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UN reports limited convoy access to Syria's displaced; calls for protection and resources
Summary
The UN said convoys reached parts of rural Damascus and that roughly 3,000 people were sheltering in hotels in Seyda Zaynab, while warning that health access is limited and more sustained humanitarian resources are needed.
The United Nations reported that a third convoy reached the governorate area of Seyda Zaynab in rural Damascus and that many displaced families are sheltering in hotels, while aid groups warned of limited health access and urgent needs for reconstruction funding.
At a briefing, the UN spokesperson summarized remarks from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the special envoy for Syria. OCHA's director for operations and advocacy highlighted three priorities for the Security Council: protection of civilians, sustained investment in humanitarian operations in Syria, and mobilizing resources for reconstruction and development.
UN teams said that displaced families reported trauma, injuries during fighting and loss of homes and documentation. Health access is constrained with reports that only one public hospital in the assessed area was functioning and that the nearest health center was six kilometers away. The briefing said WHO had confirmed five attacks on health-care facilities during the recent escalation, including the killing of two doctors and targeted obstruction of ambulances. Mobile medical teams have been deployed to areas of displacement to deliver urgent outpatient consultations, maternal and child health services, mental health support and essential medicines.
The UN reported that in coordination with partners it had distributed household kits to more than 9,000 people and provided water, fuel and sanitation supplies to affected areas. The briefing said additional water tanks were being dispatched to reception centers to improve access to safe water.
OCHA-led interagency missions visited rural Damascus areas and assessed reception centers in Dara governorate as potential sites to accommodate displaced families. The UN emphasized that sustained access and more resources are required to scale up assistance.
