UNITED NATIONS : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday announced a $397 million humanitarian appeal to aid the people of earthquake-ravaged Syria, to help secure \u201cdesperately needed\u201d relief for nearly five million people.<\/p>\n
The UN chief told reporters outside the Security Council chamber n New York that aid \u201cmust get through from all sides\u201d and the funding would cover an initial period of three months.<\/p>\n
He said a similar appeal is being finalised for survivors across the border in T\u00fcrkiye.<\/p>\n
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes, the United Nations rapidly provided $50 million through the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), but the needs are immense\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Syria effort brings together the entire UN system and humanitarian partners and will help secure desperately needed, life-saving relief for nearly 5 million Syrians \u2013 including shelter, healthcare, food and protection.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said providing the relief was the most effective way for countries to help the war-shattered country, which is still in the grip of a 12-year civil war, with much of the quake zone in the northwest border region, controlled by opposition fighters, with many living there displaced multiple times and already in a state of humanitarian crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all know that lifesaving aid has not been getting in at the speed and scale needed\u201d, the UN chief said, with millions of people \u201cstruggling for survival, homeless and in freezing temperatures.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are doing all we can to change this but much more is needed\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have an urgent message to the international community: the human suffering from this epic natural disaster should not be made even worse by manmade obstacles \u2013 access, funding, supplies.<\/p>\n
Emergency and search-and-rescue teams have deployed to assess and prioritize urgent needs and to provide life-saving assistance following the devastating earthquake near the T\u00fcrkiye-Syria border.<\/p>\n
\u201cAid must get through from all sides, to all sides, through all routes \u2013 without any restrictions\u201d, he emphasized, noting that following Syria\u2019s assurances last night, two extra crossings were now open to allow more aid into the northwest.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we speak, an 11-truck convoy is on the move to cross through Bab Al-Salam with many more to come\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
He called on all Member States, and others in the donor community, \u201cto fully fund this effort without delay and help the millions of children, women and men whose lives have been upended by this generational disaster.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a moment for unity, for common humanity and concerted action.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked if a Security Council resolution was needed to cement the bilateral agreement between the United Nations and Syrian authorities, Guterres said the reality was that the crossings were open, and movement was taking place.<\/p>\n
Replying to another question about having to negotiate with military opposition leaders in the northwest beyond the control of Syrian authorities, he repeated his call for all aid corridors to be opened, \u201cwithout restrictions\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday announced a $397 million humanitarian appeal to aid the people of earthquake-ravaged Syria, to help secure \u201cdesperately needed\u201d relief for nearly five million people. The UN chief told reporters outside the Security Council chamber n New York that aid \u201cmust get through from all sides\u201d and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":313899,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-313894","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n