	Pneumonia kits B, inter-agency emergency health supplementary and basic kits (such as intravenous fluids, psychotropic medicines and anaesthetics) and antiseptics

Organization	Number of people reached
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations	-
International Organization for Migration	45 373
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees	242 662
United Nations Children's Fund	2 000 000
United Nations Development Programme	1 200 000
United Nations Population Fund	384 507
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East	450 000
World Food Programme	4 190 000
World Health Organization	595 150

Date	Location	Requested target (number of beneficiaries)	Targeted people reached	Type of assistance
23 and 25 August	Wa'r	75 000	75 000	Multisectoral
29 August	Eastern Harasta	21 000	10 000	Multisectoral
29 August	Dar al-Kabirah, Tayr Ma'lah, Ghantu	33 500	10 000	Multisectoral
31 August	Hulah area (Kafr Laha, Taldu, Tal Dhahab, Burj Qa'i, western Tayyibah)	71 000	71 000	Multisectoral

16Sep16

31st Report of the Secretary-General on the Implementation of Security Council resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014) and 2258 (2015) (August 2016)

I. Introduction

II. Major developments

III. Observations