Rare Books and Special Collections Digital Library
Not a member yet
439532 research outputs found
Sort by
Brussels Ii Conference On 'supporting The Future Of Syria And The Region': Co-chairs Declaration
No full textBrussels Ii Conference On 'supporting The Future Of Syria And The Region': Co-chairs DeclarationCouncil of the EU
PRESS
EN
PRESS RELEASE
219/18
25/04/2018
Brussels II Conference on 'Supporting the future of Syria and
the region': co-chairs declaration
1. The Second Brussels Conference on "Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region" took place on 24-25 April 2018. It was
hosted by the European Union and co-chaired by the United Nations.
2. One year after Brussels I, and following the previous three pledging conferences in Kuwait as well as the London Conference
in 2016, the Conference renewed and strengthened the political, humanitarian and financial commitment of the international
community to support the Syrian people, the neighbouring countries, and the communities most affected by the conflict. Brussels II
brought together 86 delegations including 57 States, 10 representatives of regional organisations and International Financial
Institutions (IFIs) as well as 19 UN agencies. More than 250 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) were also associated
throughout the preparations and the two days of the Conference.
3. The former co-chairs of Brussels I: Germany, Kuwait, Norway, Qatar and the United Kingdom (UK) brought substantial input to
the preparations and the proceedings of the Conference. Jordan and Lebanon were closely associated, in a spirit of partnership
and in full acknowledgement of their tremendous efforts since the beginning of the Syrian conflict. Turkey also provided important
contributions, both as the country hosting the largest number of Syrian refugees and as a key regional actor.
4. Civil society and NGOs were very closely and substantially associated to Brussels II and its preparations, including through
extensive consultations with NGOs implementing humanitarian and resilience programmes in the region. The first day of the
Conference was devoted to a high-level dialogue with representatives from 164 NGOs, including 15 from Syria and 72 from the
three main refugee-hosting countries.
5. In addition, Syrian Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from across Syria and neighbouring countries discussed their role in
the future of Syria in a closed-door side event undertaken by the EU and the Office for the Special Envoy for Syria. The CSOs’
views were further presented during the ministerial plenary on 25 April. The international community, and the EU in particular, will
continue to work with Syrian civil society as essential stakeholders towards reaching a peaceful solution to the conflict and in its
legitimate aspirations to contribute to the country's future.
6. Syria's artistic community was also given prominence through a string of cultural events, including a Syrian art space,
"Tourab", that ran for ten days in central Brussels around the dates of the Conference. These events were meant as a tribute to
the remarkable individual efforts of the Syrians since the start of the conflict.
7. The Conference reaffirmed that only an inclusive, comprehensive and genuine political solution in accordance with UNSCR
2254 and the Geneva Communiqué, that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people for dignity and freedom will ensure
a sustainable end to the Syrian conflict, prevent regional escalation and a return of ISIL/Da'esh, and guarantee a peaceful and
prosperous future for Syria and the region. It reiterated the international community's commitment to Syria’s sovereignty,
independence, unity and territorial integrity, and safety and security for all citizens. Participants stressed the importance of
women’s engagement in the political process, including through their adequate representation within the delegations of parties to
the conflict.
8. The humanitarian and resilience needs of people inside Syria and in the region remain enormous. Current UN appeals are
severely underfunded. In 2018, the UN-coordinated appeal for Syria requests to cover assistance and protection needs inside
Syria amounts to US 5.6
billion, inclusive of US 4.4 billion (€ 3.5 billion) for 2018, as
well as multi-year pledges of 21.2 billion (€17.2 billion) in loans, of which elements are on concessional terms. The Conference
noted that pledges made at Brussels I in 2017 had been largely fulfilled, and in some cases exceeded. Co-chairs and main donors
agreed to widen the resource base and ensure greater predictability, coherence and effectiveness of the aid. The attached
fundraising annex sets out the pledges made at this Conference.
Political
10. The Conference expressed its strong support for the work of the UN Special Envoy for Syria in his mandate to facilitate the
political process, with a view to a lasting political settlement based on the Geneva Communiqué and the full implementation of
relevant UNSC Resolutions, including UNSCR 2254 (2015). It welcomed the twelve "Living Intra-Syrian essential principles"
developed as commonalities in the Geneva process, offering a perspective of a vision of a future Syria that can be shared by all. It
also welcomed the parameters on the constitutional and electoral baskets and the importance of a safe, calm and neutral
environment, as outlined by the UN Special Envoy for Syria in his Security Council Briefing on 19 December 2017. Participants
gave their full support to the Special Envoy’s efforts to facilitate, in consultation with all concerned, the implementation of the Sochi
Final Statement (as circulated to the Security Council on 14 February 2018) for the establishment of a Constitutional Committee
for Syria in Geneva, under UN auspices and in accordance with UNSCR 2254 (2015).
11. The Conference reiterated the importance of preventing and combating terrorism in Syria in accordance with relevant United
Nations Security Council resolutions. They took note of considerable progress in military operations to combat ISIL/Da'esh since
the last Brussels Conference, while underscoring the continuing need to combat terrorism in accordance with international law.
Efforts to combat terrorism do not supersede other obligations under international law
12. The co-chairs expressed their strong condemnation of the use of chemical weapons by any party to the conflict and under
any circumstances. Their use is abhorrent and a clear violation of international law. It is very important that any alleged use be
followed by an impartial, independent and effective investigation. Ensuring accountability for the use of chemical weapons is our
responsibility, not least to the victims of such attacks. Co-chairs called upon all participants to use their influence to prevent any
further use of chemical weapons.
Humanitarian
13. Violence and human suffering have increased in Syria, with military escalation by parties to the conflict further increasing to
an alarming extent in 2018. The civilian population has continued to endure the bulk of the suffering caused by the conflict,
including severe, constant and blatant violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and human rights law, in particular:
deliberate and indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, reported and ongoing use of chemical weapons, forced
displacement, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and torture, including sexual exploitation and abuse and gender-based
violence. More than 12 million people have now been displaced, including more than 5.6 million refugees hosted in
neighbouring countries and 6.6 million displaced inside Syria. Nearly 13.1 million people, almost half of whom are children,
urgently need humanitarian assistance and protection inside the country.
14. The co-chairs, together with all participants, reiterated their appreciation for Kuwait's and Sweden's efforts in drafting UNSC
Resolution 2401 (2018) and called for its immediate and full implementation, as well as all other relevant resolutions on Syria.
They urged all parties to the conflict to strictly adhere to their obligations under IHL. Attacks against civilians, humanitarian workers
as well as any civilian infrastructure, particularly health facilities and schools, violate the most basic human rights, may amount to
war crimes under international law, and must stop without delay. They also requested that humanitarian mine action programming
be accelerated as a matter of urgency.
15. The Conference reconfirmed the importance of delivering needs-based humanitarian assistance to all civilians, in line with
humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. Participants stressed the critical link between
protection and access. They called for unconditional, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access through the most direct
routes, including to the 2.3 million people still living in besieged and hard-to-reach areas across Syria through all aid modalities:
cross-line, cross-border and regular programme, in line with UNSC Resolution 2393 (2017).
16. Particular concerns were noted over the escalation of fighting and dramatic humanitarian situation still faced by civilians in
many parts of Syria. The Conference stressed the need to ensure that any evacuation of civilians must be safe, informed,
temporary, voluntary in nature and a solution of last resort including the destination of their choice, the right to return and the
choice to stay, as per IHL. All efforts should be made to ensure the unconditional medical evacuation of those in need of urgent
medical treatment. Denials of medical supplies and of access to healthcare are violations of international law and should be
stopped at once. The systematic removal of life-saving medical items from humanitarian convoys is unacceptable and needs to be
addressed once and for all.
17. Participants agreed that present conditions are not conducive for voluntary repatriation in safety and dignity. Significant risks
remain for civilians across the country as the situation remains characterised by continued fighting and displacement, with 2.6
million people displaced in 2017 alone. Conditions for returns, as defined by the UNHCR and according to international refugee
law standards, are not yet fulfilled. Any organised return should be voluntary and in safety and dignity.
Regional/development
18. The international community acknowledged and commended the huge efforts made by the neighbouring countries and their
citizens, in particular Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, as well as Iraq and Egypt, in hosting millions of refugees from Syria.
Participants recognised the deepening vulnerability of Syrian refugees, Palestinian refugees from Syria and host communities,
which should be addressed through sustained humanitarian and resilience support.
19. Participants committed to remaining fully engaged, in a spirit of partnership, in supporting neighbouring countries to address
the challenges they face. Substantial progress has been made by governments, donors and the UN in implementing the
commitments undertaken in London in 2016 and in Brussels in 2017, including through the EU Compacts with Jordan and
Lebanon. However, more should be done to ensure the continued and effective protection of refugees against risks of forced
evictions and returns and improvement of their legal residency status.
20. While the countries of the region continue to face enormous humanitarian challenges, the Conference agreed that increased
focus is required to support reform and longer-term development in a sustainable manner. It remains critical to support health and
education, economic development, job creation and integration into labour markets, for both host communities and refugees,
especially vulnerable groups such as women and youth. The Conference underlined the essential need to reach all children and
young people, who will one day have a key role in the recovery and rebuilding of the region, with quality education and skills
training. It expressed support for targeted resilience programming and an increase in allocations to women and girls. Extremely
vulnerable refugees and host communities will continue to require support through cash assistance and enhanced social
protection mechanisms. Resettlement was recognised as an essential protection tool for refugees with heightened protection risks
and its importance was highlighted, together with other legal pathways, in offering safe and dignified access to safety beyond the
immediate region.
21. The Conference welcomed the Lebanese Government's Vision for Stabilisation, Growth and Employment including the
Capital Investment Programme together with its commitment to establish a timetable for reforms that were presented in Paris on 6
April 2018, whose implementation and follow-up with the support of the international community is critical. The Conference also
welcomed the Rome II ministerial meeting in support of Lebanon's armed and internal security forces that was held on 15 March
2018.
22. The Conference equally welcomed the fiscal and structural reforms that are being implemented by the Jordanian
Government in a difficult economic environment, with a view to ensuring fiscal sustainability and improving the investment climate
in line with the "Jordan 2025" vision document and with the Economic Growth Plan for 2018-22. The Conference also welcomed
the UK's intention to host an international Conference with Jordan in London later this year to showcase Jordan's economic reform
plans, its aspiration to build/enable a thriving private sector, and mobilise support from international investors and donors.
23. The Conference commended the Turkish Government for its generous and large-scale efforts in hosting millions of Syrian
refugees and integrating them into national services, including health, education, employment and other municipal and social
services. Joint frameworks have been established with the international community under programmes such as the EU Facility for
Refugees in Turkey and the UN Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan 2017-2018. Addressing the protracted refugee situation
will require continued co-operation along those lines.
24. Participants committed to supporting further investments to foster inclusive economic growth and social development in
Lebanon and Jordan, including through concessional financing, blending of grants with loans and the use of the EU External
Investment Plan in cooperation with the support of European Financial Institutions and the private sector. They commended the
efforts made by host countries to open access to education, water and sanitation and health services and encouraged further
progress. Investment in infrastructure and in human capital is necessary to improve the quality of services and will continue to be
supported. Participants also noted the importance of vocational training for refugees and host communities, closely aligned with
private sector labour needs. Protection measures, in particular the provision of legal residency, should be reinforced.
25. Inside Syria, support to inclusive and accountable service delivery and to livelihood opportunities for the affected
populations, particularly women and youth, should continue while ensuring that it does not condone, or indirectly entrench, social
and demographic engineering as a result of forced displacement and intentional creation of obstacles to return. Work will address
needs related to safe and equal access to civil documentation, housing and property rights to ensure that the rights of Syrians are
protected and that those displaced are provided the basic conditions to be able to return to their homes in a dignified, safe and
voluntary way when conditions allow. It is also important to support Syrian civil society, social cohesion/dialogue and seek to
promote accountability and transitional justice. Funding decisions shall be conflict-sensitive and shall in no way benefit or assist
parties who have allegedly committed war crimes or crimes against humanity. The UN reiterated that its Parameters and Principles
for UN assistance in Syria will guide UN assistance beyond emergency life-saving aid in Syria.
Future steps
26. The EU and the UN committed to tracking the commitments made during the Conference and reporting regularly on their
delivery, including through reviews at key international events during the year.
27. Donor countries present at the Conference reiterated that reconstruction and international support for its implementation will
only be possible once a credible political solution, consistent with UNSCR 2254 and the Geneva Communiqué, is firmly underway.
A successful reconstruction process also requires minimal conditions for stability and inclusiveness, a democratic and inclusive
government, an agreed development strategy, reliable and legitimate interlocutors as well as guarantees in terms of funding
accountability. None of these conditions are fulfilled in Syria. In the meantime, participants agreed to regularly review post-agreement
plans, including those produced by the UN-led post-agreement planning process initiated by the 2016 London
Conference on Syria.
28. Participants also called upon all parties to release all persons who are arbitrarily detained, in line with UNSC Resolutions
2254 (2015) and 2268 (2016). Access to all detention facilities should be granted to independent monitors and information
provided on cases of forced disappearances. Ongoing work on the release of detainees and abductees by all parties is valuable
and can help build confidence between them. Participants expressed support to the UN proposal for a Standing Secretariat under
UN auspices, recently proposed to support the working group formed by the Astana guarantors.
29. Finally, participants recalled that transitional justice and accountability are required for sustainable peace and an inherent
part in any meaningful process of reconciliation. War crimes and violations of international humanitarian law and human rights
abuses need to be investigated. Any entities and individuals guilty of such violations, including the use of chemical weapons, must
be held accountable. The co-chairs commended the role of the Commission of Inquiry and welcomed progress in the work of the
International Independent and Impartial Mechanism (IIIM) and called for continuous efforts to ensure the necessary means for its
functioning. They called for the situation in Syria to be referred to the ICC.
Annex - Fundraising - Supporting the future of Syria and the region
Annex - Situation inside Syria
Annex - Jordan partnership paper
Annex - Lebanon partnership paper
Annex - Turkey partnership paper
Press office - General Secretariat of the Council
Rue de la Loi 175 - B-1048 BRUSSELS - Tel.: +32 (0)2 281 6319
[email protected] - www.consilium.europa.eu/pres
Security Council, 73rd Year: 8188th Meeting, Saturday, 24 February 2018, New York
No full textGuinea-Bissau (S/2018/110)United Nations S/PV.8188
Security Council
Seventy-third year
8188th meeting
Saturday, 24 February 2018, noon
New York
Provisional
President: Mr. Alotaibi. . (Kuwait)
Members: Bolivia (Plurinational State of). . Mr. Inchauste Jordán
China. . Mr. Ma Zhaoxu
Côte d’Ivoire. . Mr. Tanoh-Boutchoue
Equatorial Guinea. . Mr. Ndong Mba
Ethiopia. . Mr. Alemu
France. . Mr. Delattre
Kazakhstan. . Mr. Umarov
Netherlands. . Mr. Van Oosterom
Peru. . Mr. Meza-Cuadra
Poland. . Ms. Wronecka
Russian Federation. . Mr. Nebenzia
Sweden . Mr. Skoog
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . Mr. Hickey
United States of America. . Mrs. Haley
Agenda
The situation in the Middle East
This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of
speeches delivered in other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records
of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They
should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member
of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-0506
([email protected]). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official
Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org).
18-05017 (E)
*1805017*
S/PV.8188 The situation in the Middle East 24/02/2018
2/14 18-05017
The meeting was called to order at 2.10 p.m.
Adoption of the agenda
The agenda was adopted.
The situation in the Middle East
The President (spoke in Arabic): In accordance
with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of
procedure, I invite the representative of the Syrian
Arab Republic to participate in this meeting.
The Security Council will now begin its consideration
of the item on its agenda.
Members of the Council have before them document
S/2018/146, which contains the text of a draft resolution
submitted by Côte d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, France,
Kuwait, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Sweden, the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
and the United States of America.
I now give the floor to members of the Council who
wish to make statements before the voting.
Mr. Skoog (Sweden): Sweden and Kuwait earlier
this week put forward a draft resolution to respond
to the desperate calls of the United Nations and the
humanitarian community in Syria for a cessation of
hostilities for an initial period of 30 days, in order to
allow for much-needed humanitarian relief. We have
been working intensely with all Council members to
operationalize the concrete requests of the United
Nations, the humanitarian community and, above, all
the civilian population on the ground. We have done our
utmost to accommodate Council members’ concerns. It
is now time for the Council to unanimously shoulder
its responsibility and show that meaningful action
is possible.
The key components in our draft resolution are a
nationwide cessation of hostilities for at least 30 days,
weekly United Nations humanitarian aid convoys to
all areas in need, and immediate emergency medical
evacuations. The United Nations convoys and evacuation
teams are ready to go. The draft resolution also calls
for the immediate lifting of sieges of populated areas,
including eastern Ghouta. It reiterates its demand,
reminding in particular the Syrian authorities that all
parties have an obligation to act in accordance with
international law to protect civilians and hospitals and
other medical facilities.
The draft makes an exception for military
operations directed against the Islamic State in Iraq
and the Levant, Al-Qaida, the Al-Nusra Front and other
terrorist groups designated by the Security Council.
This in no way relieves the parties to the conflict in Syria
from upholding their obligations under international
law at all times, including the principles of distinction,
proportionality and precaution.
The draft resolution is not a comprehensive peace
deal on Syria; its aim is purely humanitarian. There
are already ceasefire agreements in force for the areas
where fighting has escalated the most. They need to
be complied with. There are existing monitoring
mechanisms that can be utilized. The role of the Council
is to push the parties to the conflict to comply with the
proposed cessation of hostilities in order to urgently
enable needed alleviation of suffering for the people of
Syria. If the draft resolution is adopted today, it can
de-escalate violence, save lives, alleviate suffering and
break the deadlock on humanitarian access and sieges.
Since the first call for a cessation of hostilities, the
situation has gotten dramatically worse, particularly in
eastern Ghouta, as we have heard from the Secretary-
General and from Under-Secretary-General Mark
Lowcock. After seven years of war, the situation for
innocent civilians in Syria has never been worse. But
we have an opportunity to turn things around today to
avert the disaster unfolding before our eyes.
The draft resolution before the Council represents
a resolute and very urgent attempt for the Council to
take decisive and meaningful action. Today, we count
on each and every member to do the right thing.
The President (spoke in Arabic): The Council is
ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution
before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.
A vote was taken by show of hands.
In favour:
Bolivia (Plurinational State of), China, Côte
d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, France,
Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Netherlands, Peru, Poland,
Russian Federation, Sweden, United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland and United
States of America
The President (spoke in Arabic): The draft
resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft
resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution
2401 (2018).
24/02/2018 The situation in the Middle East S/PV.8188
18-05017 3/14
I shall now make a statement in my capacity as
representative of Kuwait.
I associate myself with the statement just made by
the Permanent Representative of Sweden on our behalf.
The unanimous adoption today of resolution 2401
(2018), following lengthy and intensive negotiations,
demonstrates that the penholders, Kuwait and Sweden,
are keen to ensure unanimity on this important
humanitarian resolution. The resolution renews hope in
the Security Council’s ability to be unified and speak
in one voice, sending a clear and explicit message
that it rejects any violations of the Charter of the
United Nations.
I wish to thank all Member States that voted
in favour of the resolution, which includes key and
specific demands in response to the appeals of the
international community, the most important of which
are as follows. First, it demands that all parties cease
fire without delay throughout Syria for a minimum of
30 days. Secondly, it allows the United Nations and its
partners to immediately undertake medical evacuations
safely and unconditionally. Thirdly, it requires all
parties to ensure the unimpeded and safe access of all
humanitarian and medical workers. Fourthly, it calls on
all parties to lift the siege of populated areas, including
eastern Ghouta.
We are totally convinced that, while the resolution
may not end the humanitarian suffering in Syria at
once, it is a positive message that the Council today is
solidary and united to end this humanitarian suffering
and hostilities right away. The biggest task now is to
ensure the implementation of the provisions of the
resolution in order to save civilian lives in Syria and
deliver their humanitarian needs immediately.
The Security Council still has a great deal to do
so as to end this tragic crisis in Syria, which is about
to complete its seventh year. The resolution that we
have adopted today is only an interim solution, as a
political solution in Syria is the only way to achieve
a comprehensive settlement of the crisis and meet
the aspirations of the brotherly Syrian people, in
accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions,
especially resolution 2254 (2015) and the 2012 Geneva
communiqué (S/2012/522, annex).
The State of Kuwait stresses the importance of
reaching an agreement among Council members to
prevent any attempt to obstruct a draft resolution
aimed at stopping flagrant violations of human rights.
Kuwait supports the code of conduct proposed by
the Accountability, Coherence and Transparency
group, whereby Council members would pledge not to
obstruct draft resolutions that address crimes against
humanity, genocide and war crimes. We also support
the Mexican-French initiative calling on restraint in
the use of the veto in the event of serious violations
of human rights, based on our commitments to abide
by the four Geneva Conventions and their Protocols,
international humanitarian law and the outcomes of the
2016 World Humanitarian Summit.
We call for engagement on general humanitarian
issues, such as the delivery of humanitarian aid, the
evacuation of the sick and injured, and humanitarian
truce, as procedural issues. In order to prevent the
recurrence of such tragedies and the great suffering of
humankind, the veto must not be used in such instances.
I now resume my functions as President of the
Security Council.
I give the floor to the other members of the Council
that wish to make statements.
Mrs. Haley (United States of America): I want to
thank the penholders, Sweden and Kuwait, for their
work, their sacrifice and their time in the negotiations.
As we look at the negotiations, I think it is also important
that we bring the Council some of the voices of the
Syrian people in eastern Ghouta, who have suffered so
much while waiting for the Security Council to act.
A doctor treating patients in a makeshift hospital
described the conditions she is facing: “We are mental
and emotional wrecks. There is nothing more we can
do. We are bled dry.” In a haunting video, the doctor
walks into a room with a crying mother as she says,
“I am waiting for my son to die. At least he will
be free of pain. I was just making bread for him
when the roof fell in. He is going straight to heaven.
At least in heaven there is food.”
Another message we received yesterday which I
think was relayed to Council members in the closed
consultations, but which I think it is important to repeat
again — was an emergency call from a doctor in eastern
Ghouta, who said:
“We have a horrible situation here. We are
being targeted with all kinds of weapons, non-stop.
We lack everything: water, food, medical supplies,
S/PV.8188 The situation in the Middle East 24/02/2018
4/14 18-05017
shelter. This is a disaster. Everyone is just waiting
to die.”
Today, the Security Council finally took a step
towards addressing these devastating levels of human
suffering in Syria. The United States wants nothing
more than to see the ceasefire in resolution 2401 (2018)
implemented immediately across the country. It is
critical that the Al-Assad regime and its allies comply
with our demand to stop the assault on eastern Ghouta
and immediately allow food and medicine to reach
everyone who needs it. All of us on the Council must
do our part to press the Al-Assad regime as hard as we
can to comply.
But we are late to respond to this crisis — very
late. On Wednesday, the Secretary-General made an
emotional plea for an immediate ceasefire in Syria to
allow the very basic necessities to get to the people.
Kuwait and Sweden had a version of the resolution
ready to go for a vote, but Russia called for a delay. On
Thursday, in an effort to stall, Russia called for an open
meeting on the humanitarian situation in Syria. At that
meeting (S/PV.8186), 14 members of the Council were
ready to impose a ceasefire, but Russia obstructed the
vote again. And then yesterday, the Council sat around
for hours, ready to vote, only to have Russia delay
it again.
Every minute the Council waited on Russia, the
human suffering grew. Getting to a vote became a moral
responsibility for everyone, but not for Russia, not for
Syria, and not for Iran. I have to ask: why? At least
19 health facilities have been bombed since Sunday.
As they dragged out the negotiations, the bombs from
Al-Assad’s fighter jets continued to fall. In the three
days it took us to adopt the resolution, how many
mothers lost their kids to the bombing and the shelling?
How many more images did we need to see of fathers
holding their dead children? All for nothing, because
here we are voting for a ceasefire that could have saved
lives days ago.
And after all of this time, hardly anything has
changed in the resolution except a few words and some
commas. The Syrian people should not have to die
waiting for Russia to organize its instructions from
Moscow or to discuss them with the Syrians. Why did
the Council allow this? There is no good reason we
should not have done this Wednesday, or Thursday, or
Friday. We may not know the faces that we are talking
about. We may not know their names, or these people,
but they know us. And we all failed them this week. I
guess there is unity in that.
Today, Russia has belatedly decided to join the
international consensus and accept the need to call for
a ceasefire, but only after trying every possible way
to avoid it. The resolution marks a moment of Council
unity that we must seize and maintain beyond the
30-day timeframe. We hope that the resolution will be a
turning point, where Russia will join us in pushing for
a political settlement to this conflict and take action to
re-establish real accountability for the use of chemical
weapons in Syria.
Progress starts by adhering to the ceasefire
with no excuses. After so many years of defying the
Council’s demands, the Al-Assad regime must change
course. None of us should be so naïve as to accept that
the Al-Assad regime can continue indiscriminately
bombing schools, hospitals and homes under the fake
excuse of “counter-terrorism”. Al-Assad’s bombing
must stop. The ceasefire must be given a chance to work.
We look to the Al-Assad regime’s backers, especially
Russia and Iran, to address what the Secretary-General
rightly called a “hell on Earth”. All eyes will now be on
the Syrian regime, Iran and Russia.
Our goal with this resolution is clear. The Al-Assad
regime needs to stop its military activities around
eastern Ghouta, and for once allow humanitarian access
to all of those who need it. We are deeply skeptical that
the regime will comply, but we supported the resolution
because we must demand nothing less. We owe that to
the innocent people of Syria begging for help.
In the days to come, our resolve to stand by our
demands in the resolution will be tested. All of us must
rise to the challenge of maintaining this ceasefire, just
as we came together today. All of us must do everything
we can to make the demands of the resolution a
reality. That is the only way to restore the credibility
of the Council. The Syrian people have been waiting
long enough.
Mr. Nebenzia (Russian Federation) (spoke in
Russian): Following lengthy consultations, during
which the overwhelming majority of delegations
demonstrated a sincere focus on seeking joint
solutions — for which we thank them — the Security
Council has unanimously adopted the humanitarian
resolution 2401 (2018), on Syria. I wish to particularly
thank the penholders, the Permanent Representatives
of Kuwait and Sweden, for their tireless efforts
24/02/2018 The situation in the Middle East S/PV.8188
18-05017 5/14
and resolve to reach a compromise up until the very
last moment. Russia supports the resolution because
it encourages the Syrian parties to work as quickly as
possible to bring a halt to the hostilities, comply with
previous agreed-on decisions in that regard, engage in
negotiations on a general de-escalation and establish
extended humanitarian pauses throughout the country.
The reason it took us so long to reach agreement
on the resolution was because we did not support the
directives it included for an immediate cessation of
hostilities for a relatively long period, and the reason
for that was simply because it was unachievable in that
form. A ceasefire would not have happened if we had
adopted the directives without any concrete agreement
between the warring parties, and any approach so
removed from reality would definitely not help to
address the pressing humanitarian problems in Syria.
It will be crucial to ensure that the Security Council’s
demands are reinforced by concrete agreements on
the ground.
It would be naive to think that any of these
complicated issues can be resolved overnight. We trust
that all the external stakeholders with influence will
work to bring that about. We can see that some foreign
sponsors of the illegal armed groups have either fallen
very short in that regard or have been deliberately
flouting their obligations. Russia is working with
all the parties to the conflict and doing everything
possible to normalize the situation and actively assist
the humanitarian efforts. Iran and Turkey, our partners
in the Astana process, have taken on a major part of the
work, and we are preparing for an important meeting
in the Astana format next month. In the southern
de-escalation zone a fairly decent level of cooperation
has been established with Jordan and the United States,
although we have been seeing tension rising in some
areas owing to activity by armed groups.
The resolution clearly states that it does not apply
to military operations against the Islamic State in Iraq
and the Levant, Jabhat Al-Nusra, other Al-Qaida-affiliated
organizations and various groups that the
Security Council has recognized as terrorists. That
struggle that will continue. We call on international
stakeholders to coordinate closely on this issue,
including with the Syrian authorities, and in strict
compliance with international law and with respect
for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The
goal of combating terrorism must not become a pretext
for solving this or that geopolitical issue of dubious
legitimacy, which is exactly what the United States is
doing in Syria.
Instead of being drowned in rhetoric about
Russia — and by the way, next time I am going to count
the number of times Ambassador Haley mentions my
country — what we are insisting on is a prompt end to
the occupation-style efforts of the so-called coalition,
which, among other things, would have a definite
humanitarian impact, enabling the Syrian Government
to address the issue of restoring normal life in all the
areas that have been liberated from terrorists, including
in the north and the east of the country. Closing the
coalition’s Al-Tanf military base would solve the
problem of the internally displaced persons in the
Rukban camp. In that connection, we would also like
to point out that every effort should be made to deliver
aid via the most direct routes, as provided for in the
humanitarian resolutions on Syria.
It is important that today’s resolution calls
for speeding up the immediate deployment of
humanitarian mine-clearing operations throughout
Syria. It also reiterates the demand that all parties
demilitarize medical facilities, schools and other
civilian infrastructure and refrain from establishing
military positions in residential areas, something that
the illegal armed groups have frequently been guilty of.
The conflict’s flashpoints are more clearly identified,
and are not limited to eastern Ghouta and Idlib, and
that includes Raqqa, which the coalition has laid waste.
It also expresses indignation at the militias’ shelling of
Damascus, in which our Embassy has been hit several
times. We know that the humanitarian situation in
Syria is dire and in urgent need of effective measures,
but we can see perfectly well that the propagandistic
picture being painted of eastern Ghouta is identical
to the loud campaign in late 2016 during the counter-terrorist
operation to liberate eastern Aleppo. We must
engage not just with eastern Ghouta, but with Raqqa,
Rukban, Foah, Kefraya and Yarmouk. Every area of
Syria should get help.
The resolution emphasizes the importance of
supporting the restoration of stability in the areas
that civilians are returning to, which in our view
sends an unambiguous message to those capitals that
continue to make restoration assistance conditional on
a specific transitional direction in the political process.
It stipulates that the humanitarian priorities for Syria
in 2018 are not limited to Under-Secretary-General
Lowcock’s five requests. The agenda is far broader. We
S/PV.8188 The situation in the Middle East 24/02/2018
6/14 18-05017
hope in particular that the specialized United Nations
agencies and their partners will be sensitive to requests
from the Syrian authorities.
In conclusion, I would like to express my deep
concern about the public statements by certain United
States officials threatening aggression against Syria,
a sovereign country. This is a warning that we will
not countenance any arbitrary interpretation of the
resolution that has just been adopted. We demand an
end to this irresponsible and hateful rhetoric. Rather,
there should be joint efforts to settle the conflict in
Syria on the basis of resolution 2254 (2015).
Mr. Delattre (France) (spoke in French): France
welcomes the unanimous adoption of resolution 2401
(2018), which demands that a cessation of hostilities be
established without delay throughout Syria, in order to
enable humanitarian personnel to evacuate the wounded
and to gain access to the population. The negotiations
were arduous. However, despite their differences
in approach, the members of the Security Council
managed to prevail in the name of the humanitarian
imperative. The resolution is vital in the true meaning
of that word, since halting the shelling and evacuating
the wounded are matters of life and death for thousands
of Syrian people,
Security Council, 73rd Year: 8195th Meeting, Wednesday, 28 February 2018, New York
No full textThe Situation In The Middle East This Record Contains The Text Of Speeches Delivered In English And Of The Translation Of Speeches Delivered In Other Languages.United Nations S/PV.8195
Security Council
Seventy-third year
8195th meeting
Wednesday, 28 February 2018, 10.35 a.m.
New York
Provisional
President: Mr. Alotaibi. . (Kuwait)
Members: Bolivia (Plurinational State of). . Mr. Inchauste Jordán
China. . Mr. Wu Haitao
Côte d’Ivoire. . Mr. Tanoh-Boutchoue
Equatorial Guinea. . Mr. Ndong Mba
Ethiopia. . Ms. Guadey
France. . Mr. Delattre
Kazakhstan. . Mr. Tumysh
Netherlands. . Mr. Van Oosterom
Peru. . Mr. Meza-Cuadra
Poland. . Ms. Wronecka
Russian Federation. . Mr. Nebenzia
Sweden . Mr. Orrenius Skau
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . Mr. Allen
United States of America. . Ms. Eckels-Currie
Agenda
The situation in the Middle East
Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of Security Council
resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2258 (2015), 2332 (2016) and
2393 (2017) (S/2018/138)
This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of
speeches delivered in other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records
of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They
should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member
of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-0506
([email protected]). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official
Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org).
18-05507 (E)
*1805507*
S/PV.8195 The situation in the Middle East 28/02/2018
2/22 18-05507
The meeting was called to order at 10.35 a.m.
Adoption of the agenda
The agenda was adopted.
The situation in the Middle East
Report of the Secretary-General on the
implementation of Security Council resolutions
2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2258
(2015), 2332 (2016) and 2393 (2017) (S/2018/138)
The President (spoke in Arabic): In accordance
with rule 39 of the Council’s provisional rules of
procedure, I invite the following briefers to participate
in this meeting: Mr. Mark Lowcock, Under-Secretary-
General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency
Relief Coordinator, and Mr. Jeffrey Feltman, Under-
Secretary-General for Political Affairs.
The Security Council will now begin its consideration
of the item on its agenda.
I wish to draw the attention of the members of the
Council to document S/2018/138, which contains the
report of the Secretary-General on the implementation
of Security Council resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165
(2014), 2191 (2014), 2258 (2015), 2332 (2016) and 2393
(2017).
I now give the floor to Mr. Lowcock.
Mr. Lowcock: We have received a lot of questions
about resolution 2401 (2018), which the Security Council
adopted on Saturday, 22 February, and its demand for
a cessation of hostilities without delay for at least 30
consecutive days throughout Syria. I want to start
today by answering the questions we have received.
Is the United Nation ready to deliver to people who
need humanitarian assistance? Yes. We have convoys
ready to go to 10 besieged and hard-to-reach locations,
including a 45-truck convoy with aid for 90,000 people
to Douma and eastern Ghouta. Are you ready to support
medical evacuations from eastern Ghouta? Yes, we are
working very closely with the International Committee
of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Syrian Arab Red Crescent
and other health partners on that. Has resolution 2401
(2018) been implemented? Is there a ceasefire in Syria?
No, and no. Have you got any inter-agency cross-line
convoys through to hard-to-reach or besieged areas?
No. Have you been given permission to access any of
those locations? No. Have you received the necessary
facilitation letters for convoys? No. Have there been
any medical evacuations? No. Have any civilians left
eastern Ghouta? No. Is there any actual improvement
in the humanitarian situation in eastern Ghouta since
the adoption of the resolution demanding, as it did,
unimpeded access? No. Can you deliver assistance in
eastern Ghouta during a humanitarian pause between
9 a.m. and 2 p.m. local time? To quote the ICRC Middle
East Director, who spoke about that yesterday: “It is
impossible to bring a humanitarian convoy in five
hours.” Agencies now have years of experience in that
area, and it can take a day simply to pass checkpoints,
even when the parties have agreed. The goods then
have to be offloaded.
If there has been no humanitarian access since the
adoption of resolution 2401 (2018) on Saturday, what
has happened in the past few days? More bombing,
fighting, death, destruction, maiming of women and
children, hunger and misery — in other words, more
of the same.
On 26 February, two days ago, airstrikes, barrel
bombs and artillery shelling were reported across
eastern Ghouta, including in Harasta, Shafuniyeh,
Otaya, Hosh Eldawahreh, Al-Ashari, Jobar, Beit Sawa,
Hazerma, Hannnura, Nashabiyeh, Sagba and Douma.
Reports indicate that at least 30 civilians, including
women and children, were killed. In Shafuniyeh, 14
people, including three women and four children, were
reportedly killed and many others injured by airstrikes.
Eighteen civilians, including drivers of ambulances,
women and children, were reportedly received at
health facilities in Shafuniyeh with difficulties
breathing, consistent with the use of chlorine. One
child reportedly died as a result. On the same day, two
workers from local non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) were reportedly killed as a result of shelling
on the besieged enclave. It was also reported that two
health-care facilities in Saqba were taken out of service
by airstrikes. In the past few days, shells have also
reportedly continued to fall on Damascus city from
eastern Ghouta.
Since 18 February, more than 580 people are now
reported to have been killed due to air and ground strikes
in eastern Ghouta, with many more than 1,000 people
injured. At the same time, hundreds of rockets fired
from eastern Ghouta into Damascus have reportedly
killed 15 people and injured more than 200.
I now want to update the Security Council on the
situation in other parts of the country.
28/02/2018 The situation in the Middle East S/PV.8195
18-05507 3/22
In Idlib, fighting continues to kill and injure
civilians, destroy civilian infrastructure and result
in large population movements. Since December, an
estimated 385,000 people have been displaced, with
many civilians moving north. Half of Idlib’s population
was already displaced. People are being forced to
move yet again, with each disruption increasing their
vulnerability. Civilians are concentrated in an ever-smaller
area. Many are forced to live in makeshift camps
or in the open air. Formal camps are overwhelmed,
operating at up to 400 per cent of their capacity. The
response is being stretched to its limits.
We are receiving reports of civilian deaths and
injuries and of restriction on the movement of many
civilians as a result of military operations in Afrin.
Those who risk moving continue to be stopped at exit
points by the local authorities in Afrin, preventing
them from accessing safer areas. We believe that, so
far, approximately 5,000 people have reached the
surrounding villages and Aleppo city. Tens of thousands
are believed to be displaced within Afrin. The Turkish
authorities have emphasized to us their willingness to
facilitate humanitarian access. We would like to see aid
convoys operated from Damascus. However, to date
that has not been agreed by the Syrian side.
In Raqqa city, conditions remain unsafe for the
return of internally displaced persons (IDPs). Among
those trying to return home, 637 people have been injured
and more than 125 killed by unexploded ordinance since
last October. Medical and other essential services are
absent and access for humanitarian workers to the city
remains precariously limited because the conditions are
so dangerous. As I have said before, demining activities
need to be accelerated as a matter of urgency.
Humanitarian access for the United Nations and
its implementing partners in Hasakah was limited for
much of January due to the increased restrictions placed
by the local authorities. United Nations convoys were
blocked from travelling to the northeast from elsewhere
within the country. The delivery of aid already in local
warehouses was also blocked. While an agreement
to resume humanitarian deliveries was reached on
30 January, that agreement will end in March. NGO
partners continue to deliver goods and services across
the north-east. However, sustainable access for the
United Nations is critical. Any protracted interruption
of humanitarian assistance and services in the IDP sites
may drive the displaced people back to areas where
they are not safe.
Earlier this month, the United Nations received
clearance for the first assessment visit to Deir ez-Zor
after it had been under the control of the Islamic State
in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) for three and a half years.
More than 100,000 people live in the town despite that
fact that it is estimated to be 80 per cent destroyed.
The infrastructure is almost completely destroyed,
particularly in the central and the eastern areas, where
ISIL was in control. In coordination with the Syrian
Arab Red Crescent, the United Nations has dispatched
78 trucks carrying food, health, nutrition, protection,
shelter, education, water and sanitation items since last
September, when ISIL was driven out.
Finally, we remain concerned about the tens of
thousands of people stranded in Rukban, in south-eastern
Syria. We continue to seek the necessary
agreements for convoys of life-saving assistance
to them.
As I said last week (see S/PV. 8186), there was a
severe reduction, of nearly 40 per cent, in cross-line
access to besieged and hard-to-reach areas in 2017
as compared to 2016. On average in 2017, over the
entire 12-month period, we reached 165,000 people a
month with cross-line convoys. That was completely
inadequate. So far this year, we have reached a total of
only 7,200 people through a single small convoy earlier
this month. In other words, we were reaching more than
50 times as many people in besieged and hard-to-reach
areas last year as to date this year. The main reason
for the reduction in the number of convoys has been
the consistent refusal by the Government of Syria to
provide the necessary approvals and facilitation letters
to support delivery.
As the Secretary-General’s report (S/2018/138)
details, while we continue to reach millions of people
in urgent need in areas controlled by the Government
of Syria and through the cross-border programmes
mandated in resolution 2393 (2017), assistance across
conflict lines to millions of people in hard-to-reach
and besieged areas has completely collapsed in recent
months. Unless that changes, we will soon see even
more people dying from starvation and disease than
from the bombing and shelling.
The United Nations remains focused on reaching
those most in need throughout the country, including
the 5.6 million people considered to be in acute need.
The needs-based approach means that the United
Nations will continue to seek to deliver aid and to
S/PV.8195 The situation in the Middle East 28/02/2018
4/22 18-05507
provide services to millions of people in a principled
manner regardless of where they are located. More than
half of those in need are in Government-controlled
areas. However, millions more people are not.
What the Syrian people need has been made
abundantly clear — protection, access to basic goods and
services, an end to sieges and respect for international
humanitarian law and international human rights law.
The Security Council has unanimously supported all
such needs in adopting resolution 2401 (2018).
I started today by answering questions that we have
received regarding resolution 2401 (2018). I would like
to end with a question for the Security Council. When
will the resolution be implemented?
The President (spoke in Arabic): I thank Mr. Lowcock
for his briefing.
I now give the floor to Mr. Feltman.
Mr. Feltman: I am grateful for this opportunity to
brief the Security Council following the comprehensive
briefing by Under-Secretary-General Mark Lowcock.
In two weeks, we will mark the beginning of the
eighth year of the Syrian conflict. There are no words
to express our frustration over the collective failure of
the international community to end this war, but that
frustration is nothing compared to the suffering and
destruction visited ceaselessly upon the Syrian people.
We are here again today because the brief respite
that the Council unanimously demanded only days
ago in resolution 2401 (2018) has not materialized, as
Mr. Lowcock just described. The air strikes, shelling
and ground offensives continue. There are even reports
of yet another chlorine gas attack. What we need is the
implementation of resolution 2401 (2018), and that is
not happening.
Nearly seven years since the peaceful protests in
Dar’a and the reaction that set in motion what would
eventually become all-out war, we are still grasping
for a political solution, which is the only way to end
the bloodletting. The Secretary-General has called
eastern Ghouta a hell on Earth. The United Nations will
continue to work with Syrians and the international
community to help bring about a durable political
solution. We will also continue to demand that all the
parties involved in the conflict respect international
humanitarian law — the rules of war — and protect
civilians. We will continue to demand the release of
those who have been arbitrarily detained and the end of
enforced disappearances. We will continue to forcefully
call for justice and accountability. Those responsible
for the catalogue of horrors that mark daily life in
Syria, including chemical and terrorist attacks, torture
and sexual violence, sieges and attacks on hospitals,
schools and other civilian infrastructure, must be held
accountable. Those outrages continue in large part
because the perpetrators have so far enjoyed impunity.
As the Secretary-General said earlier this week,
“Security Council resolutions are only meaningful
if they are effectively implemented”. The United
Nations acknowledges Russia’s announcement of a
daily five-hour pause for eastern Ghouta. In addition
to Mr. Lowcock’s briefing and what the International
Committee of the Red Cross has stated, we respectfully
remind all parties that resolution 2401 (2018) demands
the sustained delivery of humanitarian aid for a
minimum of 30 consecutive days. The Secretariat
and relevant agencies are united and pulling in one
direction towards the immediate and continuous
cessation of hostilities that can be sustained beyond 30
days for unimpeded aid delivery. We also urgently need
to get humanitarian aid and services in and the sick and
critically wounded evacuated from besieged eastern
Ghouta and other locations. We are ready to deliver.
The Secretary-General has repeatedly reminded
parties of their absolute obligation under international
humanitarian law and human rights law to protect
civilians and civilian infrastructure. Earlier this
month, Emergency Relief Coordinator Lowcock told
the Council (see S/PV.8186) in no uncertain terms that
that is an obligation, not a favour. He has just updated
us all on the humanitarian situation and provided an
update on the United Nations readiness to deliver aid
and services, and the tireless efforts of humanitarians
to reach all in need, wherever they are. But right now we
must address the particular needs of those in besieged
eastern Ghouta.
Resolution 2401 (2018) affirms that the cessation
of hostilities shall not apply to military operations
against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL),
Al Qaida, the Al-Nusra Front, and
“all other individuals, groups, undertakings and
entities associated with Al-Qaida or ISIL, and other
terrorist groups, as designated by the Security
Council”. (resolution 2401 (2018), para. 2).
In our view, that rightly maintains the parameters
set out in resolution 2254 (2015), but there must be
28/02/2018 The situation in the Middle East S/PV.8195
18-05507 5/22
a frank assessment of what that means in relation to
the humanitarian tragedy that we are witnessing in
eastern Ghouta.
First, we condemn all violations of international law
by all parties, including shelling from eastern Ghouta,
which has injured or killed civilians in Damascus.
The scale of the Government’s indiscriminate military
attacks against eastern Ghouta — an area with a
civilian population of 400,000 — cannot be justified
based on targeting Jabhat Al-Nusra fighters. Efforts to
combat terrorism do not supersede obligations under
international humanitarian law and human rights law.
Secondly, the United Nations has not seen any
confirmation by the Government of Syria of its
commitment to implement resolution 2401 (2018),
although at the resolution’s adoption Syria’s Permanent
Representative to the United Nations said,
“As a State, we bear a responsibility towards our
citizens and we have a sovereign right to counter
terrorism” (S/PV.8188, p. 12).
Thirdly, yesterday the Head of the Syrian
Negotiations Committee transmitted to the Secretary-
General a letter on behalf of the three major non-State
armed opposition groups — Jaysh Al-Islam, Faylaq
Al-Rahman and Ahrar Al-Sham — and civil groups in
eastern Ghouta regarding their full commitment to the
implementation of resolution 2401 (2018). Specifically,
they committed to ensuring the necessary environment
for United Nations humanitarian access as well as,
“to expel all elements of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham,
Jabhat Al-Nusra and Al-Qaida and all who belong
to these groups from eastern Ghouta”.
Fourthly, the United Nations has no independent
verified reports that those three non-State armed
opposition groups in eastern Ghouta created a
coordination centre, as has been alleged regarding
Jabhat Al-Nusra, nor has the United Nations seen any
public announcement by those groups of such a centre.
Jaysh Al-Islam has denied that claim. What the United
Nations can verify is that non-State armed opposition
groups in eastern Ghouta, over the past 24 hours,
have expressed their readiness in writing to evacuate
Jabhat Al-Nusra fighters. Previous negotiations on
that issue among those groups and key members of
the International Syrian Support Group humanitarian
task force in Geneva and Damascus have not resulted
in success.
Alleviating the tragic situation in eastern Ghouta
has the Council’s full attention. Yet we cannot forget
that resolution 2401 (2018) demands a cessation of
hostilities throughout Syria. Violence continues in
Afrin, Idlib and the eastern part of the country. Council
members have heard about the humanitarian challenges
and suffering of the people in those areas as well. I
would like to take this opportunity to emphasize that
developments in those areas will undoubtedly render
the situation in Syria even more complex. There will
be no sustainable solution if the Council’s resolutions
are not implemented. That will require that the parties
step back from the brink and fulfil their obligations to
end the fighting in Syria. All our efforts will be in vain
if there is no serious investment in a political solution.
As Council members are aware, resolution 2401
(2018) calls on all Member States to use their influence
with the parties to ensure the implementation of the
cessation of hostilities. The United Nations calls for
a renewed commitment by all concerned Member
States to work seriously to implement the cessation of
hostilities. The United Nations also cautions against
drawing the Organization into monitoring exercises.
That has been tried in the past without success — not
for lack of trying — but in the absence of political will
among Member States to underpin United Nations
efforts. Member States, especially those working
within the Astana and Amman arrangements, should
use their resources and clear influence over the parties
to ensure the implementation of a sustained cessation of
hostilities throughout Syria.
The conflict in Syria continues to threaten regional
and international stability because the warring parties
believe there is a military solution. There is not. The
United Nations remains convinced that a political
solution is the only way forward. Special Envoy
Staffan de Mistura is pressing forward on facilitating
the establishment of a constitutional committee in
Geneva, as part of the overall intra-Syrian political
process towards the full implementation of resolution
2254 (2015), for which the United Nations requires
the positive and constructive engagement of both
negotiating delegations. Special Envoy De Mistura will
need the full support of the Council and the international
community as a whole if the United Nations efforts
are to have a chance of reinvigorating a serious and
meaningful political process. I trust that he will have
that support.
S/PV.8195 The situation in the Middle East 28/02/2018
6/22 18-05507
The President (spoke in Arabic): I thank Mr. Feltman
for his briefing.
I shall now give the floor to those members of the
Council who wish to make statements.
Mr. Orrenius Skau (Sweden): I make my remarks
today on behalf of Sweden and Kuwait as co-penholders
for the humanitarian track of the Security Council’s
work on the situation in Syria.
I would like to thank Mr. Mark Lowcock once
again for a very sobering update. We share his sense
of urgency following the adoption of resolution 2401
(2018) last weekend to fully take advantage of the 30-
day pause so that the United Nations and its partners
can dispatch life-saving aid convoys and begin medical
evacuations. Since t
Security Council, 73rd Year: 8217th Meeting, Tuesday, 27 March 2018, New York
No full textLetter From The Representatives Of France, Kuwait, The Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Sweden, The United Kingdom Of Great Britain And Northern Ireland And The United States Of America To The United Nations Addressed To The President Of The Security CouncilUnited Nations S/PV.8217
Security Council
Seventy-third year
8217th meeting
Tuesday, 27 March 2018, 11.10 a.m.
New York
Provisional
President: Mr. Blok . (Netherlands)
Members: Bolivia (Plurinational State of). . Mr. Inchauste Jordán
China. . Mr. Wu Haitao
Côte d’Ivoire. . Mr. Dah
Equatorial Guinea. . Mr. Ndong Mba
Ethiopia. . Mr. Alemu
France. . Mr. Delattre
Kazakhstan. . Mr. Umarov
Kuwait. . Mr. Alotaibi
Peru. . Mr. Meza-Cuadra
Poland. . Ms. Wronecka
Russian Federation. . Mr. Nebenzia
Sweden . Mr. Orrenius Skau
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . Ms. Pierce
United States of America. . Mrs. Haley
Agenda
The situation in the Middle East
Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of Security Council
resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2258 (2015), 2332 (2016) and
2393 (2017) (S/2018/243)
This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of
speeches delivered in other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records
of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They
should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member
of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-0506
([email protected]). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official
Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org).
18-08569 (E)
*1808569*
S/PV.8217 The situation in the Middle East 27/03/2018
2/21 18-08569
The meeting was called to order at 11.10 a.m.
Adoption of the agenda
The agenda was adopted.
The situation in the Middle East
Report of the Secretary-General on the
implementation of Security Council resolutions
2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2258
(2015), 2332 (2016) and 2393 (2017) (S/2018/243)
The President: In accordance with rule 37 of
the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite
the representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to
participate in this meeting.
In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s
provisional rules of procedure, I invite Mr. Mark
Lowcock, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian
Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, to
participate in this meeting.
Mr. Lowcock is joining today’s meeting via video-teleconference
from Geneva.
The Security Council will now begin its
consideration of the item on its agenda.
I wish to draw the attention of the members of the
Council to document S/2018/243, which contains the
report of the Secretary-General on the implementation
of Security Council resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165
(2014), 2191 (2014), 2258 (2015), 2332 (2016) and 2393
(2017).
Recalling the latest note by the President of the
Security Council on its working methods (S/2017/507),
I want to encourage all participants, both members and
non-members of the Council, to deliver their statements
in five minutes or less. Note 507 also encourages
briefers to be succinct and focus on key issues. Briefers
are further encouraged to limit initial remarks to 15
minutes or less.
I now give the floor to Mr. Lowcock.
Mr. Lowcock: As all members of the Council
know, the Syrian conflict has now entered its eighth
year. When weapons speak, civilians pay the price — a
relentless price with horrific violence, bloodshed and
unspeakable suffering. The past few months have been
some of the worst yet for many civilians in Syria.
Today I want to start with the situation in eastern
Ghouta. Since the adoption of resolution 2401 (2018)
on 24 February, military operations in eastern Ghouta,
in particular air strikes, have reportedly killed
more than 1,700 people. Thousands more have been
injured. Attacks on critical civilian infrastructure,
such as medical facilities, continue to be reported.
There have been at least 28 reported attacks on health
facilities since mid-February and more than 70 verified
incidents since the beginning of the year. The World
Health Organization has reported that attacks on health
facilities, health workers and health infrastructure were
recorded during the first two months of the year at three
times the rate that we saw during 2017.
In recent weeks in Damascus city, at least 78 people
were reportedly killed and another 230 injured by shells
fired from eastern Ghouta. That includes reports of at
least 35 people killed and scores wounded on 20 March,
when Kashkul market in Jaramana, a suburb in the
south-eastern part of the city, was struck by a rocket.
Tens of thousands of civilians have been displaced from
Douma, Harasta, Sagba and Kafr Batna in recent days
and weeks. So far, reports indicate that some 80,000
civilians have been taken to places in Damascus city
and rural Damascus. Nearly 20,000 combatants and
civilians have been transported to locations in north-western
Syria.
Nearly 52,000 civilians from eastern Ghouta are
currently being hosted in eight collective shelters
in rural Damascus. That displaced population has
endured months of limited access to food, medical care
and other essential items. In the words of the United
Nations Humanitarian Coordinator, Ali Al-Za’tari, who
met and spoke to some of them, those people are “tired,
hungry, traumatized and afraid”. Most of the collective
shelters do not have the capacity or infrastructure to
accommodate such large numbers of people. They
are extremely overcrowded and severely lacking in
basic water, sanitation and hygiene facilities. There
are a number of serious protection concerns related to
risks of gender-based violence, unaccompanied and
separated children and restrictions on movement. The
United Nations is not in charge of the management
of those shelters. However, since 13 March, together
with humanitarian partners, we have mobilized a rapid
response to provide evacuees with basic support in
close coordination with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent
and other local partners. So far, more than 130,000
non-food items have been distributed, 130 emergency
27/03/2018 The situation in the Middle East S/PV.8217
18-08569 3/21
toilets have been installed, and water trucking services
have been provided to most shelters. In addition,
supplies to feed more than 50,000 people and a total of
38 mobile health teams and 18 mobile medical teams
are currently providing support to those in need inside
the shelters.
Humanitarian organizations also need access to the
people still trapped within eastern Ghouta, in particular
in Douma, where fighting and siege continue. The
United Nations and its partners are ready to proceed
to Douma with food for up to 16,500 people, as well
as health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene
supplies, but facilitation letters need to be signed by the
Government of Syria.
I reiterate the Secretary-General’s call on all
parties to fully respect international humanitarian law
and human rights law in order to ensure immediate
humanitarian access and guarantee the protection of
civilians, including in relation to displacements and
evacuations. The United Nations and its partners require
unimpeded access to all those affected by the situation
in eastern Ghouta. That means access to the areas
where civilians remain, through which they transit and
to which they exit, such as collective shelters, in order
to ensure that effective protection mechanisms are in
place so that we can deter any possible violations and
provide remedial protection support.
Eastern Ghouta is not the only place in which
humanitarian needs continue to increase. In north-western
Syria, in recent weeks, an estimated 183,500
people have been displaced by hostilities in Afrin district
in Aleppo governorate. The majority — some 140,000
people — have fled to Tell Rifaat and the remainder
have gone to Nubl, Al-Zahraa, Manbij, Hasakah and
surrounding areas. That massive influx of internally
displaced persons (IDPs) is putting a strain on host
communities, which are already overwhelmed.
Two days ago, on 25 March, an inter-agency convoy
to Tell Rifaat delivered assistance for some 50,000
people. However, overall, humanitarian partners are
still struggling to gain sustainable access to the area.
Moreover, access to Aleppo city for IDPs from Afrin
district is currently restricted. Of particular concern
are medical evacuations that are urgently required
for severely sick people to receive care in specialized
hospitals in Aleppo city. Four deaths due to the lack of
proper health care have already been reported.
Between 50,000 and 70,000 people are estimated
still to be in Afrin city. Humanitarian access to the
city and its outer perimeters is possible through cross-border
operations mandated by the Council. Today,
the Government of Turkey told us that it is positively
disposed towards such access, and we plan to run
convoys in the very near future. We know that needs
are very substantial.
In Idlib governorate, the situation remains
catastrophic, with almost 400,000 people displaced
since mid-December. Local capacity to assist is
overstretched. Thousands more people are now arriving
there from eastern Ghouta, with no sites or shelters
available for the vast majority of them. We have
received reports of an increase in violence in Idlib in
recent days. According to local sources, on 20 March
air strikes hit an IDP shelter on the outskirts of Haas
village in southern rural Idlib governorate, reportedly
killing at least 10 displaced people and injuring another
15. On 21 March, air strikes on Kafr Battikh village,
also in southern rural Idlib governorate, reportedly
killed scores more. The next day, the central market in
Harim town was hit by an air strike, reportedly killing
35 people, including many women and children. On
12 March, air strikes also resumed in southern Syria,
with attacks being reported in and around Dar’a city.
There have been no air strikes in those areas since an
agreement was reached last year on the establishment
of a de-escalation zone for parts of the south of
the country. That therefore appears to be a major
unwelcome development.
Let me turn to Raqqa. On 19 March, we
received approval from the Syrian authorities for
an assessment mission to Raqqa city by the United
Nations Mine Action Service, the United Nations
Department of Safety and Security, the Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World
Health Organization. As Council members know, we
have been seeking agreement to that for some time.
That was on 19 March.
Three days later, on 22 March, the United Nations
Department of Safety and Security deployed a team to
conduct a security assessment. They report that while
the city is considered calm and stable, considerable risk
remains. Raqqa city is still highly contaminated with
landmines, unexploded ordnances, explosive remnants
of war and improvised explosive devices. We hope that
access to Raqqa city will be possible for humanitarian
aid deliveries via Qamishli, Manbij, Aleppo, Hamah
S/PV.8217 The situation in the Middle East 27/03/2018
4/21 18-08569
and Homs, depending on operational and logistical
arrangements. The United Nations and our partners
are now preparing a humanitarian assessment mission,
which is likely to take place next week.
Next I shall address Rukban, on the Syria-Jordan
border. United Nations partners received permission
from the Syrian authorities on 8 March to organize a
humanitarian convoy from Damascus to reach people
in need along the Syria-Jordan border. Last week, on
19 March, the United Nations itself received permission
to join that humanitarian mission. Preparations are
ongoing, and a first humanitarian convoy is expected
to deploy soon. As the Council knows, we have been
seeking approval for that for many months.
As we sit here today, almost at the end of the month,
we have reached some 137,000 people in need through
inter-agency convoys — that is, cross-line convoys
sent to hard-to-reach and besieged areas — to Tell
Rifaat, Al-Dar al-Kabirah and Douma. That is limited,
incremental progress, compared to the first part of the
year, thanks to the extraordinary efforts of the team on
the ground and some of those around this table. But
we are essentially just given crumbs — an occasional
convoy here and there, often, coincidentally, shortly
before our monthly briefings to the Council.
A total of 5.6 million Syrians in acute need cannot
live on crumbs, and with a quarter of the year gone,
our level of access is currently far worse than it was
this time last year. We need the support of all Council
members and members of the International Syria
Support Group humanitarian task force to do their part
to exert their individual and collective influence over
the parties.
A few days ago, the Government of Syria and
others asked for more United Nations help with
humanitarian aid in eastern Ghouta. In response, we
have, first, proposed that a team of United Nations
emergency response experts be deployed to strengthen
efforts on the ground. Visa requests for the team have
been submitted. Secondly, we have confirmed a new
allocation of $20 million from the Syria Humanitarian
Fund, which is managed by my Office, for eastern
Ghouta and those displaced from Afrin to provide
shelter materials, improve sanitation for displaced
people, ensure that safe water is available, provide
life-saving medicines and medical services and put
in place measures to enhance protection in relocation
sites.
The United Nations and its partners, on average,
reach 7.5 million people every month with life-saving
humanitarian assistance across the whole of Syria.
Clearly, without that assistance, the situation would be
even more catastrophic than it is now and the loss of life
even greater. The United Nations has no money of its
own to do those things. We can do them only because
we receive voluntary contributions from our donors. I
want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who
has supported our appeal over the last year, including
our top donors: the United States, Germany, the United
Kingdom, the European Union, Norway, Canada, Japan,
Denmark, Sweden, Qatar, Kuwait and the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia.
Resolution 2401 (2018) was adopted just over
a month ago. I ask all in the Council to make the
resolution a reality. Whatever the difficulty, the United
Nations and its partners remain determined to follow
through, for the sake of the Syrian people.
The President: I thank Mr. Lowcock for his briefing.
I shall now make a statement in my capacity as
the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands.
Recently, a Dutch photographer working with
Save the Children published a photo album featuring
48 Syrian children, all seven years old. Those photos
were school portraits, like we all had taken when we
were young. The children were born in Syria, but they
had to flee. They are as old as the Syrian war, so they
have never seen their country at peace. Their memories
of their homeland are fading. Sometimes they cannot
remember their country at all, nor their family members
left behind. But by giving those young children a public
face, the photographer has tried to restore some of the
dignity sacrificed to a war in which all humanity seems
lost. I have here a photo of Nour.
Those children were relatively lucky; they were
able to escape. At the same time, inside Syria, during
seven years of war, thousands of children have been
killed. I myself am a father, and I am certainly not
the only parent in this Chamber. Images of children
affected by war should leave no one unmoved. Despite
any differences between us, we should at least have one
thing in common: the belief that protecting children
should come first. Yet, such protection is lacking.
The Syrian crisis is, above all, a protection crisis — a
grave violation of the long-established norm to protect
civilians and their belongings in the time of war.
27/03/2018 The situation in the Middle East S/PV.8217
18-08569 5/21
Together, we — the international community — have
expressed our determination to prevent conflict and
save succeeding generations from the scourge of war.
And where conflict cannot be prevented, we have
agreed to regulate the conduct of warfare. One of the
very first steps to that end was taken in Russia, almost
150 years ago. In Saint Petersburg, it was decided to
forbid weapons that cause unnecessary suffering. Since
those first steps, the body of international humanitarian
law has grown considerably, including through the
adoption of the Hague and Geneva Conventions. The
imperative of those laws has always been to protect
civilians in conflict, to spare them from disaster, save
them from harm and respect their dignity.
Sadly, what we see in Syria today is the exact
opposite. Every day, many are showing total disregard
for civilians.
In eastern Ghouta, the Syrian regime and its allies,
including Russia, have trapped hundreds of thousands of
civilians and are relentlessly continuing their offensive.
The United Nations has reported air strikes on densely
populated areas, blatant attacks targeting hospitals and
medical personnel, the use of starvation as a weapon of
war and the use of chemical weapons. Many innocent
children, women and men are suffering. They should
be protected. Yet instead, families are seeing their
homes destroyed, their loved ones killed and their
dignity shattered. In Afrin, the effects of the Turkey-led
offensive are clear for all to see: a worsening of the
already precarious humanitarian situation, with more
than 160,000 displaced people and a further obstacle to
efforts to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham
(ISIS). I ask Turkey not to extend its military activities
to other border regions in Syria or Iraq.
Four weeks ago, the Council adopted resolution 2401
(2018). It is telling that in 2018, the Council should need
to spell out that warring parties should immediately lift
all sieges in Syria and grant unimpeded humanitarian
access to those in acute need. Those are by no means
exceptional demands. They are basic obligations under
international humanitarian law, developed over decades
to instil minimum standards of human decency in
warfare. Not even the presence of terrorists is an excuse
for disregarding those standards. It is humiliating
that the Council is unable to enforce those minimum
standards. If the Council is not willing or able to do it,
who is? With all that in mind, we should not forget that
the responsibility, and indeed the obligation, to execute
the Council’s decisions lies with individual Member
States. So what should be done?
First, we should reaffirm these norms and enforce
the relevant resolutions. We call on all parties to the
Syrian conflict — including the Syrian regime, Russia,
Iran, Turkey and armed opposition groups — to respect
and implement the Council’s decisions. Secondly, we
must strengthen resolution 2401 (2018), with United
Nations monitoring of the implementation of the
ceasefire and with full access for fact-finding missions
to sites and collective shelters housing internally
displaced persons. These missions are ready to go; we
need their impartial information. Thirdly, with regard to
accountability, if there is to be any credible, stable and
lasting peace in Syria, the current culture of impunity
must end. All those guilty of crimes must be brought
to justice. The perpetrators of crimes, including ISIS
and Al-Qaida, must know that they are being watched,
followed and identified. They must know that files are
being compiled with a view to prosecuting them for
crimes that may include genocide. They must know that
one day they will be held accountable.
We urge all States to increase their support for the
International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism
to Assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of
Persons Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes
under International Law Committed in the Syrian Arab
Republic since March 2011, which aims to ensure that
information about serious crimes is collected, analysed
and preserved for future prosecutions. The Netherlands
again calls on all Council members to support referring
the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court.
What will become of the children in the photographs
I mentioned? Will they one day be able to return to
Syria? Like all children, they long for a normal life,
for stability, for safety. The Syrian regime believes in a
military solution. But there is none. There are no winners
in this war. But it is clear who is losing — the ordinary
people of Syria. In these most extreme circumstances
we commend the incredible courage and perseverance
of the humanitarian aid workers.
It is up to us to restore credibility to the Council.
It is up to us to ensure a negotiated political process,
in which all Syrians and other relevant actors are
represented. And it is up to us to end the agony and
restore dignity and humanity to the people of Syria.
I now resume my functions as President of
the Council.
S/PV.8217 The situation in the Middle East 27/03/2018
6/21 18-08569
I give the floor to those members of the Council
who wish to make statements.
Mr. Alotaibi (Kuwait) (spoke in Arabic): We
welcome you, Sir, in presiding over this important
meeting. I am delivering this statement on behalf
of Kuwait and Sweden. At the outset, I would like to
thank the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian
Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Mark
Lowcock, for his briefing.
Today I will address three main areas: first, the
status of the implementation of resolution 2401 (2018);
secondly, measures needed to improve the humanitarian
situation; and thirdly, the responsibility of the parties to
impleme
Unsg-security Councilidentical Letters, 10 May 2018, From Israel Addressed To The Secretary-general And The President Of The Security Council Remarks
No full textUnsg-security Councilidentical Letters, 10 May 2018, From Israel Addressed To The Secretary-general And The President Of The Security Council Remark
Joint Statement By Iran, Russia, Turkey On The International Meeting On Syria In Astana
No full textJoint Statement By Iran, Russia, Turkey On The International Meeting On Syria In Astan
Uk Statement To The Opcw On The Use Of Chemical Weapons In Douma, Syria
No full textUk Statement To The Opcw On The Use Of Chemical Weapons In Douma, Syri
Statement By Mr. Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, Chair Of The Independent International Commission Of Inquiry On The Syrian Arab Republic At The 37th Session Of The Human Rights Council
No full textStatement By Mr. Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, Chair Of The Independent International Commission Of Inquiry On The Syrian Arab Republic At The 37th Session Of The Human Rights Counci
Report Of The Independent International Commission Of Inquiry On The Syrian Arab Republic
No full textReport Of The Independent International Commission Of Inquiry On The Syrian Arab Republi
United Nations Security Council, Letter dated 16 March 2018 from the representatives of France, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council
No full textLetter from the representatives of France, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Counci