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Thursday, February 13, 2014

Russian draft resolution on humanitarian situation in Syria

Russian Federation
Draft
The Security Council,
PP1 Recalling its resolutions 2042 (2012), 2043 (2012) and 2118 (2013), and its Presidential Statements of 3 August 2011, 21 March 2012, 5 April 2012 and 2 October 2013,
PP2 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,
PP3 Being appalled at the unacceptable level of violence and the death of tens of thousands of people in Syria, including women and children,
PP4 Expressing grave alarm at the significant and rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Syria, in particular the dire situation of hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in besieged areas or living in hard-to-reach areas, and deploring the difficulties in providing necessary humanitarian assistance to all civilians in need inside Syria,
PP5 Calling on all parties to respect the UN guiding principles of humanitarian emergency assistance and stressing the importance of such assistance being delivered on the basis of need, devoid of any political prejudices and aims, commending the efforts of the United Nations and all humanitarian and medical personnel in Syria and in neighbouring countries, and condemning all acts or threats of violence against United Nations staff and humanitarian actors, which have resulted in the death, injury and detention of many humanitarian personnel,
PP6 Expressing grave concern at the increasing number of refugees and internally displaced persons caused by the conflict in Syria, Which has a destabilizing impact on the entire region, and underscoring its appreciation for the significant and admirable efforts that have been made by the countries of the region, notably Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt, to accommodate more than 2.3 million refugees who have fled Syria as a result of the ongoing violence, While acknowledging the enormous political, socioeconomic and financial impact of the presence of large-scale populations in these countries and underscoring the need for all parties to respect and maintain the security and civilian character of camps for refugees and internally displaced persons,
PP7 Welcoming the pledges totalling $2.5 billion at the second international humanitarian pledging conference for Syria, hosted by Kuwait on 15 January 2014, and expressing its appreciation to Member States and regional and sub-regional organizations that have pledged to provide humanitarian assistance to people in need in all parts of Syria, including internally displaced persons, as well as to refugees in neighbouring host countries, and calling on all Member States to ensure the timely disbursement of pledges through the UN and continued support in line With growing humanitarian needs,
PP8 Calling on all parties to end immediately all violence and violations which led to the human suffering in Syria, save Syria's rich societal mosaic and cultural heritage, and take appropriate steps to ensure the protection of Syria's world heritage sites,
PP9 Expressing its regret about the slow pace of progress in the implementation of the provisions of its Presidential Statement of 2 October 2013 (S/PRST/2013/ 15), condemning cases of arbitrary denial of humanitarian access and recalling that arbitrary denial of humanitarian access and depriving civilians of objects indispensable to their survival, including willfully impeding relief supply and access, can constitute a violation of international humanitarian law,
PP10 Recognizing that some practical steps undertaken by the Syrian authorities in implementing the requirements of the 2 October 2013 Statement by the President of the Security Council as well as their increased level of cooperation with the UN humanitarian family have allowed certain efforts to result in alleviating the humanitarian situation of civilians in some cases, including through the delivery of humanitarian assistance to besieged and hard-to-reach areas, local ceasefires, humanitarian pauses and evacuation of civilians, and welcoming in this regard as a commendable precedent the humanitarian pause agreed with respect to the old city of Horns between the parties to the conflict while condemning the violation of the pause and the deliberate targeting of aid workers by opposition elements,
PP11 Noting that the Syrian authorities have met or showed progress in meeting calls for expediting or easing procedures for operationalization of additional humanitarian hubs, convoys, granting visas, permits and approvals for the implementation of humanitarian activities,
PP12 Strongly condemning increased terrorist attacks resulting in numerous casualties and destruction carried out by organizations and individuals associated With Al-Qaeda and other terrorist and extremist groups, and reiterating its call on all parties to commit to putting an end to terrorist acts perpetrated by such organizations and individuals, while that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, Whenever and by whomsoever committed,
PP13 Emphasizing that the humanitarian situation Will continue to deteriorate in the absence of a durable political solution to the crisis, reiterating its endorsement of the Geneva Communiqué of 30 June 2012 (Annex II of Resolution 2118 (2013)) and demanding that all parties work towards the immediate and comprehensive implementation of the Geneva Communiqué aimed at bringing an immediate end to all Violence and violations of international law through a Syrian-led political process launched in Montreux on 22 January 2014 and leading to a transition that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and enables them independently and democratically to determine their own future,
1. Condemns the Widespread violations of human rights and international humanitarian law irrespective of where they come from, as well as all grave violations and abuses committed against children in contravention of applicable international law, such as recruitment and use, killing and maiming, rape, attacks on schools and hospitals as well as arbitrary arrest, detention, torture, ill treatment and use as human shields;
2. Calls upon all parties to immediately put an end to all forms of violence, irrespective of Where it comes from, cease, and desist from all violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights, and reaffirm their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law;
3. Calls upon all parties to the conflict to cease indiscriminate attacks against civilians and methods of warfare which are of a nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering, and recalls in this regard the obligation to respect and ensure respect for international humanitarian law in all circumstances, and further recalls, in particular, the obligation to distinguish between civilian populations and combatants, and the prohibition against indiscriminate attacks, and attacks against civilians and civilian objects as such;
4. Calls upon all parties to fully implement the provisions of the 2 October 2013 Statement by the President of the Security Council, including through facilitating, in accordance with the UN guiding principles of humanitarian emergency assistance, the expansion of humanitarian relief operations;
5. Calls upon all parties to end the sieges of populated areas, to allow the delivery of necessary humanitarian assistance and to enable the rapid, safe and unhindered evacuation of all civilians Who Wish to leave, and underscores the need for the parties to agree on humanitarian pauses, days of tranquillity, localized cease-fires and truces to allow humanitarian agencies safe and unhindered access to all affected areas in Syria;
6. Urges all parties, in particular the Syrian authorities, to promptly facilitate safe and unhindered humanitarian access to people in need, through the most effective ways, including across conflict lines and, Where appropriate, across borders from neighbouring countries, in accordance With the UN guiding principles of humanitarian emergency assistance;
7. Calls upon all parties to take all appropriate steps to facilitate the efforts of the United Nations, its specialized agencies, and other relevant humanitarian actors engaged in humanitarian relief activities,’ promptly to provide humanitarian assistance to the affected people in Syria, including by facilitating safe and unhindered humanitarian access to civilians in need of assistance in all areas under their control, and encourages further cooperation between the United Nations, its specialized agencies and all parties concerned, in accordance with the UN guiding principles of humanitarian emergency assistance, to facilitate access and the delivery of assistance in the entirety of the Syrian territory;
8. Calls upon all parties to respect the principle of medical neutrality and facilitate free passage to all areas for medical personnel, equipment, transport and supplies, and recalls that under international humanitarian law the wounded and sick must receive, to the fullest extent practicable, and with the least possible delay, medical care and attention required by their condition, and that medical and humanitarian personnel, facilities and transport must be respected and protected;
9. Calls upon all parties to take all appropriate steps to protect civilians, including ethnical, religious and confessional minorities, and stresses in this regard that the primary responsibility to protect its population lies with the Syrian authorities;
10. Calls upon all parties to demilitarize medical facilities, schools and other civilian facilities, to avoid establishing military positions in populated areas and to desist from attacks directed against civilian objects;
11. C0ndemns the continued arbitrary detention and torture of civilians in Syria as well as kidnappings, abductions and forced disappearances, and calls for the immediate end of these practices and release all arbitrarily detained persons starting with women and children, as well as elderly people and UN personnel;
12. Calls upon all parties to take all appropriate steps to ensure the safety and security of United Nations personnel, those of its specialized agencies, and all other personnel engaged in humanitarian relief activities, Without prejudice to their freedom of movement and access, and stresses that the primary responsibility in this regard lies with the Syrian authorities;
13. Stresses the need to end impunity for violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights, and reaffirms that those who ' have committed or are otherwise responsible for such violations and abuses in Syria must be brought to justice;
14. Strongly condemns the increased terrorist attacks resulting in numerous casualties and destruction carried out by organizations and individuals associated with Al-Qaeda and other terrorist and extremist groups, and calls upon the Syrian authorities and opposition forces jointly to commit to destroying and expelling from Syria all organizations and individuals affiliated to Al-Qaeda and any other non-state actors linked to terrorism, and reaffirms, in this regard, that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, Wherever, whenever and by Whomsoever committed;
15. Emphasizes that the humanitarian situation will continue to deteriorate in the absence of a political solution, welcomes in this regard the ongoing negotiation process launched at the Geneva Conference on Syria on 22 January 2014, and calls upon all parties to work towards the comprehensive implementation of the Geneva Communiqué of 30 June 2012 leading to a genuine political transition that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and enables them independently and democratically to determine their own future, and further stresses that rapid progress on a political solution represents the only sustainable opportunity to resolve all aspects of the situation in Syria peacefully, While the implementation of this resolution is key to meeting the humanitarian needs of the Syrian people;
16. Urges all Member States to contribute or increase their support to the United Nations' humanitarian appeals to meet the spiralling needs of people affected by the crisis, and to provide this support in close coordination with relevant United Nations agencies, and to ensure that all pledges are honoured in full, and further urges all Member States, based on burden sharing principles, to support the neighbouring host countries to enable them to respond to the growing humanitarian needs, including by providing direct support;
17. Requests the Secretary-General to regularly report to the Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria and its impact on neighbouring countries, including on progress towards implementation of the specific steps outlined in this resolution;
18. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter. 
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