13 July 2020; MEMO: UN Secretary-General António Guterres has hailed the Security Council decision to extend cross-border humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees, the UN News website reported on Sunday.
The previous authorisation for the six-year-long humanitarian operation under resolution 2504 expired at midnight yesterday, leaving millions of Syrian civilians potentially in limbo, explained UN News. China, the Dominican Republic and Russia abstained in the vote to extend the term.
In a statement issued through his spokesperson, Guterres said that the reauthorisation would help safeguard assistance for “2.8 million people-in-need” in the north-west of Syria until July next year.
“Cross-border humanitarian assistance remains a lifeline for millions of people-in-need in the area and beyond,” he added.
Guterres also reiterated his call for all parties to the conflict to “ensure humanitarian access to all people in need in accordance with international humanitarian law.”
