The discussion was held online on March 29 (Photo: VNA) According to Mark Lowcock, Under-Secretary-General forHumanitarian Affairs, after a “decade of death, destruction, displacement,disease, dread and despair”, there is still no respite in sight for ordinarySyrians. Some 13.4 million people across the country continue to requirehumanitarian aid, 20 percent more than in 2020.
The deep economic decay from a decade of war has deepenedover the last year, not least as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of the United NationsChildren’s Fund (UNICEF), said 2021 marks 10 years since thestart of the Syrian crisis, “an anniversary no one wanted to see”. Homes,hospitals, schools and water systems have been destroyed, and economic crisishas plunged 90 percent of the population into poverty, millions areinternally displaced or have fled the country and humanitarian law continues tobe flouted with impunity.
Emphasising that nearly 90 percent of children acrossSyria require humanitarian assistance and that 3.2 million young peoplethere and in neighbouring countries are out of school, she warned that they arealso vulnerable to violence, exploitation, early marriage, child labour orrecruitment into armed groups.
Members of the council showed deep concern about thehumanitarian situation in Syria and underlined the need to increase support tolocals, especially amid serious economic crisis and the urgent need for medicalsupplies and COVID-19 vaccines. They called for stronger diplomatic support toseek political solutions in the country.
Addressing the event, Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, head of theVietnamese Mission to the UN, showed his concern about the situation in Syriaafter a decade of conflicts, especially difficulties facing women, children andother vulnerable groups.
He called on all parties involved to strengthen cooperationto avoid the interruption of humanitarian aid, while calling on theinternational community to join hands to ensure highest efficiency ofhumanitarian activities.
He stressed the significance of a long-term politicalsolution to the Syrian crisis to completely end the current situation./.
VNA
