Amnesty International: The UN Security Council must avert catastrophe in Syria

ARK News… Amnesty International said that the UN Security Council must avoid a catastrophe in Syria and renew the mandate of the United Nations cross-border mechanism before its expiration on July 10 for at least one year, noting that "Russian politicization of the UN mechanism has narrowed the temporal and geographical scope, and undermined delivery of life-saving aid.

In a statement, the organization clarified that the one-year extension is "to ensure a sustainable humanitarian relief operation," adding that the cross-border mechanism "is the only way that allows the delivery of United Nations aid from Turkey to northwestern Syria, which is a lifeline for four million people who depend on it for access." on food, water, housing and health services.

The human rights organization quoted aid workers as saying that ending the UN cross-border mechanism "will have a devastating impact on civilians who are already facing severe difficulties in obtaining basic services, which were exacerbated by the earthquakes that struck the region last February."
Aya Majzoub, Deputy Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program at the organization, stated, “The cynical Russian politicization of the cross-border mechanism has led to a narrowing of the temporal and geographical scope of the decision to allow the use of only one border crossing since 2020, which undermines the delivery of life-saving aid at a time when the impact of the last decision".

Majzoub stressed, "The members of the Security Council must reject the politicization of humanitarian aid, focus on critical humanitarian needs on the ground, and expedite the renewal of the mechanism for a period of no less than 12 months to ensure that aid operations are not disrupted, and that civilians receive life-saving relief."

She pointed out that "if the Security Council fails to renew the mechanism by July 10, the General Assembly should stress the necessity of providing humanitarian aid across the borders," stressing that "it is legal even without a Security Council resolution or the approval of the Syrian regime."

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