The International Rescue Committee warns of a humanitarian catastrophe by stopping the delivery of aid to Syria

The International Rescue Committee has warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in northwest Syria, if the UN Security Council is unable to extend the mechanism for delivering UN aid to Syria.

In a statement signed by 42 non-governmental organizations, International Rescue said that failure to renew the decision would jeopardize the access of food aid to more than one million people, as well as coronavirus vaccines and necessary medical supplies.

The statement indicated the impossibility of replacing the provision of food supplies with the scope provided by the United Nations, which will have to stop working if the resolution is not renewed.

The statement warned that supplies will run out by September of this year in the event the Security Council fails to extend the mandate, noting that non-governmental organizations have the capacity to meet the needs of only 300,000 people, leaving more than a million others without food assistance.

According to the statement, the failure to renew the decision will stop the vaccination campaign led by the United Nations against the Corona virus in northwestern Syria, amid the high number of infections.

The current mandate of the mechanism for the delivery of UN humanitarian aid across the border to Syria expires on July 10.

In January 2020, the Security Council rescinded the UN mandate to use the Yarubiyah border crossing between Iraq and northeastern Syria. This has reduced the ability of aid organizations to support the faltering health care system there and respond to the Corona pandemic.