The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Vital Idlib aid deliveries resume after ‘heavy bombing’ - WFP
Urgently-needed aid deliveries have started again to embattled civilians in north-west Syria after a day-long break in distributions caused by escalating hostilities, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
“WFP lorries have resumed their distribution work after a 24-hour pause,” WFP spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs told journalists in Geneva. “This shows the difficulties that WFP and its humanitarian partners are facing in the field to help people, a lot of whom have been displaced many times.”
The development comes after what the agency called the “heavy bombardment” of Idlib, the last opposition-held enclave in Syria. It is also home to nearly three million civilians.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 370 civilians have been killed there since 1 December, with 49 deaths recorded between 1 and 5 February alone in areas controlled by non-Government groups.
Amid the ongoing hostilities, which follow almost nine years of war in Syria, UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has appealed for a lasting ceasefire, his spokesperson said.
“He continues to appeal for an end of the hostilities, noting that it’s imperative to de-escalate the situation in the north-west,” said spokesperson Jenifer Fenton. “He again continues to say that there is an urgent need for a sustained ceasefire and immediate, unfettered humanitarian access to the civilian population…He continues to engage with all concerned parties to try to de-escalate the situation and call for the protection of civilians.”
Asked about the possible reconvening of the Syrian Constitutional Committee at the UN in Geneva, Ms. Fenton said that he had been working to “renew progress” in the political process. “There is a need to build trust and confidence which can contribute to opening the door to a broader political process,” she maintained.
In a briefing to the Security Council last week, Mr. Pedersen noted that Syrian Government forces launched a ground offensive in the area following the dissolution of a 12 January ceasefire agreement between Turkey and the Russian Federation.
He also described attacks by various UN-designated terrorist groups during the same period, as well as direct clashes between Turkish and Syrian Government forces
At the same briefing to the Council, Mark Lowcock, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, described a “humanitarian catastrophe” in Syria linked to air and ground strikes, massive waves of displacement and a major loss of life.
“We have seen chaotic pictures in town after town as vehicles line up in every direction trying to flee,” he said. “People who have just moved cannot find adequate shelter. Tens of thousands are crammed into schools, mosques and unfinished buildings. Many are in tents in the mud, exposed to wind, rain and freezing weather.”
According to Mr. Lowcock, more than 1,220 aid trucks went through the Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salam border crossings between Syria and Turkey in January.
People in the city of Atareb – some 30 kilometres from the former opposition bastion of Aleppo city -
have suffered in particular from the latest uptick in violence, WFP’s Ms. Byrs said.
“Heavy bombardment in the city of Atareb over the past couple of days spurred significant population displacement. So far, airstrikes and armed clashes in north-west Syria have displaced over 800,000 people since December 2019.”
Amid harsh winter conditions and sub-zero temperatures, humanitarians have repeatedly urged the warring parties to respect international humanitarian law, in particular by safeguarding civilians, hospitals and other public infrastructure.
“I can just say that their situation is really dramatic,” Ms. Byrs said. “You can imagine with those freezing temperatures, the situation for families, for those mothers who try to feed their children, and the children have to walk and be on the move all the time.”
- Exterior shot, Palais des Nations flag alley, sunny, breezy.
- Medium shot, journalists in foreground (seated), podium speakers to rear of shot.
- Close-up, journalists, semi-profile.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Elisabeth Byrs, spokesperson, World Food Programme (WFP): “The United Nations World Food Programme continues to provide emergency food assistance to people in desperate need in north-west Syria despite escalating hostilities.”
- Close up, journalist in foreground, other journalists to rear of shot.
- SOUNDBITE (French) — Elisabeth Byrs, porte-parole, le Programme alimentaire mondial des Nations Unies (PAM) : « Les camions du Programme alimentaire mondial ont repris les distributions après une interruption de 24 heures. Ce qui montre les difficultés du Programme alimentaire mondiale et de ses partenaires humanitaires sur le terrain pour aider ces personnes qui ont été pour beaucoup déplacés plusieurs fois. »
- Medium shot, hands typing on laptop, podium speakers to rear.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Elisabeth Byrs, spokesperson, World Food Programme (WFP): “Heavy bombardment in the city of Atareb over the past couple of days spurred significant population displacement. So far, airstrikes and armed clashes in north-west Syria have displaced over 800,000 people since December 2019.”
- Medium shot, journalists.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Elisabeth Byrs, spokesperson, World Food Programme (WFP): “I can just say that their situation is really dramatic. You can imagine with those freezing temperatures, the situation for families, for those mothers who try to feed their children, and the children have to walk and be on the move all the time.”
- Wide shot, journalists, TV camera crews.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Jenifer Fenton, spokesperson for the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Syria: “He continues to appeal for an end of the hostilities, noting that it’s imperative to de-escalate the situation in the north-west. He again continues to say that there is an urgent need for a sustained ceasefire and immediate, unfettered humanitarian access to the civilian population.”
- Close up, several pairs of hands typing on laptops, profile.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Jenifer Fenton, spokesperson for the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Syria: “He continues to engage with all concerned parties to try to de-escalate the situation and call for the protection of civilians.”
- Close up, journalists in front and rear of shot.
- Medium shot, journalist looking down at laptop.
- Medium shot, journalist looking out of shot.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | WMO , WHO
LA wildfires: Climate change made the disaster worse says WMO
The powerful dry winds and tinderbox conditions that have been fuelling the continuing Los Angeles wildfire tragedy have been made worse by climate change, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif on Wednesday updated the Human Rights Council on the human rights situation in Ukraine, outlining the findings of OHCHR’s latest periodic report covering 1st September to 30th November 2024.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
“We are deeply troubled by the marked increase in executions in Iran last year. At least 901 people were reportedly executed in 2024, including some 40 in one week alone in December. At least 853 people were executed in 2023,” Liz Throssell, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the UN bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Avian flu risk still ‘low’ after first US patient dies – WHO
A day after the United States reported its first human death from avian flu, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) insisted that the risk to the general population remains “low”.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The appointment on Thursday of Karla Quintana as head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic is a key development after nearly a year and a half of work by the UN Human Rights Office supporting the institution’s launch.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , UNICEF , UNRWA , WHO
The head of the UN migration agency stressed on Friday that Syria is in no position to take back millions of Syrians following the fall of the Assad regime, while there is an urgent need to “re-evaluate” sanctions impacting the war-ravaged country.
1
1
1
Edited News | IIIM , UNHCR
Syria: ‘Key priority’ is to preserve evidence of crimes – UN investigators
In Syria, new access to evidence of horrific human rights violations means that accountability may be closer than ever – if only proof can be preserved, a top UN investigator said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OSE , ICRC , UNHCR
Syria: UN and partners urge action to preserve evidence of prison atrocities, stabilize country
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria five days ago, hundreds of people have rushed to Saydnaya prison, desperate to find loved ones. Disturbing images from the prison and other detention centers have since surfaced, exposing the “unimaginable barbarity Syrians have endured for years,” said Jenifer Fenton, spokesperson for the UN special envoy for Syria, on Friday.
1
1
2
Edited News | UNRWA
Gaza: “Sickening normalisation” of suffering, amid attacks on people and aid convoys
Ongoing military operations by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in Gaza continue to devastate Palestinian children and families, with mounting casualties and a critical lack of humanitarian aid for the desperate population.
“Local media reporting here that last night, 30 people were killed in this area in strikes” said a senior emergency officer with the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Louise Wateridge, speaking to reporters in Geneva from central Gaza.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | OHCHR
Rights experts call for end to impunity for Israel’s violations of international law
Four independent human rights experts have jointly called for the international community to sanction Israel’s conduct of hostilities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as well as in the wider Middle East region - including in Syria, Lebanon and Iran. They also called for the restoration of trust in the international justice system through the abandonment of “extreme interpretations” and “double standards” in the application of the universal norms regulating the conduct of war.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNHCR
Syria: needs continue to grow amid highly uncertain situation, say aid teams
The historic power shift in Syria and the still volatile situation two days after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime have increased humanitarian needs in a country where nearly 17 million people, including millions of internally displaced, already depended on humanitarian aid before the recent events, UN aid teams said on Tuesday.
2
1
3
Edited News , Press Conferences | OSES
Barely 48 hours since opposition forces including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) swept into Damascus and forced out President Bashar al-Assad, the top UN negotiator tasked with helping Syrians’ create a peaceful and democratic future insisted that nothing could be taken for granted.