United Nations A/68/622–S/2013/686

General Assembly Distr.: General 25 November 2013 Security Council English Original:

General Assembly Security Council Sixty-eighth session Sixty-eighth year Agenda item 70 (a) Strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief assistance of the United Nations, including special economic assistance: strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations

Identical letters dated 22 November 2013 from the Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General and President of the Security Council

On instructions from my Government, I have the honour to transmit the following information: There has been increasing discussion regarding cooperation between the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and the United Nations in order to deliver humanitarian assistance to civilians affected by events in . The Syrian Government therefore wishes to provide the Security Council with the following information regarding the latest measures taken to strengthen its cooperation with United Nations entities and other international organizations active in Syria. It does so in accordance with the statement made by the President of the Security Council on behalf of the Council on 2 October 2013 (S/PRST/2013/15), and with a view to pursuing its current dialogue with those entities and organizations. The Syrian Government has held a series of meetings to assess the current mechanisms for cooperation. Most recently, the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates met with representatives and heads of United Nations entities and international organizations, including non-governmental organizations, that are active in Syria, while the Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates has met with the Resident Coordinator for United Nations activities in Syria. At the meetings, an agreement was reached to intensify cooperation by overhauling administrative procedures and removing so-called bureaucratic obstacles. The Syrian Government affirmed that it would make every possible effort to facilitate the humanitarian work of United Nations and international organizations in Syria. The Syrian Government has formally notified the Resident Coordinator of its decision to allow the entry of humanitarian aid through official border crossings

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with Lebanon, Jordan and . Over the last two months, it has allowed the United Nations to import supplies through the Ya’rubiyah border crossing with Iraq to meet the humanitarian needs of Hasakah governorate, where the armed terrorist groups have blocked humanitarian aid. In the case of the border crossings with Turkey, however, it has been impossible to open an official crossing because armed terrorist groups are active along most of the border with the support of the Turkish authorities. The Syrian authorities are cooperating with United Nations entities, international organizations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and a number of civil society organizations to bring aid to Syrian civilians in those areas. The Syrian Government has approved three additional United Nations hubs, respectively in Suwayda’ (for the south), (for the north) and (for the north-east). The hubs will complement the two offices previously opened in and , and the main office in . There are now six offices covering the entire country. The Syrian Government has issued entry visas to 222 international staff members since the start of 2013, and it has issued an additional 50 entry visas over the past few days. It is also examining additional visa requests. The Government has furthermore adopted new procedures to simplify and accelerate the granting of appropriate visas to heads and staff members of international organizations in Syria. The Resident Coordinator has been formally notified of those procedures. The Government has put in place a new, streamlined mechanism for approval of aid convoys. Approvals are issued at the locations of United Nations warehouses on loading. They are then signed and stamped by the representative of the Syrian Red Crescent in order to facilitate passage through checkpoints. Since the start of 2013, some 37 joint convoys have been deployed to various parts of Syria, and all of the relevant international organizations have participated. Over the last six weeks, eight have been sent to areas that are difficult to access owing to the presence of armed terrorist groups. The international organizations distribute medical, food and other aid around Syria in coordination with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. The Syrian Government helps to ensure that the aid reaches those who need it. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has thus been able to distribute some 6.3 million units of food aid to 2,585,000 persons, and the World Food Programme has brought food to 3.42 million persons. Statistics drawn from Government and United Nations aid agency reports, giving the number of beneficiaries in each area, are annexed hereto. The Syrian Government has continued to work to vaccinate all Syrian children against polio, in cooperation with the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). A polio vaccination campaign launched by the Minister of Health and the Executive Director of UNICEF, Anthony Lake, has proved successful in most parts of Syria, except for the few areas controlled by terrorist groups that reject child vaccination owing to unfounded dogmatic beliefs. The Syrian Government does its utmost to deliver and facilitate humanitarian aid, for which it bears most of the burden. The humanitarian aid distributed in Syria by the United Nations and other international organizations accounts for only 25 per cent of the total; the remaining 75 per cent is covered, with some difficulty, by the Syrian Government. The latter is under significant pressure, not to mention

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sanctions and unilateral coercive economic measures imposed by the United States of America, the European Union and the League of Arab States. Perhaps the greatest obstacle to humanitarian aid distribution is posed by the criminal activities of armed terrorist groups, some of which are affiliated with Al- Qaida. The groups have targeted a number of humanitarian convoys, stealing significant quantities of aid. They have also destroyed the infrastructure in their areas of activity, disrupted civilians’ livelihoods, and taken control of natural resources including petrol, water and crop harvests to fund their activities. Terrorist groups, some of them Al-Qaida affiliates, have targeted hospitals. They recently occupied the hospital in the town of Dayr Atiyah, in Rif Dimashq, holding doctors, medical staff and even patients hostage. They planted explosives on the first floor of the hospital. That crime is one of several against health facilities. In late 2012, explosives were planted and detonated in a hospital in Homs governorate while medical staff and patients were in the building. The terrorist groups filmed the operation and uploaded the footage to the Internet. Mindful of its duties under the Constitution and international law, the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic works relentlessly to restore peace and security across the country and meet all of its citizens’ needs. It is fully committed to its international obligation to protect civilians. It has made repeated appeals for women, children and older persons in areas where armed men are active to be allowed to leave. In the Mu’addamiyah area of Rif Dimashq, for instance, the Syrian Government has secured the release of some 5,000 older persons whom the armed terrorist groups had detained as human shields. The Government has established temporary shelters for them and provided all of their daily needs. It has appealed to the armed men to hand over their weapons and surrender in return for an amnesty. The Syrian Government is currently working with the United Nations to put in place a plan to meet humanitarian needs for 2014. It is expected that the plan will be made public at the Geneva conference on 16 December 2013. Successful implementation will depend to a great extent on donors providing the necessary financial resources. The Syrian Government emphasized its commitment to cooperation with the United Nations and its humanitarian agencies, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 46/182 and the principles set forth therein, particularly respect for the national sovereignty of States.

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I should be grateful if the present letter and its annex could be circulated as a document of the General Assembly under agenda item 70 (a) and of the Security Council.

(Signed) Bashar Ja’afari Permanent Representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations

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Annex

Figures and data taken from reports compiled by national authorities and United Nations agencies

Reports of the Ministry of Health

The second national vaccination campaign (polio vaccination) was launched one month ahead of schedule. The campaign began on 24 October 2013, instead of the previously established date of 10 November 2013. The early start came in response to reports of a polio outbreak in the eastern parts of the country, in particular the area of and neighbouring villages in Dayr al-Zawr governorate. The current campaign aims to vaccinate some 1,320,277 children throughout the country. There is ongoing coordination with international organizations and the Syrian Red Crescent to deliver vaccines to hotspots that the Ministry of Health team is unable to reach.

Report of the World Health Organization for the months of September and October

In the month of October, the World Health Organization directly provided medicines and medical goods to more than 523,747 persons. It also distributed health packets to 143,000 beneficiaries in affected areas in Ladhiqiyah, , Rif Dimashq and Damascus governorates. In September, some 741,297 persons received medical care, medicine and medical goods. In September, some 20,700 persons received health-care packages.

Report of the International Committee of the Red Cross for the months of August and September

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) distributed food packages to more than 850,000 persons in Idlib, Rif Dimashq, Damascus, Homs, , Dayr al-Zawr, Aleppo, Ladhiqiyah, Tartus, Suwayda’ and Dar‘a. Some 2,000 food packages were delivered free of charge by aircraft to Hasakah and then on to Qamishli. With regard to health care, ICRC donated surgical supplies and anaesthetics to Government hospitals, specifically in Hama, with a view to providing comprehensive treatment for patients. Medical supplies and anaesthetics for the treatment of patients were given to the Palestine Red Crescent Society in Damascus. Those supplies and anaesthetics were subsequently distributed to Yaffa Hospital in Damascus, Palestine Hospital in the Yarmuk refugee camp and Baysan Hospital in Homs. In addition, ICRC delivered surgical supplies, anaesthetics, medical equipment and 49 wheelchairs to in the Aleppo countryside.

Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

According to the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees dated 12 November 2013, some 2,585,000 persons from all 14 governorates received non-food aid (core relief items) in the period 1 January to 6 November 2013. Following is a non-exhaustive listing of the number of core

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relief items that were distributed: 69,000 in Raqqah, 94,500 in Dayr al-Zawr, 625,000 in Rif Dimashq, 146,000 in Idlib, 73,000 in Dar‘a and 590,000 in Homs. Some 923,670 persons in all governorates received medical assistance.

Reports of the World Food Programme

We should like to point out that, in order to facilitate delivery of aid and remove obstacles to delivery, the Government provided all assistance possible, including by operating aircraft at cost and allowing aid to enter from Iraq through the official border crossings at Tanf and Ya‘rubiyah. In August, some 2,172,120 persons (72.5 per cent of beneficiaries) in all governorates received food aid through the Syrian Red Crescent and community associations. The World Food Programme (WFP) encountered several obstacles that prevented it from reaching certain areas, including Aleppo, Hasakah, Raqqah and certain parts of Rif Dimashq owing to the security situation and military operations. Aid destined for those areas was therefore diverted to other areas that needed more aid than what had been allocated to them originally. For example, aid was delivered to areas throughout which armed men had deployed, including Mayadin in Dayr al- Zawr, Bab in Raqqah and in Aleppo governorate. The foregoing applies to other months as well, except for the distribution ratio and areas that are difficult to reach. In September, some 2,717,305 persons received food aid through the Syrian Red Crescent and community associations. WFP was able to reach 83.1 per cent of beneficiaries, with some 2,492,545 out of a total of 3,000,000 persons receiving food. It was unable to deliver food packages to Aleppo, Hasakah and areas that were surrounded by armed persons. Supplies were delivered to all other areas, but difficulties were encountered in some parts of Rif Dimashq. In October, WFP distributed 85.5 per cent of the food packages that it had planned to deliver (some 800,000 food rations for 4 million beneficiaries). Data is incomplete because distribution operations are continuing. WFP encountered many difficulties that prevented it from reaching certain areas, including Aleppo, Dayr al-Zawr, Hasakah and parts of Rif Dimashq. The reasons for this were the same as above. Following is a listing of difficult to reach areas in which WFP distributed food packages in the month of October: Idlib: Jisr al-Shughur, , Fu‘ah and Kasariya; Dayr al-Zawr: Quriyah, Shahil, Asharah, Jarzi, Subaykhan and Mar‘iyah; Raqqah: all areas; Rif Dimashq: Yabrud and Utaybah; and Homs: Rastan, Tallbisah, Ghantu and Tayr Ma‘lah.

Report of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent

In the period 1 January to 3 August 2013, the Syrian Red Crescent, in cooperation with international organizations, distributed 2,550,015 food packages across all 14 governorates. In September and October 2013, the Syrian Red Crescent distributed the following quantities of food packages:

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• Rif Dimashq, September: 41,370 food packages, including to , Ghizlaniyah, Qutayfah, Adra al-Ummaliyah and Hafir al-Tahta, all of which are difficult to reach; • Aleppo countryside, September: 225 food packages; 1,554 in Aleppo city; • Idlib, September: 3,902 food packages in Idlib city and 15,869 in the countryside, including Jisr al-Shughur, Dana, , Mastumah, Fu‘ah and Ariha, all of which are difficult to reach; • Dar‘a, September: 9,800 food packages in Dar‘a city and 11,178 in the countryside; • Dayr al-Zawr, September: 61,738 food packages; • Hasakah, September: 2,695 food packages; • Areas in the Aleppo countryside that are difficult to reach, October: 5,590 food packages in , , Minyan, Jisrayn, Malikiyah, Ayn Assan and Assan; 15,291 food packages were distributed in Aleppo city to persons in need who had come from the countryside; • Homs and its countryside, October: 84,943 food packages were distributed, including 4,000 in Tallbisah; 1,000 in Ghantu; 3,754 in Maskanah; and 1,501 in Tayr Ma‘lah; • Raqqah and its countryside, October: 22,464 food packages were distributed; • Hama and its countryside, October: 5,361 food packages were distributed; • Rif Dimashq, October: 39,116 food packages were distributed, including to Kiswah, Hafir al-Tahta, and Qatana.

Report of the International Organization for Migration

In September, non-food items were distributed to 52,761 persons who had been displaced or affected in Damascus, Homs, Suwayda’, Dar‘a, Hama, Raqqah and Tartus. In October, non-food items were distributed to 71,457 persons who had been displaced or affected in Damascus, Homs, Suwayda’, Dar‘a, Hama and Rif Dimashq. Difficulties in reaching affected persons and the security situation on the roads were among the obstacles that the regional team encountered. Following are figures regarding the number of escorted and unescorted aid convoys operated by United Nations organizations: 1 aid convoy reached Aleppo in each of July and August; 3 aid convoys reached Idlib in August and October; 2 convoys reached Dar‘a in September and November; 1 convoy reached Homs city in July; and 1 convoy reached Rastan, Homs governorate, on 10 November 2013. A convoy operated by the United Nations Children’s Fund carrying aid supplies, including food, non-food and medical items, reached Tallbisah, Homs governorate, providing aid to 41,000 persons. The Ministry of Social Services authorizes approximately 60 to 70 convoys daily to carry humanitarian aid supplies.

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The above-mentioned was accomplished in cooperation and coordination with and thanks to the facilitation of the Syrian Government, with a view to ensuring that aid supplies reach those Syrian civilians and Palestine refugees residing in Syria that are in need of them.

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