syria-un-20180220 14

S/2018/138 14/19 18-02426 42. Nevertheless, progress on these issues remains to be seen. The level of humanitarian access remains catastrophic, in particular to the 5.6 million Syrians in acute need. No convoys have reached a besieged area in more than two months; this is the worst situation regarding United Nations access to besieged locations since 2015. There were also limitations on access for all modalities of assistance delivery in January. Medical evacuations continue to be urgently required. International humanitarian law is clear that medical evacuations are an obligation based on medical need alone. 43. Accountability for serious violations is a requirement under international law and central to achieving sustainable peace in the Syrian Arab Republic. I reiterate my call for the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic to be referred to the International Criminal Court. I also call upon all parties to the conflict, Member States, civil society and the United Nations system as a whole 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. 44. The presence of the United Nations at the Congress of the Syrian National Dialogue in Sochi on 30 January was based on a common understanding between the Russian Federation and the United Nations on the nature and outcome of the meeting and its contribution to the United Nations-led talks in Geneva. The Sochi final statement (see S/2018/121) embraced a vision of the Syrian Arab Republic for all Syrians, as reflected by the 12 principles put forward by my Special Envoy in 2017. It affirmed that the mandate, terms of reference, powers, rules of procedure and selection criteria for the composition of a constitutional committee are to be reached under United Nations auspices in Geneva in accordance with Security Council resolution 2254 (2015), which mandates the United Nations to set a schedule and process for drafting a new constitution. It affirmed that such a committee should, at the very least, comprise the Government, opposition representatives in the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva, Syrian experts, civil society, independent entities, tribal leaders and women, in addition to an adequate representation of the ethnic and religious components of the Syrian Arab Republic. 45. My Special Envoy will now draw on the Sochi outcome to meet our shared goal: the full implementation of resolution 2254 (2015) and of the Geneva Communiqué. I call on the Government and opposition delegations to the United Nations-led intra-Syrian talks, and all States with influence over the parties, to cooperate with my Special Envoy and the United Nations in this important endeavour. I also emphasize that a safe, calm and neutral environment is needed for constitutional and electoral processes to unfold. The legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people depend upon it. I also call for progress with regard to the detainees, abductees and missing people. 46. I must reiterate that progress towards a political settlement needs to be accompanied by progress on the ground for the Syrian people. Syrians need a sustained ceasefire, which must be accompanied by strict respect for international law, in particular the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure, rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access based on need, and medical evacuations for the wounded and sick