{"id":5861,"date":"2016-12-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-12-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.conectas.org.inf.br\/wp\/noticias\/international-community-fails-syria\/"},"modified":"2021-03-30T15:20:57","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T15:20:57","slug":"international-community-fails-syria","status":"publish","type":"noticia","link":"https:\/\/conectas.org\/en\/noticias\/international-community-fails-syria\/","title":"International community fails Syria","content":"

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<\/a> to address the case. The request was made two weeks ago by 222 civil society organizations from 45 countries, among them Conectas.<\/p>\n

The delay by Member States contrasts with the growing concern being expressed by UN experts. In a statement<\/a> released in October, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra\u2019ad Zeid Al-Hussein, said that the civilians are victims of \u201cwar crimes\u201d and \u201ccrimes against humanity\u201d. \u201cResponsibility for halting the Syrian crisis rests primarily with the Security Council, but not exclusively. The General Assembly may also have a role,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

According to an account<\/a> by Stephen O\u2019Brien, 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. \u201cImagine having your child rushed to an unsanitary basement and being operated on without anesthesia \u2013 these are the conditions in Eastern Aleppo,\u201d he said<\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to Mistura\u2019s 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 \u201chas failed to uphold its responsibility to protect the Syrian people\u201d 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.<\/p>\n