S/2020/667 SC

The Security Council, Recalling its resolutions 2042 (2012), 2043 (2012), 2118 (2013), 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2175 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2209 (2015), 2235 (2015), 2254 (2015), 2258 (2015), 2268 (2016), 2286 (2016), 2332 (2016), 2336 (2016), 2393 (2017), 2401 (2018), 2449 (2018), 2504 (2020) and its Presidential Statements of 3 August 2011 (S/PRST/2011/16), 21 March 2012 (S/PRST/2012/6), 5 April 2012 (S/PRST/2012/10), 2 October 2013 (S/PRST/2013/15), 24 April 2015 (S/PRST/2015/10), 17 August 2015 (S/PRST/2015/15), and 8 October 2019 (S/PRST/2019/12), Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria and to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, Emphasizing that more than 11 million people in Syria require humanitarian assistance and that the cross-border mechanism remains an urgent and temporary solution to address the humanitarian needs of the population, which cannot be reached through existing operations within Syria, Expressing grave concern at the humanitarian situation in Syria and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, recognising that the pandemic presents a profound challenge to Syria’s health system, socio-economic and humanitarian situations, and calling for the provision of humanitarian assistance to all parts of Syria, Recalling the guiding principles of Humanitarian Emergency assistance as set out in the GA resolution 46/182 and reiterating the need for all parties to respect and uphold the relevant provisions of international humanitarian law and the United Nations guiding principles of humanitarian emergency assistance, emphasizing the importance of upholding the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, in the provision of humanitarian assistance and recalling also the importance of humanitarian deliveries reaching their intended beneficiaries, Taking note of the Report of the Secretary-General on the review of alternative modalities for the border crossing of Al Yarubiyah (S/2020/139), and further taking note of the Review of United Nations crossline and cross-border operations (S/2020/401), and encouraging the United Nations and their implementing partners to continue to take steps to scale up humanitarian deliveries throughout the country, Taking note of efforts to improve cross-line deliveries of UN humanitarian assistance and encouraging all relevant parties to further promote, on the basis of Determining that the devastating humanitarian situation in Syria continues to constitute a threat to peace and security in the region, Underscoring that Member States are obligated under Article 25 of the Charter of the United Nations to accept and carry out the Council’s decisions, 1. Calls upon all parties to ensure principled, sustained and improved humanitarian assistance to Syria; 2. Reiterates its demand that all parties, in particular the Syrian authorities, immediately comply with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law as applicable and further demands the full and immediate implementation of all provisions of all relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2258 (2015), 2332 (2016), 2393 (2017) 2401 (2018), 2449 (2018), and 2504 (2020) and recalls that some of the violations and abuses committed in Syria may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity; 3. Decides to renew the decisions in paragraphs 2 and 3 of Security Council resolution 2165 (2014), for a period of six months, that is, until 10 January 2021, excluding the border crossings of Al-Ramtha, and Al Yarubiyah; 4. Requests the Secretary General, in view also of the grave risk posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, to report to the Security Council no later than by the end of August 2020 on the impact of the pandemic on the need for and the delivery of humanitarian assistance, including medical and surgical supplies, to people in need throughout Syria, including in areas currently not under the control of the Syrian government, in particular in the Northeast of the country, through the most direct routes, and in accordance with the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence and on trends in cross-border and cross-line access; 5. Further demands that all parties allow safe, unimpeded and sustained access for United Nations’ and their implementing partners’ humanitarian convoys, including medical and surgical supplies, to all requested areas and populations according to United Nations’ assessment of need in all parts of Syria; 6. Reiterates that the situation will continue to deteriorate further in the absence of a political solution to the Syrian conflict and recalls its demand for the full and immediate implementation of resolution 2254 (2015) to facilitate a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition, in accordance with the Geneva Communiqué as set forth in the ISSG Statements, in order to end the conflict in Syria and stresses again that the Syrian people will decide the future of Syria; 7. Calls upon United Nations humanitarian agencies to improve monitoring of the delivery and distribution of United Nations relief consignments and their delivery inside Syria and requests the Secretary-General to conduct, within six months of the adoption of this resolution, an independent written review of the United Nations humanitarian cross-line and cross-border operations, including recommendations on how to further strengthen the United Nations Monitoring Mechanism, in order to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people in need through the most direct routes, taking into account the views of relevant parties including the Syrian authorities, the relevant neighbouring countries of Syria and the United Nations Humanitarian Agencies and their implementing partners; 8. Requests the Secretary-General to brief the Council monthly and to provide a report on a regular basis, at least every 60 days, on the implementation of resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2258 (2015), 2332 (2016), 2393 (2017), 2401 (2018), 2449 (2018), 2504 (2020) and this resolution and on compliance by all relevant parties in Syria and further requests the Secretary -General to continue to include in his reports overall trends in United Nations cross -line and cross-border humanitarian access and detailed information on the humanitar ian assistance delivered through United Nations humanitarian cross-border operations as authorized by resolution 2165 (2014) and this resolution, including on the number of beneficiaries, locations of aid deliveries at district-level and the volume and nature of items delivered; 9. Reaffirms that it will take further measures under the Charter of the United Nations in the event of non-compliance with this resolution or resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014) and 2191 (2014), 2258 (2015), 2332 (2016), 2393 (2017), 2401 (2018), 2449 (2018), and 2504 (2020); 10. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

UN Project. “S/2020/667.” UN Project, https://un-project.org/votes/resolution/S-2020-667/. Accessed .

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