Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 July 2021
258. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in north-west Syria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35983/21]
View answerAs the civil war in Syria enters its eleventh year, humanitarian needs remain extremely high. Across Syria, 13.4 million people need humanitarian assistance including more than 3 million people in the North West of the country. In the north-west, the number of people in need increased by over 20 percent in 2021.
On the Security Council, Ireland acts with Norway as ‘co-penholder’ on the Syria Humanitarian file. In this role, we have strongly advocated for humanitarian aid to be able to reach all people in need. We are undertaking extensive engagement with all relevant parties, including Council Members, countries in the region, the UN system and civil society.
Since 2014, the UN Security Council has recognised through successive Resolutions the importance of ensuring humanitarian access in Syria including, where necessary, across borders through UN mandated crossing points.
In July 2020, the Security Council extended the mandate for the UN to use the border crossing at Bab al-Hawa, between Turkey and North West Syria, for the delivery of humanitarian aid for a period of twelve months. I visited Bab al-Hawa in January, and saw first-hand the scale of the operation, as well as the professionalism and transparency of the procedures in place.
As we move towards the date of expiry of the current mandate on 10 July, it is clear that it would not be possible to meet the extensive humanitarian needs in Syria without the renewal of this mandate. Ireland has set out clearly to the Security Council our position that the mandate for the cross border operation should be renewed for as long as is necessary.
