Implementation of Security Council resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2258 (2015), 2332 (2016), 2393 (2017), 2401 (2018) and 2449 (2018); Report of the Secretary-General [S/2019/674]

United Nations S/2019/674
Security Council
Distr.: General
21 August 2019
Original: English
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*1913903*
Implementation of Security Council resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2258 (2015), 2332 (2016), 2393 (2017), 2401 (2018) and 2449 (2018)
Report of the Secretary-General
I. Introduction
1. The present report is the sixty-second submitted pursuant to paragraph 17 of Security Council resolution 2139 (2014), paragraph 10 of resolution 2165 (2014), paragraph 5 of resolution 2191 (2014), paragraph 5 of resolution 2258 (2015), paragraph 5 of resolution 2332 (2016), paragraph 6 of resolution 2393 (2017), paragraph 12 of resolution 2401 (2018) and paragraph 6 of resolution 2449 (2018), in the last of which the Council requested the Secretary-General to provide a report at least every 60 days, on the implementation of the resolutions by all parties to the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic.
2. The information contained herein is based on data available to agencies of the United Nations system and obtained from the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and other relevant sources. Data from agencies of the United Nations system on their humanitarian deliveries have been reported for June and July 2019.
II. Major developments
Box 1
Key points: June and July 2019
1. Despite the memorandum on the stabilization of the situation in the Idlib de-escalation area signed by the Russian Federation and Turkey on 17 September 2018, the number of civilian casualties, including confirmed civilian deaths, has increased over the reporting period, with more than 500 civilians reportedly killed since the escalation in hostilities in April. There have been more than 500,000 instances of displacement and significant damage has been caused to civilian infrastructure.
2. Health-care and education services continued to be attacked, with 17 incidents affecting health-care facilities and assets confirmed by the World Health Organization, and 55 incidents affecting education facilities verified by the United Nations Children’s Fund. The incidents all occurred in the north-west of the country and resulted in the killing and injuring of women and children, people in need of medical care and humanitarian workers.
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3. Humanitarian conditions in Rukban, on the Syrian-Jordanian border, remain dire. Plans are under way for a United Nations and Syrian Arab Red Crescent humanitarian mission to reach the area, following two earlier convoys, in close coordination with the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and relevant parties on the ground. Movements out of Rukban continued throughout the reporting period, and as at 31 July 17,724 people had departed towards Government-controlled areas. In recent months, the United Nations reiterated its request for access to Rukban in order to facilitate transport for those expressing a voluntary and informed desire to leave and to deliver critical needs-based humanitarian assistance. Approval was received from the Syrian authorities on 31 July.
4. In the north-east of the county, the Hawl camp in Hasakah Governorate now hosts 68,823 people, 94 per cent of whom are women and children. During the reporting period, more than 300 Syrian internally displaced persons departed the camp and returned to their areas of origin in Raqqah and Dayr al-Zawr Governorates. A small number of foreign nationals returned to their home countries and thousands more are due to be repatriated to Iraq, pending final agreement by the Government of Iraq and an agreed date. Humanitarian access to the annex hosting other foreign nationals (non-Syrian and non-Iraqi) for the sustained delivery of services continued to be limited.
5. In June and July 2019, United Nations humanitarian agencies and partners reached around 6 million people in need across the Syrian Arab Republic through all response modalities. Humanitarian assistance provided by United Nations agencies included food for an average of 3.6 million people in need each month and more than 2.1 million health and medical treatments to people throughout the country. Cross-border assistance, authorized under Security Council resolutions 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2258 (2015), 2393 (2017) and 2449 (2018), remained a vital part of the humanitarian response. During the reporting period, 1,160 trucks (30 consignments) delivered life-saving assistance to more than 1 million people through cross-border deliveries, including food assistance for some 827,000 people in June and July (monthly average).
6. Response efforts from within the Syrian Arab Republic continued at scale in response to assessed needs throughout much of the country, even as access to some areas and for some humanitarian actors, including the United Nations, remained limited. During the reporting period, a number of access constraints were reported in parts of Idlib, northern Hama and south-eastern Aleppo, owing mostly to heightened hostilities, although some response efforts are under way in those areas. Access was also limited in Raqqah city and east of the Euphrates River in Dayr al-Zawr, including the Hajin enclave, owing mostly to widespread explosive hazard contamination. Some areas in the south of the country, including Rukban, and in parts of eastern Ghutah were also not accessible in a sustainable manner to some humanitarian actors owing to administrative regulations.
Humanitarian update
3. In the north-western part of the Syrian Arab Republic, the dramatic escalation of violence has resulted in more than 500 confirmed civilian deaths and more than 500,000 instances of displacement since the upsurge in violence began in late April. Many people have been through multiple displacements, with some displaced as often as ten times. Entire towns and villages have reportedly emptied as residents fled their communities in search of safety and basic services. Most of those fleeing have been displaced within Idlib Governorate, while a smaller number have moved into northern Aleppo Governorate. In Idlib alone, approximately 100 schools are now hosting
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displaced persons. Camps for displaced persons are overcrowded, with many people forced to stay out in the open. The effect of the hostilities on civilian infrastructure remained severe as vital facilities such as hospitals, bakeries, schools and water pumping stations have been damaged or destroyed by air strikes and shelling. Since late April, there have been at least 43 incidents involving health facilities or personnel, resulting in the killing and injuring of civilians, people in need of medical care and the staff who care for them. In addition, at least 87 educational facilities have been damaged or destroyed as a result of air strikes and shelling. In July alone, there were at least 29 incidents affecting civilian/humanitarian infrastructure or humanitarian staff, including eight health facilities, four schools, three internally displaced persons settlements, five bakeries, three markets, three water stations, one ambulance and two mosques. Several humanitarian workers have also been killed. Humanitarian partners are responding to the evolving needs of newly displaced persons and to the needs of the existing caseload, already significant in size and vulnerability. Given that many of the humanitarian responders are from within the affected communities, and thus part of the affected themselves, the capacity to respond is constantly compromised. Moreover, the ability to deliver is also compromised by the fact that some of the infrastructure used to provide services has been damaged and/or destroyed.
4. Humanitarian conditions in Rukban remained dire during the reporting period. As at 31 July, a total of 17,724 people had spontaneously departed towards Government-controlled areas. Others have gone elsewhere through informal routes. Humanitarian actors remain concerned about increased reports of deteriorating conditions in Rukban as a result of limited availability of basic goods and services. This is owing to a combination of factors, including diminished informal commercial activities as well as the lack of humanitarian assistance. The United Nations also remained concerned about the inability of women of reproductive age and adolescent girls to obtain access to life-saving reproductive health and sexual and gender-based violence services. Approval for a third United Nations and Syrian Arab Red Crescent mission has been received from the Syrian authorities and plans for its deployment to the area are under way.
5. In the north-east of the country, the Hawl camp in Hasakah Governorate currently hosts 68,823 people, 94 per cent of whom are women and children. About 67 per cent of the camp population is under the age of 18 years. The breakdown of the camp population is as follows: 45 per cent Iraqi, 41 per cent Syrian and 14 per cent other foreign nationals. Arrival rates have stabilized, with no recent influxes to the camp. During the reporting period, 322 Syrian internally displaced persons returned to their areas of origin in Raqqah and Dayr al-Zawr Governorates following agreements with tribal leaders. Moreover, a small number of foreign nationals were repatriated to their countries. Iraqi nationals remained concerned about their repatriation and treatment in Iraq once they return, including fears of stigmatization and being confined to closed camps. In the Hawl camp, humanitarian access to the annexes hosting some 11,000 non-Iraqi foreign nationals, has slightly improved, although it remains limited, affecting health and protection services in particular.
6. During the reporting period, tensions also increased in the south-west of the country, mainly in Dar‘a and Suwayda’ Governorates, as frustrations rose over perceived Government violations of the “reconciliation agreements” which were concluded in 2018. Peaceful anti-Government demonstrations have been held in some former opposition strongholds to protest arrest campaigns by government officials, and occasional insurgent attacks have been carried out against government forces.
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Escalation of hostilities in the de-escalation area in the north-western part of the Syrian Arab Republic
7. The escalation of hostilities in the north-western part of the Syrian Arab Republic continued to increase during the reporting period, with aerial attacks by Government and pro-Government forces, mutual artillery shelling and multiple counter-attacks between Government forces, the Security Council-designated terrorist group Levant Liberation Organization and non-State armed opposition groups reported in and around the Idlib de-escalation area. Despite the memorandum on the stabilization of the situation in the Idlib de-escalation area signed by the Russian Federation and Turkey on 17 September 2018, the number of civilian casualties continued to increase, with more than 500 civilians killed between the end of April and the end of July and many more injured. There have been more than 500,000 instances of displacement since the start of the escalation, with most people moving closer to the Turkish border in Idlib Governorate and smaller numbers moving to western or northern Aleppo. Many of those displaced moved to overcrowded displacement sites or to makeshift shelters, placing additional strain on overstretched humanitarian assistance available in these areas. While many people fled conflict-affected areas, others chose or had to stay behind, including some of the most vulnerable populations with the least capacity to cope with prevailing insecurity and humanitarian needs.
8. Hostilities and other forms of violence continued to severely affect civilians in various parts of the Syrian Arab Republic, in particular in the north-west of the country. Large numbers of civilian deaths and injuries were reported in that context owing to air and ground-based strikes by Government and pro-Government forces (see annex for examples of such incidents), as well as significant damage to educational and medical facilities, local markets, homes, settlements for internally displaced persons and other civilian infrastructure. Eight water facilities in Ma‘arrah district, in southern Idlib, which support an estimated 250,000 people, were hit during the reporting period, including a water pumping station and the main water tank in Ma’arrat An Numan city on 12 July. Many civilians were also killed and injured as a result of sporadic ground-based strikes by various non-State armed groups and/or Security Council-designated terrorist groups in parts of Hama, Idlib and Aleppo Governorates.
9. Attacks affecting educational facilities continued to be reported by humanitarian organizations. A total of 55 incidents were verified by the United Nations Children’s Fund during the reporting period,1 including 45 in Idlib, 8 in Hama and 2 in Aleppo. They include, among others, the following:
(a) On 9 June 2019, Milaja primary school, in Ma‘arrah, Idlib, was severely affected by an air strike, all windows and doors were damaged;
(b) On 10 June 2019, a school was partially damaged in the city of Khan Shaykhun in southern rural Idlib;
(c) On 13 June 2019, Safuhun school was partially damaged in the village of Safuhun in southern rural Idlib;
(d) On 14 June 2019, Ihsim primary school was partially damaged in the city of Ihsim in southern rural Idlib; __________________
1 These attacks have been confirmed using tried and tested systems, whereby the United Nations receives reports from partners on the ground and reviews them against at least two other independent sources. Only attacks that are fully vetted and confirmed by all independent sources are included in the list of confirmed attacks. These systems are used worldwide and are widely respected.
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(e) On 15 June 2019, Barah al-Sharqiyah school was partially damaged in the village of Barah in southern rural Idlib;
(f) On 16 June, Dayr Sunbul primary school was partially damaged as a result of ground-based strikes that hit the village of Dayr Sunbul;
(g) On 25 July 2019, two classrooms at Ibn Hayyan primary school were affected by an air strike that targeted Kafr Ruma town, in Ma‘arrah, Idlib.
10. During the reporting period, the Surveillance System for Attacks on Health Care of the World Health Organization reported 17 incidents affecting health-care facilities and assets.1 The incidents resulted in the killing of 12 health workers and patients and the injuring of an additional 17 people, as well as damage to the facilities.
11. The escalation of hostilities in the north-west, combined with high levels of need and vulnerability, has had catastrophic humanitarian consequences for the estimated 3 million people living in the Idlib area. The humanitarian community is responding in accordance with the readiness plan that was prepared in late 2018 and updated in May 2019. The United Nations is responding to the needs of the affected population with emergency food assistance through ready-to-eat rations, with more than 656,000 people reached in June and nearly 1 million in July. In addition to the emergency food assistance, the United Nations and its implementing partners are covering almost 900,000 people each month with general food assistance in the form of food rations across the north-west. Many humanitarian responders and service providers are, however, part of the affected population and, as a result, humanitarian operations have been suspended in areas with active hostilities. Even with preparedness efforts, the response is stretched, and a further increase in need brought on by additional fighting could risk overwhelming it.
12. Continued violence in the north-west has affected agricultural activities in northern Hama and southern Idlib Governorates. During previous reporting periods, shelling and air strikes contributed to the destruction of crops and damage to farming equipment. As such, much of the harvest was lost and the capacity to rehabilitate the soil for the new planting season was compromised. Traditionally, large parts of the agricultural area in Idlib, considered to be some of the most fertile land in the country, are cultivated for winter wheat. Given the destruction that has taken place during this season, the winter crop will be a critical contribution to the food security of large parts of the population in the area and will contribute to supporting the livelihood of many households. The material damage to farm equipment as a result of the violence will hamper the ability of farmers to prepare their lands for planting, including the necessary removal of the previously damaged crop. Moreover, fires were reported in the Governorates of Raqqah, Homs, Aleppo, Hasakah and Dayr al-Zawr as a result of high temperatures and unexploded ordnance, with smaller-scale fires reported in Ladhiqiyah, Tartus, Rif Dimashq, Qunaytirah, Dar‘a and Suwayda. The fires will significantly affect the population, in particular in the north-east of the country, where about 80 per cent of people’s income is generated from seasonal crop production. In addition, material damage to farm equipment will hamper the ability of farmers to cultivate their lands.
Update on overall developments
13. The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria continued his diplomatic efforts, meeting with the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic, the opposition Syrian Negotiations Committee and key regional and international actors. Discussions focused on finalizing the composition and terms of reference of a credible, balanced, inclusive and viable constitutional committee, in accordance with Security Council resolution 2254 (2015). The Special Envoy and the Deputy Special Envoy have also sought to further efforts aimed at achieving the release of a substantial number of
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detainees and more information on missing persons. On 31 July, a total of 29 detainees held by the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and non-State armed opposition groups were simultaneously released in Aleppo Governorate. Engaging a wide spectrum of Syrian society and deepening international dialogue on the Syrian Arab Republic through the creation of a common forum in support of efforts by the United Nations in Geneva continue to be a priority. As part of these efforts, the Special Envoy and the Deputy Special Envoy also met with communities of refugees and internally displaced persons, members of Syrian civil society and the Syrian Women’s Advisory Board.
Protection
14. Hostilities and other forms of violence continued to severely affect civilians in various parts of the Syrian Arab Republic, in particular in the north-west. Civilians continued to be killed and injured and vital infrastructure destroyed and damaged, including as a result of ground-based and air strikes. Thousands of communities have been left in areas littered with explosive hazards that continue to kill and injure civilians and block humanitarian access even long after hostilities have ended. The use of improvised explosive devices in certain areas adds to the complexity of the explosive hazard threat.
15. During the reporting period, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights continued to receive reports of civilians being arrested, detained, or disappeared. Hundreds of persons are reported to have been detained by Government security forces since the beginning of June 2019. The majority of the detentions have occurred in Dar‘a, Rif Dimashq, Damascus and Homs Governorates. In some incidents, such cases appeared to amount to arbitrary arrest and detention. In one example, OHCHR documented cases of 10 civilians, including one woman, who were arrested by Government security forces in house raids that targeted several neighbourhoods in the city of Ruhaybah in eastern Qalamun area, Rif Dimashq. Families of detainees often learn about their whereabouts through informal means or after paying bribes to officials.
16. Civilians living in areas under the control of the Levant Liberation Organization and other non-State armed groups in Idlib and Aleppo Governorates continued to be abducted, deprived of their liberty and subjected to targeted killings, beatings and other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment by such groups. Civilians, including humanitarian service providers and media activists, have been targeted and threatened with death, mainly for being critical of the Levant Liberation Organization, or at times to extort money or ransom from them; but the reasons behind many of the incidents often remain unknown.
17. Other civilians, including women and children in the Hawl camp, controlled by non-State armed groups in Hasakah Governorate, continued to suffer the consequences of family separation, restricted access to humanitarian assistance and restrictions on their freedom of movement that, in some cases, may amount to deprivation of liberty.
Humanitarian response
18. During the reporting period, United Nations humanitarian agencies and partners reached around 6 million people in need, including children, adolescent girls and women of reproductive age, throughout the Syrian Arab Republic. Humanitarian assistance provided by United Nations agencies included food for an average of 3.6 million people in need each month and more than 2.1 million health and medical treatments to people throughout the country (see table 1).
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Table 1 Average number of people reached each month by the United Nations and other organizations through all modalities throughout the Syrian Arab Republic: June and July 2019
Organization
Average number of people reached monthly
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
453 000
International Organization for Migration
300 000
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
948 000
United Nations Children’s Fund
3 187 000
United Nations Development Programme
1 132 000
United Nations Population Fund
653 000
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
287 000
World Food Programme
3 600 000
World Health Organization
2 120 000
19. From inside the Syrian Arab Republic, humanitarian assistance provided by United Nations agencies included food for a monthly average of 2.76 million people in Government-controlled areas and in the north-east. More than 2 million people received water, sanitation and hygiene services and supplies. Nearly 400,000 children and mothers were reached with primary health-care, maternal, reproductive health and immunization services. Moreover, some 500,000 people benefited from gender-based violence prevention, protection and psychosocial support services and child protection services. United Nations operations from within the Syrian Arab Republic also included nearly 1.2 million health and medical treatments to people throughout the country.
20. In the north-western part of the Syrian Arab Republic, the humanitarian community has a detailed operational plan in place to respond to the needs of up to 800,000 people affected by the conflict. With some 15,000 aid workers on the ground, humanitarians continue to provide food assistance to newly displaced households, to increase health services in areas that are receiving people, and to provide emergency protection services. More than 656,000 people were reached with ready-to-eat rations in June, and nearly 1 million people in July. In addition to the emergency food assistance, the United Nations and its implementing partners are covering almost 900,000 people each month with general food assistance in the form of food rations across the north-west. This aid was delivered exclusively through the cross-border modality. Tens of thousands receive other services and support, such as schooling, non-food items, clean water, shelter, emergency nutrition and protection services.
21. However, all these efforts face the challenges of insecurity and the scale of needs. While humanitarian needs in the north-western part of the Syrian Arab Republic have increased, the aid community’s ability and capacity to respond has, however, eroded. The ability of the United Nations and its partners to deliver assistance has been severely affected by damage to the infrastructure used to deliver assistance; also, many staff members of humanitarian partners have also become displaced and are in need of assistance themselves, or partners have suspended operations to keep their staff and beneficiaries safe. The scale of displacement has overtaken previous contingency plans, with funding now an urgent concern. To sustain current levels of response and ensure appropriate scale up of operations, humanitarian partners need $242 million. Without further donor support, partners will not be able to scale up their operations and respond to both new and existing needs.
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As at the end of July, the Syria Humanitarian Assistance Response Plan was funded at less than 27 per cent. The response to meet the needs of the affected population in in the north-western part of the country is folded into the response plan. However, the critically low level of funding to date has required partners to make difficult decisions that prioritize response efforts to ensure crucial life-saving humanitarian response in a timely manner to those people most affected. Many humanitarian partners are, for example, forced to use funds previously allocated to the upcoming anticipated needs during winter to fund emergency live-saving assistance for displaced persons instead. Significant gaps in the response are expected in the months ahead.
22. As part of its countrywide humanitarian response, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners continued to deliver life-saving assistance to more than 800,000 people each month in the three Governorates of the north-eastern part of the Syrian Arab Republic, namely Dayr al-Zawr, Raqqah and Hassakah Governorates. This included supporting some of the most vulnerable people in camps for internally displaced persons, such as those who had been displaced owing to intense fighting in what were then the last ISIL-held areas in Hajin and Baghuz, in south-eastern Dayr al-Zawr Governorate. At the Hawl camp, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners rapidly mobilized a major relief operation, in some cases redirecting capacities and stocks from other parts of the country to scale up the response. In total, some 35 humanitarian partners are providing more than 50 activities and services to camp residents. Efforts to improve overall living standards in the camp are under way. Water, sanitation and hygiene conditions have improved, and the high rates of diarrhoea detected early in the summer months have decreased as humanitarian actors managed to stabilize the situation. There have been fewer reported cases of water contamination as a result of hygiene promotion campaigns and large-scale distribution of water purification tablets. Enhanced illumination efforts are ongoing, including the procurement of 12,500 solar lamps to improve safety conditions between tents; rechargeable fans, mosquito nets and summer clothes for children are also being distributed to help the camp population combat the summer heat. Road construction, solar street lighting and other infrastructure services are also ongoing, however, challenges persist. For example, the three field hospitals in the camp have limited capacity to perform surgeries and are in need of technical and logistical support. In addition, the need for a quarantine area for infectious diseases remains critical and the limited number of ambulances and transport for emergency cases remains a major obstacle. More than 1,800 people with disabilities are in critical need of assistance, including assistive devices such as wheelchairs, canes and crutches. There is also a need to expand comprehensive services for elderly persons.
23. In Rukban, a lack of access to life-saving goods, including food and other basic commodities, has led to alarming rates of severe diarrhoea and hepatitis. This has resulted in increased pressure on residents to leave. Between late March and the end of the reporting period, 17,724 people left Rukban. Throughout this period, the United Nations has been providing basic assistance and protection services through the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to people departing Rukban and transiting through the shelters, as well as at areas of destination.
24. Sustained assistance for civilians remaining in Rukban, however, is equally critical. Most of the people who remain are women and children with limited access to basic health and reproductive care and food and nutrition supplies. Over the past two years, only two humanitarian inter-agency convoys have been authorized by the Syrian authorities to access Rukban. The first convoy took place in November 2018 and the second one deployed in February this year. Since then, the United Nations reiterated its request for access to Rukban, in order to facilitate transport for those expressing a voluntary and informed desire to leave and to deliver critical needs-
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based humanitarian assistance. Approval was received from the Syrian authorities on 31 July.
25. As a result, an initial United Nations and Syrian Arab Red Crescent inter-agency assessment mission is expected to take place to advise and identify families that seek to depart Rukban towards areas of origin or a destination of choice. An information strategy has been developed to ensure that camp residents are informed about the mission and its purpose in a comprehensive manner. The mission will also carry out semi-structured focus group discussions to gather information to ensure that persons with special needs are identified and prioritized, while also providing opportunities to identify persons who do not wish to depart or who have changed their minds. Once the identification is complete, United Nations and Syrian Arab Red Crescent convoys are expected to be conducted every five days to facilitate the transport of people expressing an informed and voluntary wish to leave Rukban. In parallel, an equitable package of critical humanitarian assistance will be provided to those remaining in Rukban. The United Nations continues to reiterate the importance of a carefully planned, principled approach to finding a durable solution to the situation in Rukban that ensures respect for core protection standards and does not expose vulnerable and, in many cases, traumatized displaced women, children and men to additional harm. All movement must be voluntary, safe, well-informed and dignified, with humanitarian access assured throughout.
26. Humanitarian mine-action partners continued to implement programmes across the country, including in the north-west and north-east of the country, which included the delivery of risk education, explosive hazard clearance and victim assistance to vulnerable populations. In mid-July, the first risk education teams trained by the Mine Action Service in the Syrian Arab Republic deployed in Rif Dimashq to provide life-saving information and advice to vulnerable groups in contaminated areas. By the end of July, the teams had reached 3,241 people who are considered at risk, such as herders, rubble removers, adolescents and women. Similar projects are expected to be launched soon in Homs and Hama Governorates.
27. Cross-border deliveries continued under the terms of Security Council resolutions 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2258 (2015), 2332 (2016), 2393 (2017) and 2449 (2018) (see table 2). In line with those resolutions, the United Nations notified the Syrian authorities in advance of each shipment, including its contents, its destination and the number of beneficiaries expected to be reached. In June and July, 1,160 trucks (30 consignments) delivered life-saving assistance for more than 1 million people through cross-border deliveries (see figure I).
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Figure I Number of beneficiaries assisted by the United Nations and its partners through cross-border humanitarian deliveries, by cluster: June and July 2019 (monthly average)
(Thousands)
Table 2 Number of beneficiaries targeted through cross-border deliveries, by sector and by district: June and July 2019 (monthly average)
Governorate
District
Education
Food
Health
Non-food items/ shelter
Nutrition
Water, sanitation and hygiene
Aleppo
Afrin
–
17 505
–
–
–
–
Aleppo
Bab
–
–
1 635
–
–
500
Aleppo
I‘zaz
79 550
79 410
58 010
5 374
–
9 698
Aleppo
Jabal Sim‘an
82 900
3 285
45 200
10 050
–
2 950
Hama
Suqaylibiyah
–
–
–
–
–
–
Idlib
Ma‘arrah
–
80 888
7 075
8 450
–
900
Idlib
Ariha
–
6 200
227 950
–
–
–
Idlib
Harim
11 064
636 715
86 879
27 406
4 454
23 600
Idlib
Idlib
–
2 490
38 685
3 000
–
–
Idlib
Jisr al-Shughur
–
285
12 500
–
–
–
28. During the reporting period, the Russian Federation sent informational bulletins to the United Nations from the Centre for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides and Refugee Migration Monitoring, which outlined the provision of bilateral relief assistance. Other Member States also continued to provide bilateral and other forms of humanitarian assistance.
Humanitarian access
29. The provision of humanitarian assistance requires timely, safe, sustained and unimpeded access by the United Nations and all humanitarian partners to people in need across the Syrian Arab Republic. The access landscape in the country is complex, with different areas serviced differently and different types of services requiring different operating modalities. Access is critical for principled humanitarian action, which depends notably on the ability to independently assess needs and deliver
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assistance and to monitor and evaluate impact independently, including by regularly engaging directly with affected people.
30. During the reporting period, the United Nations continued to provide assistance from within the Syrian Arab Republic to millions of people in need in thousands of locations throughout the country. In recent months, the focus of access monitoring and reporting from Damascus has moved from a model of tracking the number of cross-line convoys to also looking at access of United Nations staff and the ability to deliver assistance, as well as to carry out assessments and monitoring and provide protection services. More than 1,700 United Nations staff members are present in the Syrian Arab Republic, with more than 500 deployed in nine hubs outside Damascus (Aleppo, Dar‘a, Dayr al-Zawr, Hama, Homs, Ladhiqiyah, Qamishli, Suwayda’ and Tartus). A further 3,860 staff members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) are deployed across the country.
31. Many of the aid deliveries are implemented through national partners, in particular national non-governmental organizations and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. The United Nations is regularly deployed alongside the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, including to undertake assessments, accompany deliveries and follow up with monitoring and evaluation missions. In June and July, the United Nations undertook hundreds of missions throughout the Syrian Arab Republic (see table 3). Some of those missions, in particular those for staff based in Damascus, required formal approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (see table 4), while the vast majority, in particular those for field-based staff, were deployed in accordance with agreements at the local level with governors and other relevant parties.
Table 3 Total number of missions conducted from within the Syrian Arab Republic by United Nations agencies and third parties/facilitators, by type: June and July 2019
Type of mission
Note verbale
Blanket approval
Governorate approval
Total number
Assessment missions
14
54
45
113
Missions accompanying aid deliveries
17
195
9
221
Monitoring missions
32
865
45
942
Security, logistics and administrative support missions
7
45
–
52
Total
70
1 159
99
1 328
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Figure II Total number of missions conducted from within the Syrian Arab Republic by United Nations agencies, by Governorate: June and July 2019
Table 4 Requests for United Nations access for single-agency missions: June and July 2019
Type of request
Number requested
Number approved
Percentage approved
Assessment missions
56
19
34
Missions accompanying aid deliveries
41
21
51
Monitoring missions
117
51
44
Security, logistics and administrative support missions
56
22
39
Total
270
92
34
32. Improvements in access from within the Syrian Arab Republic have been made over the past year, in particular in Tartus, Ladhiqiyah, Hasakah, Homs, Aleppo and Hama Governorates. During the reporting period, missions to many areas across the country increased, including areas less frequently accessible in the past. The United Nations and its partners continued to deliver assistance to an average of 2.9 million people on a monthly basis and received approval from the Syrian authorities to conduct 1,328 missions, of which 1,159 were approved at the local level (blanket approval) and 92 at the national level (formal approval).During the reporting period, the United Nations and/or its partners also reached new areas such as Baghuz in southern Dayr al-Zawr; Marqada in southern Hassakah and Abu al-Zuhur and Sinjar in southern Idlib, although not yet in a sustainable manner.
33. Nevertheless, humanitarian access from within the country continued to be challenging in some parts and for certain actors, including the United Nations. During the reporting period, a number of access constraints were reported in Sinjar, Tamani‘ah and Abu al-Zuhur in Idlib, owing mostly to the high intensity of hostilities. Access was also limited in Raqqah city and east of the Euphrates River in Dayr al-Zawr, including the Hajin enclave, owing mostly to widespread explosive hazard
188
320
128
148
138
36
47
42
13
29
12
51
19
27
4
8
8
16
2
1
3
1
4
1
3
5
3
2
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
Blanket and Governorate approvals Blanket and Governorate approvals Blanket and Governorate approvals Blanket and Governorate approvalsBlanket and Governorate approvals Blanket and Governorate approvalsBlanket and Governorate approvals Blanket and Governorate approvals Blanket and Governorate approvalsBlanket and Governorate approvals Blanket and Governorate approvalsBlanket and Governorate approvals Blanket and Governorate approvalsBlanket and Governorate approvals Blanket and Governorate approvals
Note verbaleNote verbaleNote verbale Note verbale Note verbale Note verbale
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contamination that remains after violence has ended and until clearance operations have taken place. Some areas in the south of the country and in eastern Ghutah were also not accessible in a sustainable manner owing to administrative regulations and insecurity. Eastern Ghutah, for example, remains heavily dependent on water trucking more than a year after changes in control. Limitations on the ability of certain sectors to carry out structured needs assessments across the country remained. Of the 270 submitted mission requests which required formal approval at the national level by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 92 mission requests were approved (34 per cent ).
34. The United Nations Monitoring Mechanism for the Syrian Arab Republic continued its operations as authorized under Security Council resolutions 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2258 (2015), 2332 (2016), 2393 (2017) and 2449 (2018). During the reporting period, the Mechanism monitored the delivery of 30 consignments by seven United Nations agencies, consisting of 1,160 trucks, from two border crossings: 16 from Bab al-Hawa (1,027 trucks); and 14 from Bab al-Salam (133 trucks). This brings the total number of trucks since the beginning of cross-border operations to 26,995 (19,237 through Bab al-Hawa; 3,069 through Bab al-Salam; 4,595 through Ramtha; and 94 from Ya‘rubiyah). There were no concerns or questions about the humanitarian nature of the consignments sent. The United Nations provided 48-hour notice to the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic regarding all shipments. The Mechanism continued to benefit from the excellent cooperation of the Governments of Iraq, Jordan and Turkey.
Visas and registrations
35. The United Nations continued to work with the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic to allow for the timely provision of visas to staff. However, an increased number of visas for United Nations staff are pending, with 77 pending during the reporting period as compared with 41 in April and May (see table 5).
Table 5 Requests for United Nations visas: June and July 2019
Type of request
Number requested
Number approved
Number rejected
Number pending
Visas requested during reporting period
151
62
8
77
Renewals requested during reporting period
143
96
2
45
Visas pending from before reporting period
82
28
19
28
Renewals pending from before reporting period
48
44
0
4
Note: During the reporting period, the United Nations withdrew four visa requests. Seven pending requests were withdrawn by the United Nations before the reporting period.
36. A total of 28 international non-governmental organizations are registered with the Government to operate in the country.
Safety and security of humanitarian personnel and premises
37. The United Nations and non-governmental organizations continued to implement programmes in areas affected by frequent clashes among parties to the conflict, by air strikes and by the regular exchange of indirect artillery fire and other attacks. Humanitarian relief personnel also operate in areas highly contaminated with unexploded ordnance, explosive remnants of war and landmines.
38. Since the beginning of the conflict, hundreds of humanitarian workers have reportedly been killed, including 23 staff members of the United Nations and
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organizations of the United Nations system, 18 of whom were staff members of UNRWA; 66 staff members and volunteers of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent; and 8 staff members and volunteers of the Palestine Red Crescent Society. Many staff members of international and national non-governmental organizations have also been killed.
39. A total of 27 staff members of agencies and programmes of the United Nations system (all from UNRWA) were detained or missing at the end of the reporting period.
III. Observations
40. I am gravely concerned about the number of civilian deaths and the destruction of civilian infrastructure in the north-western part of the Syrian Arab Republic, where 3 million people are trapped by the current fighting. Fighting among Government and pro-Government forces, non-State armed opposition groups and the Security Council-designated terrorist group the Levant Liberation Organization continued to affect civilians on a near-daily basis. According to conservative estimates, some 500 civilians have been killed and many hundreds more injured since the start of the escalation in late April. There have also been around 500,000 instances of displacement and in Idlib alone, approximately 100 schools are now hosting displaced people. Camps for the displaced are overcrowded, with thousands forced to stay out in the open. Entire towns and villages have reportedly emptied as residents have fled their communities in search of safety and basic services.
41. The hostilities also present risks to international peace and security. Upholding the September 2018 memorandum on the stabilization of the situation in the Idlib de-escalation area is not only essential for the sake of the civilian population, but successful de-escalation is also a necessary component of the efforts by my Special Envoy to revitalize the political process facilitated by the United Nations, in line with Security Council resolution 2254 (2015). I call upon those with influence on the parties to ensure a safe and calm environment and to prevent further escalation.
42. I am alarmed and deeply troubled by the fact that attacks affecting educational facilities continued during the reporting period. In addition to 32 verified incidents damaging or destroying educational facilities in April and May, a total of 55 incidents have been verified by the United Nations Children’s Fund during the reporting period, including 45 in Idlib, 8 in Hama and 2 in Aleppo. Moreover, 17 incidents affecting health-care facilities and assets were confirmed by the World Health Organization during the reporting period. These are in addition to 26 incidents affecting health-care facilities and assets that had already been confirmed by the World Health Organization in April and May. I remind all parties that intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to education is a war crime, provided that they are not military objectives. I further remind all parties that intentionally directing attacks against hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are housed, as well as against buildings, materials, medical units, transport and personnel using the distinctive emblems of the Geneva Conventions in conformity with international law, is a war crime. Any military operations, including those by and against Security Council-designated terrorist groups, must respect the rules of international humanitarian law, including those on the protection of civilians and civilian objects. Perpetrators of serious violations of international humanitarian law must be held accountable.
43. In this regard, I have announced my decision to establish an internal United Nations Headquarters board of inquiry to investigate a series of incidents that have occurred in the north-western part of the Syrian Arab Republic since the memorandum on the stabilization of the situation in the Idlib de-escalation area was signed by the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey on 17 September 2018. The
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investigation will cover the destruction of, or damage to, facilities on the deconfliction list and United Nations-supported facilities in the area.
44. Continued impunity for alleged serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law by parties to the conflict remains of grave concern. I call upon all parties to the conflict, in particular the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic, all States, civil society and the United Nations system to cooperate fully with the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to Assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of Persons Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law Committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011, in particular by providing relevant information and documentation. Taking measures to address serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law is both a legal requirement and central to achieving sustainable peace in the Syrian Arab Republic. I reiterate my call for the situation in the country to be referred to the International Criminal Court.
45. In view of ongoing serious concerns repeatedly raised with regard to the protection of civilians and other human rights concerns in the Syrian Arab Republic, I continue to strongly urge the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in line with Human Rights Council resolutions S-18/1 and 19/22, to cooperate with OHCHR, including through the establishment of a field presence with the mandate to protect and promote human rights.
46. It remains clear more than eight years into the Syrian conflict that the solution is political. I call upon the Syrian parties to the conflict, and their regional and international allies, to engage constructively with my Special Envoy. I welcome my Special Envoy’s work to prioritize meaningful action to address the issue of detainees and missing persons that could help strengthen Syrian society’s faith in the political process and its ability to deliver concrete results on the ground. I also welcome his efforts to convene a credible, balanced, inclusive and viable constitutional committee as a first step in a broader political process that comprehensively addresses all aspects of Security Council resolution 2254 (2015). Only an inclusive political solution that meets the legitimate aspirations of all Syrians can lead to sustainable peace and end the unimaginable suffering endured by Syrians for far too many years.
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Annex
Reported incidents affecting civilians recorded by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights: June and July 2019*
Idlib Governorate
• On 1 June, two civilians were killed as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes that hit the city of Khan Shaykhun, southern rural Idlib. On the same day, a medical facility was damaged in the village of Ihsim and the Martyr Yahya al-Hasan school was damaged in the village of Bsaqla as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes that hit southern rural Idlib.
• On 2 June, two boys were killed as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes that hit the village of Barah in southern rural Idlib. On the same day, the Bdama school was damaged as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes that hit the village of Bdama in western rural Idlib.
• On 3 June, a total of at least four civilians, including one woman, were killed. Several others were injured and civilian infrastructure was damaged or partially destroyed as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes on a number of locations in southern rural Idlib. In the city of Ma‘arrat al-Nu‘man, at least three civilians, including one woman, were killed and a local market significantly damaged. In the village of Hish, one civilian man was killed and the school was damaged. In the village of Naqirah, the school was damaged, and in the town of Kafr Nubl, the Khatib hospital was damaged.
• On 4 June, Ahmad Taan school was damaged allegedly by ground-based strikes that hit the city of Khan Shaykhun in southern rural Idlib.
• On 5 June, three civilians, a woman, a boy and a girl, were killed as a result of alleged air strikes that hit the city of Ma‘arrat al-Nu‘man in southern rural Idlib. On the same day, five civilians, including a woman, a boy and a girl, were killed as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes that hit the village of Kafr Uwayd in southern rural Idlib.
• On 6 June, a boy was killed as a result of alleged air strikes that hit the city of Khan Shaykhun in southern rural Idlib.
• On 7 June, three civilians, including a girl, were killed as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes that hit the village of Babulin in southern rural Idlib.
• On 8 June, a girl was killed as a result of alleged air strikes that hit the village of Ayn Quray‘ in southern rural Idlib. On the same day, the Safuhun school was damaged as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes that hit the village of Safuhun in southern rural Idlib.
• On 13 June, four civilians, including a woman, were killed as a result of what were alleged to be ground-based strikes that hit the village of Muqah in southern rural Idlib. On the same day, three boys were killed as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes that hit the villages of Ma‘arratah, Juzif and Khan al-Subul in southern rural Idlib.
* The list of incidents exemplifies human rights issues of concern raised in the report. Owing to the changing patterns of conflict and the loss of networks of credible and/or reliable sources in many conflict-affected areas, however, verifying incidents is increasingly difficult. The list, which contains only those incidents that were reported to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and that have been verified according to its methodology, should not be considered comprehensive.
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• On 14 June, four civilians, including one woman, one boy and one girl, were killed as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes that hit the village of Has in southern rural Idlib. On the same day, a medical facility and the Ihsim school were damaged as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes that hit the village of Ihsim in southern rural Idlib.
• On 15 June, five civilians, a woman and four children, were killed and Barah al-Sharqiyah school was damaged as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes that hit the village of Barah in southern rural Idlib. On the same day, three civilians were killed as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes that hit the city of Ma‘arrat al-Nu‘man in southern rural Idlib. Also, on the same day, a medical facility was damaged as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes that hit the village of Hish in southern rural Idlib.
• On 16 June, a woman was killed as a result of alleged air strikes that hit the village of Zakah in southern rural Idlib. On the same day, the Dayr Sunbul school was damaged as a result of what were alleged to be ground-based strikes that hit the village of Dayr Sunbul.
• On 19 June, 12 people were reportedly killed as a result of alleged air strikes that hit in the vicinity of small shops in the village of Banin in southern rural Idlib. On the same day, two civilian women were killed by alleged air strikes that hit the village of Kansafrah in southern rural Idlib.
• On 20 June, as many as 20 civilians were killed and others injured by what were alleged to be air strikes in four locations in southern rural Idlib. In the town of Mastumah, eight civilians, including four boys and a woman, were killed; in the village of Hish, six civilians, including one boy and two girls were killed; four civilians (three paramedics and an injured civilian woman in an ambulance) were killed in the city of Ma‘arrat al-Nu‘man and in the village of Kansafrah, two boys were also killed as a result of a similar attack.
• On 6 July, 16 civilians, including three women and seven children, were killed as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes on the town of Muhambal.
• On 9 July, four civilians, including one woman and two children, all from the same family, were killed as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes on the outskirts of the village of Dayr al-Sharqi, near Ma‘arrat al-Nu‘man in southern Rural Idlib.
• On 10 July 2019, 10 civilians, including two women and four children (all from the same family), were killed and 11 others, including six women and two children, were injured in Jisr al-Shughur, as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes on the town.
• On 16 July 2019, 12 civilians, including three children, were killed and 15 others injured as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes that hit civilian areas in the village of Ma‘arr Shurin in southern rural Idlib. At 10.30, the first air strike reportedly hit a square north of Ma‘arr Shurin known as the Public Square, where there was a bread bakery, a poultry shop and a bookshop. The owner of the bookshop and his nephew (17 years old) were killed in that attack. At 10.40, a second air strike reportedly hit a square to the south of the village, where there was a supermarket, an Internet café and a barbershop. Seven civilians, including two children, were killed and 14 others were injured during this attack.
• On 21 July 2019, 12 civilians, including two children, were killed as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes (reportedly missiles and barrel bombs) on the village of Urum al-Jawz, south of Idlib city, in Idlib Governorate. The strikes hit in the vicinity of a residential area, with homes, small shops and a mosque,
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causing damage to a number of homes and shops. On the same day, in the early afternoon, at least 4 civilians, including three children, were killed and at least 15 others injured as a result of what were alleged to be two air strikes on the village of Kafr Ruma. The strikes reportedly hit in the vicinity of a residential area and a public square.
• On 22 July, at least 40 civilians, including seven women and four children, were killed and dozens of others injured as a result of what was alleged to be an air strike that hit two areas in the city of Ma‘arrat al-Nu‘man in southern rural Idlib.
• On 24 July, at least 18 civilians, including four women and three children, were killed and as many as 20 others, including women and children, injured in what were alleged to be air strikes that hit a number of areas in southern rural Idlib, including Ariha, Muhambal and Tabish. Ten out of the reported 18 casualties were killed in the village of Tabish, north of Khan Shaykhun. Eight of the victims, including three women and three children, were from the same family.
• On 25 July 2019, four civilians were killed, and a number of other civilians injured as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes on the town of Kafr Ruma (the second attack since 21 July 2019). On the same day, two civilians, including a woman, were killed as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes on the town of Atarib, Idlib.
Hama Governorate
• On 2 June, two civilians were killed as a result of what were alleged to be ground-based strikes that hit the village of Zakah in northern rural Hama.
• On 5 June, a woman was killed as a result of what were alleged to be ground-based strikes that hit the town of Murak in northern rural Hama.
• On 6 June, the Mahabbah hospital was significantly damaged as a result of what were alleged to be ground-based strikes that hit the city of Muhradah in northern rural Hama.
• On 13 June, a civilian man was killed as a result of what were alleged to be ground-based strikes that hit the village of Murak in northern rural Hama.
• On 14 June, a medical facility was damaged as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes that hit the village of Kafr Zayta in northern rural Hama.
• On 18 June, two civilian men were killed as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes that hit the village of Safuhun in southern rural Idlib and the village of Kafr Zayta in northern rural Hama.
• On 4 July, at least eight civilians, including two women, were killed as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes hitting the town of Lataminah in northern rural Hama.
• On 7 July, six civilians, including four women, were killed as a result of what were alleged to be air strikes on the outskirts of the town of Qastun al-Sharqi in north-western Hama.
Aleppo Governorate
• On 2 June, at least 11 civilians, including two women and one boy, were killed and at least 23 others injured as a result of an improvised explosive device attached to a vehicle that occurred in the vicinity of Saraya street in the city of I‘zaz in northern rural Aleppo.
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• On 16 June, at least 12 civilians, including three women and six children (four girls and two boys), were killed and 17 others injured as a result of what were alleged to be ground-based strikes that hit a wedding party in the village of Wadihi in southern rural Aleppo.
• On 9 July, one civilian was killed when a landmine detonated in the village of Ayn Darah, near Bustan in rural Afrin city, Aleppo.
• On 12 July, at least eight civilians, including two children and three women, were killed and at least 20 others injured when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device was detonated near a checkpoint in the city of Afrin, north-west of Aleppo.
• On 25 July 2019, at least three civilians, including two children, were killed as a result of what was alleged to be an air strike on the town of Bawabiyah in western rural Aleppo.
• On 30 July, two civilians, including one woman, were killed and at least five others injured when a landmine detonated in the village of Zawr Maghar on the outskirts of Ayn al-Arab in rural northwest Aleppo.
Hasakah and Dayr al-Zawr Governorates
• On 11 July, at least 12 civilians were injured when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated in the centre of the city of Qamishli, Hasakah. The detonation reportedly occurred near a church in central Qamishli. In addition to injuring civilians, the detonation also resulted in damage to the façade of the church and surroundings.
Raqqah Governorate
• On 1 June, at least 7 civilians, including one woman and two boys, were killed and at least 11 others injured as a result of two attacks with improvised explosive devices, claimed by ISIL. The first attack was carried out with a suicide vehicle borne improvised explosive device that detonated near a Syrian Democratic Forces checkpoint in the vicinity of Na‘im roundabout in the city of Raqqah, while the second attack followed shortly after with a roadside improvised explosive device that detonated near an Syrian Democratic Forces vehicle in the vicinity of Rashid park in the city of Raqqah.