Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke last week to discuss the urgent need for humanitarian access in Syria in response to the Feb. 6 earthquakes.
“Important conversation with @un Secretary General @antonioguterres on expanding UN access to earthquake victims in Türkiye and Syria. In addition to providing aid through @USAID and @StatePRM, we offer our full support to UN-led efforts to surge humanitarian aid,” Blinken said in a Feb. 14 tweet.
Blinken stressed the importance of the regime of Syria President Bashar al-Assad to keep its promise to open the Bab Al Salam and Al Rai border crossings for humanitarian purposes, even if Security Council authorization is required, when he spoke with Gutterres, the State Department (DOS) reported Feb. 14.
He emphasized that an expanded resolution would provide greater flexibility and predictability for the UN and humanitarian actors to deliver aid to those in need in Syria, the release reported. Both secretaries agreed to remain engaged on the issue.
The Secretary-General stated he welcomes al-Assad’s decision to open two crossing points for three months, allowing humanitarian aid to be delivered to north-west Syria, in a statement issued Feb. 13 . With the ongoing earthquake crisis, the move will enable aid to be delivered more quickly and facilitate access, visa approvals, and travel, the statement reports.
The UN reported in its Feb. 15 daily press briefing that 117 trucks have crossed into north-west Syria since Feb. 9, with 106 using the Bab al-Hawa crossing and 11 through the Bab al-Salam crossing.
Within 24 hours of the earthquakes, the WFP had begun distributing food, according to a news release. Along with its local partners, it has provided emergency hot meals and ready-to-eat rations to 90,000 individuals and expects to aid an additional 80,000 people.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has been providing ready-to-eat meals and other food items to displaced families across several provinces. WFP plans to send a further 40 trucks.
