United Nations S/ PV.8734 Security Council Provisional Seventy-fifth year 8734th meeting Thursday, 27 February 2020, 10 a.m. New York President: Mr. De Croo ................................... (Belgium) Members: China ......................................... Mr. Wu Haitao Dominican Republic ............................. Mrs. Cedano Estonia ........................................ Mr. Jürgenson France ........................................ Mr. De Rivière Germany ...................................... Mr. Maas Indonesia. Mr. Syihab Niger ......................................... Mr. Abarry Russian Federation ............................... Mr. Nebenzia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines ................... Ms. Prince South Africa ................................... Ms. Goolab Tunisia ........................................ Mr. Ladeb United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland .. Mr. Allen United States of America .......................... Mrs. Craft Viet Nam ...................................... Mr. Dang Agenda The situation in the Middle East Report of the Secretary-General on the review of alternative modalities for the border crossing of Ya‘rubiyah (S/2020/139) Report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of Security Council resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2258 (2015), 2332 (2016), 2393 (2017), 2401(2018), 2449 (2018) and 2504 (2020) (S/2020/141) This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of speeches delivered in other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting Service, room U-0506 ([email protected]). Corrected records will be reissued electronically on the Official Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org). 20-05214 (E) *2005214* S/PV.8734 The situation in the Middle East 27/02/2020 The meeting was called to order at 10.05 a.m. Secondly, I will brief the Council on the delivery of assistance to north-eastern Syria following the adoption Adoption of the agenda of resolution 2504 (2020), including the Secretary- General’s report on the feasibility of alternatives to the The agenda was adopted. use of the Al-Yarubiyah border crossing. The situation in the Middle East Finally, I will touch on the humanitarian situation in Rukban and deepening humanitarian needs in many Report of the Secretary-General on the review other parts of the country. UNICEF Executive Director of alternative modalities for the border crossing Fore will further brief on the impact of the crisis on of Ya‘rubiyah (S/2020/139) families in Syria. Report of the Secretary-General on the Last week I spoke via video link with 14 Syrian implementation of Security Council resolutions women in Idlib and northern Aleppo. All are 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2258 humanitarian workers helping their own communities; (2015), 2332 (2016), 2393 (2017), 2401(2018), almost all have been displaced with their families from 2449 (2018) and 2504 (2020) (S/2020/141) other parts of Syria, some multiple times. What is happening in north-western Syria, they said, is beyond The President (spoke in French): In accordance imagination. It is not humanly tolerable. They told me with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of of children so traumatized they no longer speak. One procedure, I invite the representatives of the Syrian of the women, who works as a midwife in Idlib city, Arab Republic and Turkey to participate in this meeting. told me she can see how the intensely stressful situation In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s is affecting her patients. Early deliveries, miscarriages provisional rules of procedure, I invite the following and low-weight births are on the rise. Pregnant women briefers to participate in this meeting: Ms. Ursula are asking her for caesarean deliveries out of fear of Mueller, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian going into labour while on the move and without Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator medical care. of the United Nations Office for the Coordination Our latest available data indicate that almost of Humanitarian Affairs; and Ms. Henrietta Fore, 950,000 people have fled the advancing front lines UNICEF Executive Director. in north-western Syria since 1 December. Most have The Security Council will now begin its moved into the north-west of Idlib governorate, a small consideration of the item on its agenda. area along Syria’s border with Turkey that already hosts hundreds of thousands of displaced people. Many I wish to draw the attention of Council members of these exhausted families have moved over and over to document S/2020/139, which contains the report and over again — all amid freezing conditions. The of the Secretary-General on the review of alternative women from Idlib described to me the day-to-day modalities for the border crossing of Ya‘rubiyah; and reality of living in this overcrowded environment. One document S/2020/141, which contains the report of the had found shelter in a basement with 15 other adults Secretary-General on the implementation of Security and 20 children. There was no privacy. Some women Council resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 told me they could not change their clothes for weeks. (2014), 2258 (2015), 2332 (2016), 2393 (2017), 2401 Violence against women, they said, had become routine. (2018), 2449 (2018) and 2504 (2020). The Secretary-General has stated that international I now give the floor to Ms. Mueller. humanitarian law and the protection of civilians have been systematically ignored. He warned that Ms. Mueller: I will begin my briefing today with fighting is now advancing into areas with the highest the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in north- concentrations of people. Hospitals, schools, camps and western Syria, which continues to demand the Council’s other sites where displaced families have sought shelter attention and action. I will also speak to the importance are not being spared. In the last 10 days, a camp hosting of the cross-border operation — a critical lifeline into more than 800 people was hit by shelling in Dana, which the north-west. is now the most crowded of the sub-districts of Idlib 2/27 20-05214 27/02/2020 The situation in the Middle East S/PV.8734 governorate. Idlib Central Hospital was among several not otherwise be consistently delivered to people in need. facilities struck this week, causing multiple casualties. We briefed the Security Council on the importance of Operations at the facility had to be suspended, except renewing Al-Yarubiyah as an authorized crossing point, for emergency medical treatment. warning that any reduction in humanitarian access would cause further suffering. A massive humanitarian operation is under way in north-western Syria. In January, food assistance for With the adoption of resolution 2504 (2020) and the some 1.4 million people was delivered via the cross- removal of Al-Ramtha and Al-Yarubiyah as authorized border mechanism, as were health supplies for almost crossing points, the Council requested the Secretary- half a million people and non-food items for more General to report on the feasibility of using alternative than 230,000 people. That is more than in any other modalities to the Al-Yarubiyah crossing month since the cross-border operation was authorized “to ensure that humanitarian assistance, including in 2014. Despite these immense efforts, the women in medical and surgical supplies, reaches people in Idlib told me that simply getting food, clean water and need throughout Syria through the most direct heating is a daily struggle. routes, and in accordance with the humanitarian The cross-border modality is absolutely essential to principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and our response in north-western Syria. People in need in independence” (resolution 2504 (2020), para. 6). Idlib cannot currently be reached at this scale in such The Secretary-General’s report concludes that, a timely and direct manner through any other means. As the Secretary-General has stated, the Security “[i]n order for all humanitarian needs to be met, Council has a critical role to play in support of these the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic would humanitarian efforts. need to facilitate greater cross-line access to the north-east of the country, in particular for medical I thank donors for generously contributing over assistance. The Government would also need to $100 million this month alone towards our $500 million consent to the delivery of humanitarian assistance appeal for the humanitarian response in north-western through cross-border operations into the north-east, Syria over the next five months. This amount includes at safe and logistically feasible border crossings, the release of $42 million from the Central Emergency using the most direct routes” (S/2020/139, para. 46). Response Fund. Should the required steps to enable the delivery of I would now like to turn to the situation in north- aid from Damascus not be taken, and in the absence of eastern Syria. In north-eastern Syria, civilians remain consent from the Syrian Government and neighbouring extremely vulnerable. Over the past weeks, renewed countries to use border crossings into north-eastern hostilities in and around Tall Tamr sub-district Syria, the report