Syrian and UN cooperation to overcome the damages of war and economic blockade

Damascus, (ST) – The Minister of Local Administration and Environment, Chairman of the Higher Relief Committee, Engineer Hussein Makhlouf, affirmed during a meeting that brought together a number of ministers on Sunday with a United Nations delegation headed by Martin Griffiths, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, that the presence of the Turkish and American occupations on Syrian territories limits the ability to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees. He called for concerted efforts to achieve this matter and work to end these two occupations and lift the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Syria.

 Makhlouf pointed to the importance of continuing cooperation in the relief and humanitarian field between the Syrian government and working United Nations organizations. He said that, the work of the committee focuses on delivering aid to citizens in all geographical areas in coordination with partners from UN and international organizations.

Makhlouf indicated that, the current focus is on rehabilitating the infrastructure, including schools, clinics, water and electricity, in the areas liberated from terrorism, with the aim of encouraging the return of citizens to them.

 “About 5 million internally displaced citizens have returned to their areas. There are still displaced people due to the presence of the Turkish and American occupations and terrorism, which they support in a number of regions” He added.

Makhlouf expressed his hope that future cooperation with international organizations will be fruitful and will reflect the reality of the Syrian situation positively and  from an objective angleHe said all Syrians should benefit from the fruits of joint action.

The Minister of Education, Dr. Darem Tabbaa, indicated that, education in Syria has not been interrupted despite the difficulties, and that there is a great need to restore the schools that were damaged due to terrorism.

Tabbaa pointed out that, there are 6,682 schools in the areas where the “SDF militia” and the Turkish occupation are located, and they teach curricula different from the education curricula in the rest of Syria, which threatens the future of generations raised on terrorist and extremist ideas .In another context he asked for  support  for virtual education in Syria by securing its requirements for students.

The Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform, Eng. Muhammad Hassan Qatana, drew attention to the theft and smuggling of agricultural products, especially cotton, wheat and livestock, in the context of the economic war on Syria, which negatively affects the needs of the Syrian people.

The Minister of Water Resources, Dr. TammamRaad, pointed to the damage caused to water resources due to terrorist crimes and economic sanctions, which was represented in the difficulty of following up projects and securing drinking water.

Raad stressed that, more than one million residents of Hasakah suffer from thirst due to the crimes of the Turkish occupation by cutting off drinking water from the Allouk station.

The Minister of Health, Dr. Hassan Al-Ghabash, referred to the damage caused to the health sector as a result of the terrorist war and the economic blockade, such as the martyrdom of health workers, the destruction of the infrastructure of health facilities. He added that there are also many difficulties like, securing raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry, as well as importing medicines and medical devices.

Al-Ghubash pointed out that the vaccines against the Corona virus that arrived in Syria are sufficient for less than 1 percent of the Syrian population. He called for the activation of international agreements and laws to lift economic sanctions on Syria and meet urgent humanitarian needs.

The Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Mohamed Seif El-Din, said that there is a need to secure assistive devices for people with disabilities as the  terrorist war has caused an increase in their number, especially among children and youth.

Meanwhile, Griffiths indicated that, the meeting aims to discuss the needs of different sectors such as health, education, basic services and reconstruction, in order to have a clear vision of the possibilities of work and cooperation for the future of the Syrian people and the challenges imposed by the current circumstances.

The representative of non-governmental organizations, Fares Kallas, affirmed that the government team is working with the civil society to form strategic structures to provide services to those crisis-affected. He stressed the importance of working in the field of social development and capacity building.

Raghda Sawas