UNSC confirms re-authorisation of cross-border aid delivery to Syria

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council (UNSC) has adopted a resolution to confirm the re-authorisation of cross-border aid deliveries into Syria for another six months till July 10.

Resolution 2672 confirms Resolution 2642 of July 2022, which decides to extend the authorization for aid deliveries through the crossing at Bab al-Hawa on the border with Turkey for six months till January 10, 2023, and decides that a further extension of an additional six months will require a separate Security Council resolution, reports Xinhua news agency.

Resolution 2672, which won the unanimous support of the 15-member Council, requests the UN Secretary-General to provide a special report on the humanitarian needs in Syria no later than June 10.

It also requests the Secretary-General to brief the UNSC monthly and to provide a report on a regular basis, at least every 60 days, on the implementation of relevant Council resolutions, including Resolution 2672, and on compliance by all relevant parties in Syria.

It further requests the secretary-general to include in his reports overall trends in unhindered and safe UN cross-line operations and on early-recovery projects and detailed information on the humanitarian assistance delivered through UN humanitarian cross-border operations, including their transparency, the distribution mechanism, the number of beneficiaries, operating partners, locations of aid deliveries at district-level and the volume and nature of items delivered.

The cross-border mechanism remains essential as cross-line operations, which deliver aid within the war-torn nation across front lines between Syrian government-controlled areas and areas outside, demand a whole different level of logistical support, said a UN spokesman on Friday.

Resolution 2672 calls on all UN member states to respond with practical steps to address the urgent needs of the Syrian people, and welcomes ongoing efforts and encourages further initiatives to broaden the humanitarian activities in the country.

The resolution encourages the convening of a Security Council Informal Interactive Dialogue every two months with the participation of donors, interested regional parties and representatives of the international humanitarian agencies operating in Syria, in order to regularly review and follow up on the implementation of Resolution 2672, including progress in early-recovery projects.

Welcoming the development, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged the Security Council members and others to continue supporting humanitarian partners' efforts to deliver assistance to those who need it throughout Syria".