Currently, 16.7 million inhabitants of Syria need humanitarian assistance. This is stated in the statement of the special representative of the UN Secretary General for Syria Gayr Pedersen on the occasion of the 13th anniversary of the beginning of the armed conflict in Syria.
Pedersen noted that the political settlement of the crisis has not yet been achieved, and the growth of tension in the region gives the situation an even more tragic character.
“The Syrian people for a long time suffer from indescribable violence and destruction that have affected all layers of society. The humanitarian crisis in Syria continues to go deeper: a stunning figure – 16.7 million people need humanitarian assistance. This is the highest indicator from the beginning of the conflict” – he said.
The special settlement added that more than 5 million Syrian refugees found a shelter in neighboring countries, more than 7 million were moved within the country.
Pedersen called on all aspects of the conflict to the urgent cessation of violence, the fulfillment of his obligations to protect the civilians and civilian infrastructure, as well as to the immediate and unconditional release of arbitrarily detained persons.
He also called on the international community to combine efforts and put political pressure in order to take measures to strengthen trust, resume the work of the Constitutional Committee of Syria and a comprehensive discussion of all existing issues in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution.