Al-Halqi to UNICEF Executive Director: terrorist groups violated international norms through recruiting children

Damascus (ST)-Prime Minister Dr. Wael al-Halqi underlined the government’s commitment to developing the health and education sectors in cooperation with the international organizations, in addition to providing facilities to the UNICEF to help render health and education services to the Syrian children in all areas.

During the meeting held with UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake on Monday, al-Halqi said that terrorism and its tools inside Syria have been methodically destroying services, developmental and economic infrastructure sectors in Syria, particularly the health sector, vandalizing approximately 40 hospitals, 400 health centers and 400 ambulances, in line with the unfair embargo and sanctions imposed by the US and the West which aggravated the Syrians’ suffering.

The Prime Minister pointed out that despite the sanctions and the  methodical destruction of the national economy, the government is fulfilling its obligations towards it people and is reconstructing what the terrorists destroyed and providing basic services for free to all Syrians.

He also referred to the success and progress of the current national vaccination campaign which targets 1.3 million children across the country, underlining the government efforts to reach all areas as part of this campaign, noting that Syria eradicated polio  in 1999 and achieved advanced health indicators before the crisis and was pioneering in developing the health sector, the pharmaceuticals industry, and decreasing child, infant and mother mortality rates.

Al-Halqi voiced appreciation for the UNICEF’s humanitarian and developmental efforts in Syria, underlining the urgency for providing more support to develop various sectors, particularly in rehabilitating schools damaged by terrorist groups which are about 4000 schools.

He also noted that terrorist groups are recruiting children and involving them in combat in a blatant violation of the international agreements and norms, and that the Syrian government took severe measures to prevent the recruitment of children and their involvement in conflicts.

For his part, Lake praised the Syrian government’s efforts in developing the health and education sectors and its cooperation with the UNICEF in these fields, asserting commitment to provide support to all Syrian areas under the sovereignty and care of the Syrian state and expanding cooperation in various fields.

The two sides also discussed the possibility of funding the construction of school clubs, rehabilitating and training care workers to offer social and psychological support to children, repairing damaged schools, training staff in the fields of children and women rights and protection, relief work and social surveys, and in the field of water resources.

In a similar meeting held with Lake,  Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister Dr. Faysal Mikdad discussed  cooperation between the Syrian government and UNICEF in various fields.

Mikdad voiced the Syrian government’s determination to provide vaccination to every Syrian child, noting that Syria was a pioneer in the region in the fields of childhood, education and health, but terrorism backed by regional and Western countries targeted Syria’s achievements.

He stressed that the Syrian government will continue to cooperate with the UNICEF and provide all possible facilities to carry out its mission in Syria.

For his part, Lake voiced commitment to continue and boost cooperation with the Syrian government by augmenting the UNICEF’s participation in various fields, hoping that Syria will overcome the crisis as soon as possible. 

O. Al-Mohammad .