The U.N Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, alongside other officials, presented their desire to extend Resolution 2533 as soon as possible. This mandate has worked to actively enable a clear supply channel of food and resources to Syria for the last 12 months. Each month more than 1,000 trucks cross the border from Turkey into Syria with the mission of delivering food, tents, sanitary supplies, and water to the most impoverished communities affected by the ongoing Syrian conflict.
This resolution is set to expire on July 10th, and it seems that U.N officials have been unable to come together in reaching a consensus to extend it for another year. In a virtual meeting, Guterres warned about the disastrous consequences if the resolution failed to be extended. Without it, it would leave more than 70% of Syrians without food, water, and medical supplies. The facts are pretty straightforward, the decade long war has left more than 13.4 million people dependent on external aid relief, any failure to extend the resolution will leave them without any source of support.
Evenmore so, the current resolution guarantees the survival of not only impoverished families situated in hostile areas around Syria, but of 3 million displaced individuals from the war as well. Ramesh Rajasingham, Acting Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs & Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, also mentioned that “there is no substitute” for the current cross-border mission if it’s validity fails to be extended. According to Rajasingham, not only does Resolution 2533 have to be elongated but it’s efforts have to be expanded as well.
The next two to three weeks will be crucial in determining the resoultion’s future. Guterres finalized his meeting by stating that there are ongoing talks with Turkey and other on-ground groups in case a decision on the resolution is stalled. Nonetheless, he emphasized that any smaller scale effort could not replace the current cross-border supply channel.
Sources:
https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/06/1094572
Author: Sergio Gomez; Editor: Xavier -Atkins
