A girl carries a box next to tents in a refugee camp. The already catastrophic humanitarian situation of the internally displaced people in north-west Syria worsened with the onset of winter. Photo: Juma Mohammad/IMAGESLIVE via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
The council decided on Monday in New York unanimously by resolution. Numerous members of the Council had spoken out in advance in favor of extending the mechanism by twelve months, but Russia then prevailed again with its demand for an extension of initially only six months.
Aid agencies had previously warned the humanitarian crisis in Syria would worsen if the previous resolution had expired Tuesday and not been renewed. The mechanism ensures that United Nations aid supplies are also brought to Syrian regions that are not controlled by the government via Turkey. Support has been extended several times in the past.
The aid organization Care was relieved. However, the time window of only six months makes humanitarian work more difficult, the organization said. A “reliable financing cycle of at least one year” is necessary “so that we can plan accordingly and deliver aid on a scale”. Oxfam also responded in general positively, but also said six months was not enough given that 15 million people in Syria are expected to need assistance across the country this year.
(SDA)