This was unanimously decided by the council in New York on Monday. Numerous members of the Council had voted in advance in favor of extending the mechanism by 12 months, but Russia then triumphed again with its demand for an extension of initially only six months.
Aid agencies had previously warned that the humanitarian crisis in Syria would worsen if the previous resolution expired on Tuesday and was not renewed. The mechanism ensures that United Nations relief supplies are also delivered via Turkey to Syrian regions that are not controlled by the government. Support has been extended several times in the past.
Aid organization Care was relieved. However, the time window of only six months makes humanitarian work more difficult, the organization said. A “reliable funding cycle of at least one year” is necessary “so that we can plan accordingly and deliver aid at scale”. Oxfam also responded generally positively, but also said six months was not enough as 15 million people in Syria are expected to need assistance across the country this year.
(SDA)