syria-un-20161221 3

A/RES/2332 (2016) 16-22694 3/5 specialized agencies, and all other personnel engaged in humanitarian relief activities, Noting that, despite ongoing challenges, the United Nations and their implementing partners continue to deliver life-saving assistance to millions of people in need in Syria through humanitarian aid delivered across borders, including the delivery of food assistance for over 3 million people; non-food items for 2.9 million people; medical supplies for 9 million treatments, and water and sanitation supplies for over 2.5 million people, Deeply disturbed by the number of people reached with humanitarian assistance in hard-to-reach and besieged areas, and expressing grave alarm at the dire situation of the hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in besieged areas in the Syrian Arab Republic, Reiterating its grave concern at all instances of hindrances to the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance, noting that ISIL (also known as Daesh), ANF and all other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al -Qaida, are hindering the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance, and are responsible for preventing aid delivery through deliberate interference and obstruction, Reiterating further its grave concern at the continuing and growing impediments to the delivery of humanitarian assistance across conflict lines, including through a decline in convoy approvals by the Syrian authorities, Expressing grave concern that access to medical care continues to be severely restricted, and reiterating the need to respect the principle of medical neutrality, facilitate free passage to all areas for medical personnel, equipment, transport and supplies, including surgical items, Reaffirming the need to support the United Nations and their implementing partners in their efforts to expand the delivery of humanitarian assistance to reach all people in need in Syria, and further reaffirming its decision in resolution 2165 (2014) that all Syrian parties to the conflict shall enable the immediate and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance directly to peop le throughout Syria, by the United Nations and their implementing partners, on the basis of United Nations assessments of need and devoid of any political prejudices and aims, including by immediately removing all impediments to the provision of humanitarian assistance, Expressing its interest in receiving more detailed information from the UN Secretary-General on the delivery of humanitarian assistance by the United Nations and their implementing partners, in accordance with UNSC Resolution 2165 (2014), Expressing its appreciation for the work of the United Nations monitoring mechanism in monitoring shipments and confirming their humanitarian nature, in accordance with resolutions 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014) and 2258 (2015), and commending the mechanism’s efforts in facilitating cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid by the United Nations and their implementing partners, and encouraging the United Nations and their implementing partners to continue to take steps to scale up humanitarian deliveries into hard-to-reach and besieged areas, including by using, as effectively as possible, border crossings under resolution 2165 (2014)