7 Sep 2012

GENEVA / HUMANITARIAN UPDATE

The number of people in desperate need of humanitarian assistance in Syria has doubled in less than two months, according to the Syria Humanitarian Forum which met in Geneva today (7 September). CH UNTV

Posted at: September 7, 2012 12:10 pm

Duration: 01:43

Available in: SD

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STORY: GENEVA / SYRIA HUMANITARIAN UPDATE
TRT: 1.43
SOURCE: CH UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 7 SEPTEMBER 2012, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

SHOTLIST:

1. Wide shot, exterior Palais des Nations 
2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. Med shot, cameraman
4. SOUNDBITE (English) John Ging, Director of the Coordination and Response Division at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Chairman of the Syria Humanitarian Forum: 
"The entire civilian population inside Syria is gripped by fear and despair and the basis for that fear is very real when we see the numbers that are being killed, the increasing intensity of that violence, in terms of the destruction and also the despair is grounded in the fact that they do not see any prospect for an end to this horrendous cycle of violence."
5. Cutaway, journalists
6. SOUNDBITE (English) John Ging, Director of the Coordination and Response Division at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Chairman of the Syria Humanitarian Forum: 
"Our humanitarian colleagues are taking tremendous risks on a daily basis and continue to do so and of course we applaud them for their courage. But absolutely it's a complex situation, both in terms of the political dynamics and the arrangements with the Syrian government, also vis-à-vis the security and the constraints that arise from that."
7. Cutaway, journalists
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Panos Moumtzis, Regional Refugee Coordinator, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: 
"We are in a crisis mode. We are in an emergency mode. There is a sense of urgency in terms of the response. I've just come back from the field and, really, I cannot say enough about what I saw. UNHCR, World Food Program, NGO partners, everyone doing as best as we can to respond. We have authorized our operations to the maximum with the funds available. We urgently need additional resources to be able to cope with the situation."
9. Wide shot, journalists at meeting 
10. Wide shot, podium

STORYLINE

The number of people in desperate need of humanitarian assistance in Syria has doubled in less than two months, according to the Syria Humanitarian Forum, which met for the fifth time at the United Nations in Geneva today (7 September).

The Chairman of the Forum, John Ging of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said that 2.5 million people inside Syria urgently need help, with the situation getting worse every day.

"The entire civilian population inside Syria is gripped by fear and despair and the basis for that fear is very real when we see the numbers that are being killed, the increasing intensity of that violence, in terms of the destruction and also the despair is grounded in the fact that they do not see any prospect for an end to this horrendous cycle of violence", he said.

Ging said humanitarian workers in the region are also in terrible danger, "taking tremendous risks on a daily basis".

In response to the growing humanitarian needs, the United Nations has increased its humanitarian appeal for Syria from US$ 180 million to US$ 347 million.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR)'s regional coordinator, Panos Moumtzis said the increased funds are desperately needed. He said "we are in a crisis mode, we are in an emergency mode. There is a sense of urgency in terms of the response". Moumtzis said UN humanitarian agencies and NGO partners were doing "as best as we can to respond", but "we urgently need additional resources to be able to cope with the situation".

Meanwhile the European Commission has announced that it is preparing to release an additional 50 million Euros of humanitarian funding to help Syrian civilians caught up in their country's crisis.