syria-un-20141125 2

No more than two besieged locations have been reached in any month since the adoption of resolution 2165 and only one location has been reached in each of the past two months. Mr. President, This is a conflict that is affecting every Syrian. Syria’s economy has contracted some 40 per cent since 2011. Unemployment now exceeds 54 per cent. Three quarters of the population live in poverty. School attendance has dropped by more than 50 per cent. Young people have few prospects of a bright future. We have lamented the possibility of a lost generation of Syria's children: it is now a reality. One of the consequences of resolution 2165 is that we now have better data with respect to the numbers of people in need. Some 12.2 million people are now in urgent need of humanitarian assistance throughout the country. More than five million of those in need are children. Violence has forced nearly half of Syrians from their homes, many of them multiple times. There are now some 7.6 million people displaced inside Syria. In addition, more than 3.2 million people have fled the country, with countries in the region and communities hosting refugees bearing an enormous burden. This is the largest number of people displaced from conflict in the world. Mr. President, Despite the repeated calls from this Council for the fighting to stop and hard hitting reports from the Independent Commission of Inquiry of ongoing abuses of human rights, civilians continue to be killed and injured every day. The Commission’s recent report documented ISIL’s brutality, including its barbaric treatment of women and children and the systematic use of torture, murder, rape and enslavement. Opposition groups, including designated terrorist groups, mete out brutal punishment and attack civilian services. And the government’s aerial attacks, including with barrel bombs, have pounded civilian areas, IDP camps and civilian facilities. Today, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, we particularly remember Syria's women and children. Sexual violence has been used as a form of torture, to injure, to degrade, intimidate and as punishment. As detailed in this month's Secretary-General's report to the Council, UN organizations and their partners continue to work in extreme and dangerous circumstances. 69 workers have been killed since the beginning of the conflict. We should all be humbled by the commitment and bravery of the thousands of workers who risk their lives to deliver much needed aid to people throughout Syria. As the situation on the ground becomes more dangerous and difficult it is even more important that humanitarian actors are able to use all tools at their disposal to reach people in need, from within the country and across borders