Tag Archives: Syria
21 October 2013
While all eyes are on chemical weapons in Syria and the permanent five are toasting over Resolution 2118, a clandestine international arms pipeline is quietly supplying the opposition forces with sophisticated weapons.
After The New York Times first reported in June on an unregistered arms pipeline delivering weapons to the rebels through a network of multiple state participants, news reports have continued to add more actors to the supply chain. In addition to a wide array of important US allies in the region, the involvement of the CIA itself and the Sudan has been alleged. (more…)
16 October 2013
On 11 October 2013, the UN Security Council authorised the establishment of a Joint Mission of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and the United Nations (UN) to oversee the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons. The Council endorsed the proposal formulated by Ban Ki-moon in a letter to the Council of 7 October (S/2013/591), pursuant to a request by the Security Council in Resolution 2118 (2013).
While all attention now focusses on the completion of the Joint Mission’s goal (the elimination of Syrian chemical weapons), it is not too early to plan for contingencies. The destruction of the chemical weapons will entail significant risks for the environment and human health. (more…)
9 October 2013
Besides the almost 100 United Nations and chemical weapons experts that will be deployed over the coming months in a joint mission (with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons), to oversee the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons stockpiles, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that a staging area and support base will be established in Cyprus (due to the dangers on the ground in Syria), and that the UN contribution will primarily be for logistics, security, liaison, medical support, communications and administration.
Ban Ki-moon called upon UN member states ‘to offer their full support to the work of the Joint Mission including through the provision of financial, material, technical and operational assistance’ to carry out last month’s Security Council resolution on the elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons material and equipment. In phase three (from 1 November to 30 June 2014), the joint mission will be expected to support, monitor and verify the destruction of a ‘complex chemical weapons programme involving multiple sites.’ In this phase, ‘it is highly probable that assistance by other Member States will be required in the areas of the provision of both technical and operational advice, support and equipment, as well as security and possibly other areas in order to successfully complete the destruction and/or removal activities within the allotted time’, according to the Secretary-General.
Source: UN News Centre | Ban seeks 100-member joint mission to oversee destruction of Syrian chemical weapons
3 October 2013
UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres said regarding Syrian refugees that found refuge in neighbouring states that it is his ‘duty to ask the international community to realize that this burden is far too heavy to be borne by only the neighbouring countries, and to put in place more – and more robust – measures of sharing this burden.’
He said that ‘more international solidarity with host countries and communities is now a must’, meaning not only ‘assistance through humanitarian organizations. It must also mean emergency development support – structural assistance – to neighbouring States, most importantly in health, education, housing, water, and energy supply.’
Helen Clark, Administrator of the UN Development Programme, added that ‘the challenge now is to ensure that our collective response to this complex crisis is both humanitarian and developmental in approach. The humanitarian needs are very stark, but the developmental challenges exacerbated by the crisis in the sub-region cannot be ignored.’
Source: UNHCR | UNHCR head says international community must share burden of Syrian refugees
Source: UNDP | Helen Clark: Speech at UNHCR Executive Committee High Level Segment on “Solidarity with Syrian refugees and host countries”
20 September 2013
A report published by international aid agency Oxfam reveals that many donor countries, including France, Qatar and Russia, are failing to provide their fair share of funding urgently needed to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Syria. The report calculates the level of funds expected from each donor based on a country’s Gross National Income and its overall wealth.
The UN’s five billion dollar appeal for Syria remains only forty-four per cent funded, and funding gaps are already affecting the ability of organisations to respond to humanitarian needs in the Syria crisis.
Source: BBC | Syris conflict: Oxfam highlights appeal donation 'failings'
Source: Al Jazeera | Report: Donor countries failing Syrians
Source: Oxfam International | Top donor countries failing ordinary Syrians affected by the conflict with Syria appeals falling short by US$2.7bn