Humanitarian access in Syria
Conectas – together with 17 other human rights organizations – issued a statement welcoming Resolution 2139, approved on February 22 by the UN Security Council, which demands safe and unhindered humanitarian access to the victims of the armed conflict in Syria. The statement is similar to a series of requests made previously, in a letter sent by the same group of organizations to the Security Council.
“The resolution is a diplomatic breakthrough, but it is not yet a humanitarian breakthrough,” reads the statement, noting that the resolution should produce real changes in the situation for the victims within 30 days. “The action by the Security Council is an important step towards getting desperately needed aid to millions of Syrians, including a quarter of a million who are trapped in besieged communities. However, this resolution will only be meaningful if it results in real, substantial changes on the ground in Syria.”
The statement issued by the organizations lists five indicators of success: access to humanitarian aid for all those in need, opening of border crossings for the entry of aid, unhindered travel for aid convoys, immediate cessation of attacks on schools and hospitals and the immediate cessation of the use of explosive weapons in populated areas and other methods of warfare that disrespect International Humanitarian Law.
