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UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION

Check against delivery.

Madam President,

I thank Mr. Martin Griffiths for his important briefing today, and we welcome the recent visit of his Deputy Ms. Joyce Msuya to Syria and Jordan. We also thank Dr. Farida AlMouslem for her briefing, which highlighted the difficult conditions for women and children in Syria.

At the outset, we would like to commend the convening of the sixth Brussels Conference earlier this month, which we believe is a positive step that can be built upon to support the future of Syria and the region. The conference also emphasized the international community’s continued solidarity with the Syrian people. Although the provision of basic humanitarian assistance remains a critical issue, the scope of current talks should be broadened to include discussions on how to restore security, stability, and prosperity to Syria.

After twelve years of crisis, Syrians are still living in camps that lack the most basic human needs. In order to move beyond short-term solutions, the international community must take concrete steps to end the humanitarian crisis in a sustainable manner and ensure that the Syrian people live in dignified conditions.

Madam President,

In light of the upcoming mandate renewal of Resolution 2585, I would like to reiterate our calls to consider the renewal of the cross-border aid mechanism to Syria as a critical decision that must be reached in an objective and logical manner, reflecting the facts on the ground. Regardless of any differences over other files, we need to work together on this file to ensure that cross-border and cross-line aid reaches those in need.

Although the cross-border aid delivery mechanism is not perfect, it remains necessary at this stage to ensure the delivery of aid to all those in need in northwest Syria. In this context, the UAE supports the delivery of humanitarian aid through all means, including cross-line assistance. We welcome the extension of the United Nations operational plan until December of this year, as well as the deployment of the fourth cross-line convoy to northwest Syria, which included vital food aid.

Given that the Bab al-Hawa crossing is the only humanitarian passage for cross-border aid delivery to Syria, the security and stability of this border crossing must be maintained by all parties. At the same time, we must work to increase the number of cross-line aid deliveries, and all parties on the ground must work together to remove any security obstacles that may hinder the delivery of aid.

The dire security situation in Al-Hol camp, and the accompanying deterioration of the humanitarian situation, is deeply concerning, especially with the recent increase in murders and violence last week, which includes violence committed against humanitarian actors. We stress here that addressing the humanitarian conditions in the camp will not succeed without also addressing the security conditions in the camp that impede the delivery of drinking water and halt life-saving activities.

In this context, it is important that the camp preserves its humanitarian and civilian nature and that citizens are repatriated to their countries. In this regard, we welcome the recent repatriation of five hundred families to the Republic of Iraq, most of whom were women and children from Al-Hol camp. We encourage other countries that have citizens in the camp to take similar steps.

Syrian women must also be supported and protected, and their resilience strengthened, especially in camps where women and girls are at risk of sexual and gender-based violence.

Finally, we urge the international community to make further efforts to support the early recovery of civilian infrastructure and vital sectors that have been affected by the conflict, especially education and health. This is particularly important given the persistent gaps in funding that render the current humanitarian response unsustainable. We see here the importance of intensifying international investment in food and water as part of early recovery efforts, as this will contribute to strengthening the humanitarian response for Syrians.

Thank you, Madam President.