Sir,– After days of intense negotiations, the UN Security Council vote on Tuesday to reauthorise a humanitarian border crossing from Turkey into northwest Syria came as an enormous relief to the humanitarian community in Syria and the wider region.
Humanitarian organisations, including local, national, and international NGOs, the UN, and others, rely on cross-border access to reach 4.1 million Syrian people who need humanitarian support with lifesaving supplies of food, medicines, and other essential items.
It was a cause of real concern that the UN Security Council would not reach agreement for the first time since the resolution was introduced in 2014.
Praise must be given to Ireland and Norway. Their work and commitment were critical to securing an agreement on behalf of Syrian civilian population who depend on humanitarian assistance.
However, an enormous diplomatic effort will again be required in six months, as this whole process will be repeated and another vote required in January to extend the agreement again.
To enable the humanitarian response be more predictable and efficient, we need to see the mechanism for renewing the border crossing extended for at least 12 months, which has previously been the case.
Humanitarian needs in Syria are at an all-time high, and reaching vulnerable people in the quickest and most effective way possible should always take precedence over politics.
As the conflict this year marks its 11th anniversary, the UN Security Council must redouble its efforts to find a long-term, sustainable solution to the conflict.
In the meantime, donors must increase humanitarian assistance to the region to ease the suffering of millions of Syrian people. – Yours, etc,
FIONA
GANNON,
Concern Worldwide,
Regional Director
for the Middle East,
Dublin 2.