Statement by
H.E. Ms. Zahra Ershadi
Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative
of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
Before the United Nations Security Council
On “The situation in the Middle East (Syria – Humanitarian)”
New York, 15 September 2021
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Madam President,
For well over 10 years, the Syrian people have suffered greatly from one of the gravest humanitarian situations in the world.
Unfortunately, “people are suffering more now than they ever have” as USG Martin Griffiths has been told by Syrians and humanitarian workers during his recent visit to Syria.
The international community has a serious political, moral and ethical responsibility to address this dire situation.
The visit of the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator to Syria, enabling him to collect firsthand information as well as to assess actual situation on the ground, was a welcome act.
It is promising that, according to his account, he was encouraged by his discussions with the Syrian Government’s officials and by subsequent developments on the ground, including the first humanitarian cross-line operation into Syria’s North West since 2017.
We value all efforts to make this happen, including the preparations by the Syrian Government and the cooperation of the humanitarian community.
More importantly, we salute the dedication of a Syrian soldier who lost his life while demining to clear the road for humanitarian convoy.
The transfer of humanitarian aid to Daraa, with the cooperation of the Syrian Government, is also an important development.
As the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator has been notified by the humanitarian community, the humanitarian and socioeconomic situation continues to deteriorate and there is an “urgent need for recovery assistance and improved basic services”.
This underlines the importance of the full and effective implementation of resolution 2585, through which the Security Council has called upon all Member States “to respond with practical steps to address the urgent needs of the Syrian people”.
Through that resolution, the Council has also stressed that such efforts must include supporting “essential services through water, sanitation, health, education, and shelter early recovery projects”.
In this context, we welcome the statement of the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator that “we must dramatically increase our early recovery assistance”.
However, it is disappointing that, according to him, “needs in Syria keep growing while funding keeps shrinking”.
This means financial contributions for humanitarian activities in Syria must increase. But this alone is not enough.
Therefore, efforts for early recovery projects and reconstruction must be redoubled and expedited; unilateral sanctions, which have a devastating role in aggravating the humanitarian situation, must be removed fully and immediately; the looting of Syrian oil and wealth must stop; water must not be weaponized; and the return of refugees and displaced persons must be facilitated.
Further efforts must also be made to ensure that Syrians no longer need to rely on humanitarian aid.
The ultimate solution is, of course, ending the conflict, full withdrawal of all uninvited foreign forces, defeating terrorists, and ensuring Syria’s territorial integrity, unity and political independence.
We hope that the recent positive developments as a result of the coordination and cooperation of the Syrian Government and the humanitarian community will yield further results and replace confrontational approaches with cooperation.
The touching story told by USG Griffiths of a four-year-old Syrian boy with leukemia, under treatment at a clinic in rural Aleppo, which “has no electricity, running water, or access to medication”, is only one example of the hardships faced daily by many Syrians.
We must not leave this proud nation alone; we should not let them down.
As in the past, we will continue to assist the people and Government of the Syrian Arab Republic to overcome the challenges they face.
I thank you, Madam President.