ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Nations Security Council agreed Monday to extend a crucial cross-border aid mechanism into rebel-held northwest Syria by six months, calming fears of a potential “catastrophe” and ensuring the continued delivery of aid to vulnerable people in the region.
“The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution to extend a mechanism that delivers lifesaving aid into NW #Syria from #Turkiye,” the UN news service tweeted.
The cross-border mechanism at the Bab al-Hawa crossing is the only way UN aid, including food, medicine, water, and other critical resources can be delivered to northwest Syria without having to traverse through areas controlled by the Syrian government. The mandate has been in effect since 2014 and briefly expired on July 10 before being reinstated with a six-month extension a day later.
“The decision to confirm the extension of that authorization for an additional six months comes as humanitarian needs have reached the highest levels since the start of the conflict in 2011, with people in Syria grappling with a harsh winter and a cholera outbreak,” Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said following the extension on Monday.
The province of Idlib in northwest Syria is the last pocket of rebel-held territory in the region and is mainly controlled by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has been internationally recognized as a terrorist organization. The area’s residents also suffer from dire economic conditions and heavily rely on the aid mechanism for basic necessities.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) hailed the extension of the aid mechanism but expressed concern that a six-month extension is inadequate and “will once again be short-lived.”
“Knowing this assistance will continue is a small reprieve for families struggling to survive,” IRC President David Miliband said.
Earlier this month, top leaders of the UN urged for the extension of the resolution, claiming that if the UN Security Council fails to extend it, “the consequences will be catastrophic for 4.1 million people in non-Government-controlled areas.”
The previous one-day expiry of the mechanism was due to Russia’s vetoing of an extension, with Moscow sharing strong ties and being a key backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government in its quest to crush rebel forces and retake control of the country’s territory. Russia has aimed to reduce the cross-border aid into the rebel-held northwest and seeks to eliminate it entirely.
According to the UN, the humanitarian assistance provided through the cross-border mechanism reached “an average of 2.7 million people every month” in 2022.
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