The UN Security Council on Wednesday unanimously adopted a resolution, extending for another year the cross-border delivery of humanitarian assistance to Syrians in urgent need.
In the resolution, the Council expressed grave distress at the continued deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the war- torn country and the fact that now more than 12.2 million people in Syria require urgent humanitarian assistance, including medical assistance.
The resolution extended until Jan. 10, 2016 the authorization which allows the UN and its implementing partners to deliver humanitarian assistance across borders and conflict lines and similarly extended the monitoring mechanism that ensures the humanitarian nature of such aid convoys.
The 15-nation body further reaffirmed its decision in resolution 2165 (2014) that all Syrian parties to the conflict " shall enable the immediate and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance directly to people throughout Syria," on the basis of United Nations assessments of need and devoid of any political prejudices and aims, including by immediately removing all impediments to the provision of humanitarian assistance.
In addition, the Council also expressed its grave concern regarding ISIL's (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) and Al- Nusra's control of areas in Syria and the humanitarian impact of their violent extremist ideology and actions on stability in Syria and the region.
Adopted in July, Resolution 2165 authorizes cross-border and cross-line humanitarian access and the monitoring mechanism for 180 days, aiming at increasing access to people most in need.
It has helped the UN to overcome some of the challenges faced, by permitting direct delivery to hundreds of thousands of people, complementing the considerable cross-border deliveries conducted by non-governmental organizations.
The conflict in Syria, which began in March 2011, has led to well over 150,000 deaths, and more than 680,000 people have been injured. It has also spawned a refugee crisis in which some 2.5 million people are being sheltered in neighboring countries.