Damascus, 23 February 2023 (TDI): The delegation of the United Nations (UN) Humanitarian Agency visited Syria. In this vein, Stéphane Dujarric, the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres said that the UN is putting its efforts to help earthquake victims.
Around 282 trucks were transported in order to provide aid to Syrian people, in the northwest. These trucks arrived through the crossings of Bab Al-Hawa and Bab Al-Salaam.
The aid is provided by UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Situation of the Health Sector in Syria
A delegation from UN Humanitarian Agency visited the Idlib governorate and displacements camps. The team distributed medical supplies there and also held a meeting with the representatives of civil society.
“Our colleagues have found that the health sector has been particularly hard hit by the earthquakes, with 47 health facilities having been reported as damaged in the northwest of Syria alone.”
It is pertinent to note that “twelve health facilities have suspended operations and 18 are only partially functional,” said Dujarric.
Support for Turkiye
Also, the UN disaster assessment and coordination teams remained active and participated in emergency relief work in five provinces in Turkiye called Malatya, Kahramanmaras, Adiyaman, Gaziantep, and Hatay.
Dujarric said that fifteen international search-and-rescue teams from 13 countries working there. These teams are working closely to make assessments about essential needs such as shelter, food, health, and water.
The UN agencies along with other teams are committed to providing people with effective aid delivery.
Moreover, they are continually supporting the Government-led response and delivering critical supplies, including food, tents, blankets, hygiene kits, medical supplies, and kitchen items.
Politicization of Aid
The UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, Najat Rochdi, called on the International Syria Support Group Humanitarian Task Force in Geneva.
The agenda was to brief about the visit of UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen to the region in the aftermath of the 6 February earthquake.
Rochdi echoed that the politicization of response and politicization of aid provision must not affect the working of humanitarian assistance. She described the concerns and security-related issues in crossings from where the aid reached the needy people.
