At last – a UN resolution on humanitarian access into all parts of Syria

At Save the Children, we strongly welcome the unanimous UN decision to demand unfettered humanitarian access into all parts of Syria.

It is a diplomatic breakthrough that arrives none too soon for the people of Syria.

This Resolution has been a long time coming and could do much to alleviate the suffering of Syria’s children – but it is only a first step.

A UN Security Council Presidential Statement last October was followed by months of failure: refugee numbers since then have risen by nearly 14%.

Swift implementation needed

We have therefore joined with 16 other humanitarian, human rights and peace groups to insist that the Resolution be implemented as swiftly as possible, so that Syria’s people can get the help they so desperately need – wherever in the country they are.

As the third anniversary of the conflict approaches, there are 9.3 million Syrians who urgently require humanitarian assistance, including a quarter of a million in besieged communities.

To reach them with vital aid, Save the Children and our partners and colleagues need to be able to cross conflict lines and travel with impunity into hard-to-reach areas.

Humanitarian access to all parts of Syria

To prevent their numbers rising further, all sides in this conflict need not to target schools and hospitals and cease using weapons that do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. They need to allow humanitarian aid to enter besieged or disputed areas by the most direct routes, in safety.

We are therefore calling for implementation of this welcome Resolution as rapidly as possible.

We hope, first and foremost, for a swift end to Syria’s war. But until that happens, this unilateral attempt to ensure that non-combatants, particularly children, do not suffer any more is the best news we could have – provided that it is acted on swiftly and resolutely.