Millions of lives in balance as crucial UN Security Council vote on Syria looms

Attachments

By Zenab Bagha, Johanna Wynn Mitscherlich and Sameer Saran

For much of the world, the Syria crisis has faded from memory. Yet for Syrians living through their 12th year of conflict, the nightmare is far from over. Over 14.6 million Syrians need urgent humanitarian assistance, the highest ever figure since the crisis began.

Of this figure, 4.1 million people in Northwest Syria face imminent danger should the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) fail to renew UN aid deliveries via Syria’s border with Türkiye. But why should UN cross-border assistance stop when so many are in need? Here’s what you need to know about a crucial UNSC resolution vote happening ahead of 10 January 2023, and why lives of millions of displaced families hang in balance.

1. What is the cross-border mechanism?

In 2014, the UNSC passed a resolution to allow UN agencies and their local partners to deliver, coordinate, and fund large quantities of aid into Syria via four border crossings, to parts of the country no longer under Syrian government control. But since July 2021, Russia and China have used their votes in the UNSC to reduce these crossings to one: the Bab al-Hawa entry from Türkiye. On January 10th, 2023, Resolution 2642 protecting this last crossing will expire unless renewed by the UNSC.

Nine in ten people need humanitarian support in Northwest Syria. The UN provides food, clean water, shelter, medical assistance, education, and critical protection services to the majority of the population here. The Syria Resilience Consortium (SRC), the largest consortium of international NGOs working in Syria, is deeply concerned that the non-renewal of the cross-border mechanism would remove this vital lifeline when no viable alternative is available.

“Almost everyone here lives below the poverty line, but the poverty line has levels. Most people here are ten degrees under the poverty line,” says Ibrahim* a beekeeper and father of six. “We all live on UN aid in some form. If it cannot come in, it would be a catastrophe,” he says.

2. Women and girls at greater risk

“I don’t send my daughter to school. She’s in the 9th grade and I’m scared for her. The streets aren’t safe,” says Asma*. The loss of UN cross-border assistance would lead to drastic cuts in support to women and girls like Asma and her daughter. Reduced access to protection, emergency services, and specialized services will lead to more gender-based violence, while reducing the resilience of women to survive it.

“The first to be affected will be women and children,” says Sherine Ibrahim, CARE’s Country Director in Türkiye. “A recent study by CARE, a member of the SRC, highlighted the increased risks for women and girls in Northwest Syria. They face harassment, abuse, sexual violence, kidnapping and more, while also having to struggle to reach basic services and assistance due to movement restrictions imposed by their own families and communities — for fear of the very same risks.”

3. More families facing starvation

“The price of bread keeps rising and yet most people are unemployed. You can’t imagine anything worse than this,” says Ilham*, 23. In Northwest Syria, 44% of the population can’t afford bread, even with aid. The price of staples like flour and sugar have nearly quadrupled in two years, pushed up by drought, conflict, economic crisis and the Ukraine conflict. Meat, fruit, and vegetables are off limits for many families who are already eating fewer meals per day. Over time, a poor quality diet can have serious health impacts on children such as stunting and poor learning performance.

The UN provides 80% of the food aid in Northwest Syria. The NGO-led response cannot scale up to match this volume of aid for a host of reasons. Food needs are about basic survival. We can continue to provide different forms of assistance but if basic food needs are not met, then all assistance becomes “food first”. For example, we can provide equipment, tools, and animals for farming, but without “food assistance” — people will sell everything to secure food first.

4. Unprecedented poverty

Years of conflict, drought, COVID-19, and the collapse of the Syrian currency has pushed millions of people into abject poverty. Unemployment is rife and incomes are meager. As a result, more families are going into debt, more children are dropping out of school to work, and more girls are entering early marriages.

“When the Bab al Salam border crossing closed, I lost business. I couldn’t buy supplies to meet orders from a local soap factory which affected their business too. I used to have five employees, now I have just one; a boy. The factory used to employ 200 people, but most have lost their jobs,” says Bashir* a Northwest Syrian olive oil trader. “When the crossings close, people are harmed and unemployment escalates dramatically.”

5. Constrained civil society

Resolution 2642 provides for the Syria Cross-border Humanitarian Fund (SCHF) which allows donors to pool their contributions to support humanitarian efforts undertaken by UN agencies through Syrian NGO partners. Many of our local partners receive funding from the SCHF which would end if the resolution expires. These local partners are the backbone of the humanitarian community across Northwest Syria because they are the ones working on the frontlines of the response.

“Local NGOs will not have the funds or resources to pay their staff, let alone fill the gap. Bread, water, medicine, and basic services will be cut off for more than two million people, mostly women and children. It will be like a death sentence for them,” says Yusuf,* a humanitarian worker with one of the SRC’s local partners.

With limited resources being prioritized for emergency needs, critical services like mental health care, and livelihoods and agricultural support which require stable funding are the first to go. Yet these services are essential to reducing dependency and building resilience.

6. Weakened resilience

Since 2016 the SRC has worked hard to increase livelihood opportunities, restore basic services, and rehabilitate critical infrastructure. “We help people help themselves and rebuild their lives. Supporting self-reliance is not only cost-effective and sustainable, but it’s also what the people we work with want: to not have to rely on food aid crossing borders. But how can people focus on setting up a business, if they don’t have any food on their table? If they have nowhere to live?” says Sheri Lim, SRC’s Acting Chief of Party.

Salah* is a 38-year-old farmer and father of three. When conflict and drought devastated his crops and livestock, the SRC helped him restore his farm. But things look bleak for Salah should UN cross-border operations end. “With the aid I and other farmers receive, we can buy inputs for our farms. If this aid stops, how will I run my farm and feed my family?” he says.

7. More difficult winters

Closure of the Bab-al-Hawa crossing would take away the last beacon of hope for the Syrian people, especially now in the freezing winter months amidst a cholera epidemic and severe fuel shortages. Most families (2.9 million people) living in Northwest Syria have been displaced, some multiple times. Well over half of them — mostly women and children — live in makeshift camps without running water or electricity.

“Every year we respond to the harsh winter months in Syria. Families have to survive freezing temperatures, flash floods, and the loss of seasonal incomes. This winter will be no different and may even be worse due to climate change. The border crossing is a lifeline for so many, and now there is a potential for it to expire at the height of winter. A predictable, effective humanitarian response is essential to ensuring Syrians’ access to life-saving support, such as shelter and food, when they need it most,” says Tanya Evans, Syria Country Director for the International Rescue Committee, a member of the SRC.

8. Marginalization of people with disabilities

Three out of ten Syrians have a disability, almost double the global average. “With the potential non-renewal of the resolution, an increase is expected in the number of persons with disabilities, the level of assistance they will need, and in their marginalization and exclusion,” says Mara Bernasconi, Policy and Advocacy Advisor at Humanity and Inclusion, a member of the SRC.

Should the cross-border mechanism close, increasing competition for drastically limited resources may heighten tensions within communities and put more people at risk of debilitating injuries. Stiffer competition would further isolate people with disabilities and may cause them to be deprioritized or even be denied access to food, water, or medical treatment based on the assumption that their chances of survival are less compared to those without disabilities.

9. Escalating mental health crisis

Death, destruction, and repeated displacement, along with poverty, hunger and disease have impacted Northwest Syrians mentally and psychologically. Experts have noticed a rise in depression and suicide in this region, especially among women and girls. The cross-border mechanism enables teachers, doctors, and social workers to serve communities here, and allows people like Sanaa* and her family to get the counselling and psychosocial support they need.

“My children are greatly disturbed. Debt, financial hardship, the airstrikes, the inability to go to school has affected them,” says Sanaa. “The health and psychological situations of everyone here are very bad. We need help.”

10. What has to be done

International Humanitarian Law provides that Syrians who need humanitarian assistance are entitled to receive it, regardless of where they live. In this, the UN cross-border mechanism is vital. Nothing can match its size, scope, or effectiveness. The Syria Resilience Consortium calls on the UNSC to not only ensure the renewal of the Bab al-Hawa crossing but to lengthen its mandate and reopen the other closed crossings. Politics cannot be a justification for restricting aid to Syrians at a time when humanitarian needs are at their height.

*Name changed to protect identity.

The Syria Resilience Consortium (SRC) is the largest consortium of international NGOs working in Syria. It was formed in 2016 to equip individuals, families, and communities in Syria with the tools and skills for a better economic future. Across the country, until and after reconstruction begins, we are supporting Syrians seeking livelihood opportunities, reaching conflict-affected people wherever they are.

Millions of lives in balance as crucial UN Security Council vote on Syria looms
Source: Philippines Legacy PH