UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths is in Turkey and will travel to Syria this weekend to assess the needs of the population affected by the devastating earthquakes earlier this week, which have already left more than 19,000 people dead.
This visit of Griffiths to the affected areas is given by order of the UN Secretary General himself, Antonio Guterres, and will take him to the cities where the effects of the tremor have been most devastating, such as Gaziantep, in the south of Turkey; or Aleppo, in the north of Syria. He will also travel to the capital of the latter country, Damascus.
Griffiths’ main objective will be to check the situation and evaluate the way in which the United Nations can collaborate. Guterres himself has pointed out in a statement the importance of ensuring humanitarian access through roads that have been significantly damaged, as well as increasing support to the humanitarian fund and the Syrian cross-border fund.
«These are the best options to enable the UN and its humanitarian partners to respond quickly to people in need (…) Early next week, we will launch a flash appeal for donor support to those affected by the earthquake in Syria,» added the UN Secretary-General.
Beyond the needs to ensure access to the affected areas and population, Guterres has taken the opportunity to value the response of UN agencies, which together with various NGOs, are already offering their work on the ground in Syria and assessing the initial funding requirements.
«In the face of this epic disaster, I strongly appeal to the international community to show the people of Turkey and Syria the same kind of support and generosity with which they received, protected and helped millions of refugees and displaced people in a huge show of solidarity,» he added.
FIRST HUMANITARIAN CONVOY Southern Turkey and northern Syria were rocked on Monday by a succession of earthquakes that have already left more than 19,000 people dead between the two countries, according to the official balances of the respective authorities. Guterres has even catalogued what happened as «one of the greatest natural disasters of our time».
«We mourn the loss of so many, and the tragic toll continues to rise. Thousands of buildings have collapsed. Tens of thousands of people are exposed to unacceptable winter conditions. Schools and hospitals have been destroyed. Children are enduring terrible trauma,» summarized Guterres.
In response, the United Nations has already sent a first convoy of humanitarian aid to Syria through the Bab al Hawa border crossing in the northwest of the country. This included up to six trucks with relief supplies and sheds, although Guterres stressed that «more aid is on the way».
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
