The protracted crisis in Syria and the region has led to immense human suffering. More than 200,000 people have lost their lives, and there are now over 12 million people in need of life-saving support within Syria. Due to the violence and the lack of access to aid, 3.8 million people have left Syria for neighbouring countries.
I am very concerned by reports of the suffering of the remaining population of the Yarmouk camp on the outskirts of Damascus. I condemn the attack on the camp by ISIS and the use of so-call barrel-bombs against the camp by regime forces. I call on all parties to cease armed activity in this camp, which is home to thousands of already-displaced Palestinians. There are approximately 18,000 civilians remaining in Yarmouk camp, 3,500 of them children. Most of the 200,000 people who used to live there have fled in the last three years, largely due to the prolonged siege of the camp by Assad regime forces. Ireland calls on all parties to provide unhindered humanitarian access to those in need, both in Yarmouk and elsewhere in Syria.
One of the most difficult features of the Syria conflict is that many of those who are most in need are beyond the reach of humanitarian aid, or are able to receive it only sporadically. Insecurity and bureaucratic restrictions have hampered aid delivery both in areas controlled by the Syrian Government and in opposition-held areas. The deliberate targeting of humanitarian workers by ISIS makes it particularly difficult to reach those in areas it controls. Ireland has consistently advocated for safe and unimpeded humanitarian access and respect by all parties for International Humanitarian Law.
Ireland is one of the most generous international contributors to the humanitarian response on a per capita basis and has provided over €32 million in humanitarian support to Syria since 2011, through UN partners and NGOs. At the UN Pledging Conference for Syria, which took place in Kuwait on 31 March, Ireland announced a pledge of €12 million for 2015. This is in addition to our core funding to many of the organisations which are responding to the crisis, including UN agencies and the Red Cross. In addition, several members of Ireland’s Rapid Response Corps have served with UN agencies working on the Syria response.
My colleague, Minister of State Sherlock specifically raised Ireland’s concerns about Yarmouk with the Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) when they met on 31 March at Syria Pledging Conference. The lack of consistent access to the camp for UNRWA in recent months was already a serious matter of humanitarian concern, even before the current attack. Irish Aid provides core funding of €4 million to UNRWA annually, with €1m of this earmarked for UNRWA’s activities in Lebanon. In 2014, in recognition of the impact of the Syria refugee crisis, Ireland provided an additional €1 million to UNRWA for its emergency work in Lebanon.
While the immediate imperative is to respond to the escalating humanitarian needs on the ground, humanitarian assistance will not provide a lasting solution to this crisis. Ultimately, what the people of Syria need is an end to the conflict and the prospect of a peaceful future. It is therefore vital that we persevere with international efforts to find a sustainable political solution to the crisis in Syria and the wider region.
