International community fails Syria

UN Member States ignore request for Emergency Session of the General Assembly

Despite the worsening humanitarian emergency in Syria, following another suspension of the evacuation of civilians who live in rebel-held parts in the city of Aleppo, UN countries have still not responded to the request to convene an Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly to address the case. The request was made two weeks ago by 222 civil society organizations from 45 countries, among them Conectas.

The delay by Member States contrasts with the growing concern being expressed by UN experts. In a statement released in October, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein, said that the civilians are victims of “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity”. “Responsibility for halting the Syrian crisis rests primarily with the Security Council, but not exclusively. The General Assembly may also have a role,” he said.

According to an account by Stephen O’Brien, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator and also the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, nowhere has the cruelty of the Syrian war been more grimly witnessed than in Aleppo. Jan Egeland, the Special Advisor to the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, reported earlier this month that the conditions are so bad that surgeries are being conducted in basements and without anesthesia. “Imagine having your child rushed to an unsanitary basement and being operated on without anesthesia – these are the conditions in Eastern Aleppo,” he said.

According to Mistura’s latest report, at least 500,000 people have been killed and another 11 million have been forced to leave their homes since the start of the conflict, six years ago. In the document calling for an Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly, the organizations claim that the UN “has failed to uphold its responsibility to protect the Syrian people” and they recommend that Member States explore other avenues to bring the perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity on all sides of the conflict to justice.

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