22 Aug 2012

UN / AMOS

The UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator said today (22 August) Syrians face urgent and growing needs for health care, shelter, food, water and sanitation, with 1, 2 million people sheltered in public buildings and a shortage of medicines. UNTV

Posted at: August 22, 2012 4:57 pm

Duration: 02:40

Available in: SD

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STORY: UN / AMOS 
TRT: 2.40
SOURCE: UNTV / UNSMIS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATS

DATELINE: 22 AUGUST 2012, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

22 AUGUST 2012, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, Under-Secretary-General Valerie Amos at the dais
3. Wide shot, audience
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Valerie Amos, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under Secretary-General for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
"The humanitarian situation has worsened since my visit in March. According to the Government's own figures, 1.2 million people are sheltering in public buildings. Many more are staying with relatives and friends. Both those who have fled and their hosts have urgent humanitarian needs due to the widening impact of the crisis on the economy and people's livelihoods. The most urgent and growing needs are for health care, shelter, food, water and sanitation."
	
FILE – UNSMIS - 14 AUGUST 2012, DAMASCUS, SYRIA

5.	Pan left, Under-Secretary-General Valerie Amos visiting a school used as a shelter with school benches stored in Yard

22 AUGUST 2012, NEW YORK CITY

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Valerie Amos, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under Secretary-General for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
"We face problems with access to people in need, particularly where there is intense and ongoing fighting, but funding is also holding us back. If we had more resources, we could reach more people, especially as we have established solid partnerships with local NGOs and with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent."

FILE – UNSMIS - 14 AUGUST 2012, DAMASCUS, SYRIA

7.	Various shots, Under-Secretary-General Valerie Amos visiting the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Headquarters

22 AUGUST 2012, NEW YORK CITY
	
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Valerie Amos, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under Secretary-General for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
"I was particularly interested in trying to get them to include a number of the bigger international NGO organizations, who worked so successfully in other crises. The Government is very, very reluctant to do this. They talk about these international NGOs giving support to the opposition. I made it very clear that all the work that we do on the humanitarian side is independent, is impartial of any kind of broader political agenda."

FILE – UNSMIS - 15 AUGUST 2012, DAMASCUS, SYRIA

9.	Various shots, Under-Secretary-General Valerie Amos meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al Mouallem and members of the diplomatic community

22 AUGUST 2012, NEW YORK CITY

10.	SOUNDBITE (English) Valerie Amos, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator and head of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
"We have the possibility of a major health impact in the country. Syria, as you may know, produces most of its medicines in factories in Aleppo and elsewhere. They have now come under the impact of the fighting. So, crucial life-saving medicines are no longer available in the country."	
11.	Med shot, over the shoulder view of the dais
12.	Wide shot, dais

STORYLINE:

The United Nations (UN) humanitarian chief today (22 August) appealed to the international community to increase its funding to help 2.5 million Syrians who are in urgent need of basic services such as shelter, food, health care, water and sanitation.

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, that "the humanitarian situation has worsened" since her last visit in March, adding that according to the Government's own figures, 1.2 million people are sheltering in public buildings and many more are staying with relatives and friends.

She said "both those who have fled and their hosts have urgent humanitarian needs due to the widening impact of the crisis on the economy and people's livelihoods."

The UN official expressed serious concern about the health conditions in schools, which are being used as shelters for displaced persons, and warned of the negative impact that this would have on children when the new school year starts next month.

Amos said that lack of access to those in need and insufficient funding were hampering efforts by UN agencies and their partners to provide assistance.

She said "if we had more resources, we could reach more people, especially as we have established solid partnerships with local non-governmental organizations and with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent."

Amos told reporters she had tried to convince the Government to allow some of the bigger international NGO organizations into the country, but they were "very, very reluctant to do this" as they may offer support to the opposition.

She said she "made it very clear that all the work that we do on the humanitarian side is independent, is impartial of any kind of broader political agenda."

Amos also warned of an impending health crisis as Syria produces most of its medicines in factories in Aleppo and other cities and "they have now come under the impact of the fighting."

Syria has been wracked by violence, with an estimated 17,000 people, mostly civilians, killed since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began some 17 months ago. Over the past month, there have been reports of an escalation in violence in many towns and villages, as well as the country's two biggest cities, Damascus and Aleppo.

Last week, Amos paid a three-day visit to the strife-torn country and Lebanon to see for herself the impact of the intensifying conflict and to discuss ways to increase humanitarian assistance.

The official noted that the appeal by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) for $180 million in funds for humanitarian aid in Syria has been only half-funded, and urged on international partners to contribute more generously to be able to increase assistance.