Sabbagh: Supporting early recovery activities is a basis for improving the humanitarian situation in Syria

The United Nations Security Council unanimously decided today to extend the use of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing for the delivery of aid into Syria until the 10th of July, 2023.

Through adopting Resolution 2672 of 2023, the Council decided to confirm, pursuant to Resolution 2642 of 2022, the extension of its previous authorization of the Bab al-Hawa crossing point on Syria’s border with Turkey, first laid out in resolution 2165 of 2014.

Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Bassam Sabbagh affirmed after the adoption of the new resolution that supporting early recovery activities represents a fundamental pillar in improving the humanitarian situation in Syria and reducing dependence on humanitarian aid.

 Sabbagh indicated that Syria’s relentless efforts to improve the humanitarian situation in the country have faced many challenges and difficulties as a result of the West’s continuous attempts to politicize the humanitarian work, the absence of a real will to achieve progress in the humanitarian situation and the west’s continued imposition of illegal coercive measures that exacerbated the suffering of the Syrians.

Ambassador Sabbagh noted the importance of establishing renewable energy projects that support the electricity sector, further increasing early recovery projects within the framework of the humanitarian response plan and supporting the efforts that aim at providing basic services to facilitate the return of the Syrian refugees.

Sabbagh stressed the need to enhance the delivery of aid from within Syria to achieve real progress in this field, taking into consideration that aid delivery from within the country is in line with the guiding principles of humanitarian action, especially respecting Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity.

He pointed out that Syria affirms that it will continue to follow up on evaluating the implementation of the new resolution through the informal interactive dialogue sessions to be held by the Security Council to find out what progress will be made between now and the end of the resolution’s mandate on the 10th of next July.

O. al-Mohammad/ Hamda Mustafa