UN / SYRIA
28-Feb-2023
00:05:21
UN top officials informed the Security Council about the “tragic reality” in Syria after an earthquake in early February worsened the humanitarian crisis. UNIFEED
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STORY: UN / SYRIA
TRT: 05:21
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 28 FEBRUARY 2023, NEW YORK CITY
TRT: 05:21
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 28 FEBRUARY 2023, NEW YORK CITY
SHOTLIST
RECENT - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
28 FEBRUARY 2023, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Geir Pedersen, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria:
“To then be battered by one of the biggest natural disasters of our times is almost beyond belief. The earthquakes struck when their needs were highest, when services were scarcest, when the economy was lowest, and when their infrastructure was already heavily damaged.”
4. Wide shot, Security Council
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Geir Pedersen, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria:
“In support of the humanitarian imperative, I have urged all to depoliticize the humanitarian response. This means access: this is not the time to play politics with crossings across borders or frontlines. This means resources: this is the time for everybody to give quickly and generously to Syria and remove all hindrances to relief reaching Syrians in all affected areas. And this means calm: this is not the time for military action or violence.”
6. Med shot, Council members
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Geir Pedersen, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria:
“The tragic reality is that an effective response was hampered in part by challenges that relate directly to the unresolved issues at the heart of the conflict. I have long said that the situation in Syria is unsustainable, that the status quo is totally unacceptable, and that the Syrian people are acutely vulnerable to issues not solely in their hands. It has taken tragic earthquakes to reveal this clearly. And the Syrian people, again, are the ones who pay a heavy price.”
8. Med shot, Council members
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Geir Pedersen, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria:
“But, Madam President, the earthquakes are revealing another reality, too. We are seeing that it is possible to work for the common good. Notwithstanding the challenges and failures in the early days, the steps taken in response to the earthquakes – all temporary, all humanitarian, but all important – have sent a clear message: yes, it is possible to make positive moves, and it is possible to cooperate over Syria. I see several signals in this regard.”
10. Close up, Security Council president
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“Madam President, it's now three weeks since the earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria, and the devastating scale of that disaster is coming into sharp relief but it isn’t still fully clear. At least 50,000 people have been killed, including about 6,000 in Syria, mostly in the north-west, and many more are injured. Tens of thousands of people remain missing still, we don’t know alive or dead, and hundreds of thousands are homeless.”
12. Wide shot, Security Council
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“This immense almost unbelievable tragedy comes at an extremely difficult time for the people of Syria, compounding suffering in a country already plagued by 12 years of conflict. Even before this latest tragedy, some 15.3 million people—70 per cent of the country’s population—needed humanitarian assistance. And amid the harsh winter season, the earthquake has destroyed entire neighborhoods, rendering them uninhabitable, as I and many others saw myself earlier this month.”
14. Wide shot, Security Council
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“Madam President, we know what needs to be done to provide affected people with dignified living conditions and I hope we’ll be doing all we can to help make that happen. Everyone in this room, everyone in this meeting, can help make that a reality. It’s a common endeavor to rise to this occasion.”
16. Med shot, Sabbagh addressing the Council
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Bassam Sabbagh, Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations:
“I would like to note that the efforts to fight the destructive repercussions of the earthquake are ongoing and require great international support and enormous capabilities. This will only be possible when humanitarian considerations are prioritized over political considerations, when sincere and genuine support is provided for Syria and its people, when donors fulfill their commitments, and when a safe and stable environment is provided for Syrians.”
18. Wide shot, Security Council
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
28 FEBRUARY 2023, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Geir Pedersen, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria:
“To then be battered by one of the biggest natural disasters of our times is almost beyond belief. The earthquakes struck when their needs were highest, when services were scarcest, when the economy was lowest, and when their infrastructure was already heavily damaged.”
4. Wide shot, Security Council
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Geir Pedersen, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria:
“In support of the humanitarian imperative, I have urged all to depoliticize the humanitarian response. This means access: this is not the time to play politics with crossings across borders or frontlines. This means resources: this is the time for everybody to give quickly and generously to Syria and remove all hindrances to relief reaching Syrians in all affected areas. And this means calm: this is not the time for military action or violence.”
6. Med shot, Council members
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Geir Pedersen, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria:
“The tragic reality is that an effective response was hampered in part by challenges that relate directly to the unresolved issues at the heart of the conflict. I have long said that the situation in Syria is unsustainable, that the status quo is totally unacceptable, and that the Syrian people are acutely vulnerable to issues not solely in their hands. It has taken tragic earthquakes to reveal this clearly. And the Syrian people, again, are the ones who pay a heavy price.”
8. Med shot, Council members
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Geir Pedersen, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria:
“But, Madam President, the earthquakes are revealing another reality, too. We are seeing that it is possible to work for the common good. Notwithstanding the challenges and failures in the early days, the steps taken in response to the earthquakes – all temporary, all humanitarian, but all important – have sent a clear message: yes, it is possible to make positive moves, and it is possible to cooperate over Syria. I see several signals in this regard.”
10. Close up, Security Council president
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“Madam President, it's now three weeks since the earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria, and the devastating scale of that disaster is coming into sharp relief but it isn’t still fully clear. At least 50,000 people have been killed, including about 6,000 in Syria, mostly in the north-west, and many more are injured. Tens of thousands of people remain missing still, we don’t know alive or dead, and hundreds of thousands are homeless.”
12. Wide shot, Security Council
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“This immense almost unbelievable tragedy comes at an extremely difficult time for the people of Syria, compounding suffering in a country already plagued by 12 years of conflict. Even before this latest tragedy, some 15.3 million people—70 per cent of the country’s population—needed humanitarian assistance. And amid the harsh winter season, the earthquake has destroyed entire neighborhoods, rendering them uninhabitable, as I and many others saw myself earlier this month.”
14. Wide shot, Security Council
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator:
“Madam President, we know what needs to be done to provide affected people with dignified living conditions and I hope we’ll be doing all we can to help make that happen. Everyone in this room, everyone in this meeting, can help make that a reality. It’s a common endeavor to rise to this occasion.”
16. Med shot, Sabbagh addressing the Council
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Bassam Sabbagh, Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations:
“I would like to note that the efforts to fight the destructive repercussions of the earthquake are ongoing and require great international support and enormous capabilities. This will only be possible when humanitarian considerations are prioritized over political considerations, when sincere and genuine support is provided for Syria and its people, when donors fulfill their commitments, and when a safe and stable environment is provided for Syrians.”
18. Wide shot, Security Council
STORYLINE
UN top officials informed the Security Council about the “tragic reality” in Syria after an earthquake in early February worsened the humanitarian crisis.
Addressing the Council on Tuesday (28 Feb), Geir Pedersen, the Special Envoy for Syria, noted all the challenges Syrians were already facing and said that “to then be battered by one of the biggest natural disasters of our times is almost beyond belief.”
Pedersen added, “The earthquakes struck when their needs were highest, when services were scarcest, when the economy was lowest, and when their infrastructure was already heavily damaged.”
The Special Envoy informed that, in support of the humanitarian response, he “urged all to depoliticize the humanitarian response.”
According to him, “this means access” because “this is not the time to play politics with crossings across borders or frontlines.”
It also means resources, because “this is the time for everybody to give quickly and generously to Syria and remove all hindrances to relief reaching Syrians in all affected areas” and it means calm, because “this is not the time for military action or violence.”
The Special Envoy said that “the tragic reality is that an effective response was hampered in part by challenges that relate directly to the unresolved issues at the heart of the conflict.”
Pedersen added, “I have long said that the situation in Syria is unsustainable, that the status quo is totally unacceptable, and that the Syrian people are acutely vulnerable to issues not solely in their hands. It has taken tragic earthquakes to reveal this clearly. And the Syrian people, again, are the ones who pay a heavy price.”
Despite these challenges, the Special Envoy said, “the earthquakes are revealing another reality, too.”
“We are seeing that it is possible to work for the common good. Notwithstanding the challenges and failures in the early days, the steps taken in response to the earthquakes – all temporary, all humanitarian, but all important – have sent a clear message: yes, it is possible to make positive moves, and it is possible to cooperate over Syria. I see several signals in this regard,” explained Pedersen.
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, also briefed the Council, noting that “three weeks since the earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria, and the devastating scale of that disaster is coming into sharp relief, but it isn’t still fully clear.”
According to Griffiths, “at least 50,000 people have been killed, including about 6,000 in Syria, mostly in the north-west, and many more are injured.” He also said that “tens of thousands of people remain missing still, we don’t know alive or dead, and hundreds of thousands are homeless.”
For the Emergency Relief Coordinator, “this immense almost unbelievable tragedy comes at an extremely difficult time for the people of Syria, compounding suffering in a country already plagued by 12 years of conflict.”
Even before this latest tragedy, some 15.3 million people—70 per cent of the country’s population—needed humanitarian assistance.
Griffiths added, “And amid the harsh winter season, the earthquake has destroyed entire neighborhoods, rendering them uninhabitable, as I and many others saw myself earlier this month.”
The Under-Secretary-General told Council members that “we know what needs to be done to provide affected people with dignified living conditions” and he hopes everyone will be doing all it can to help.
“Everyone in this room, everyone in this meeting, can help make that a reality. It’s a common endeavor to rise to this occasion,” concluded Griffiths.
Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Bassam Sabbagh, said “the efforts to fight the destructive repercussions of the earthquake are ongoing and require great international support and enormous capabilities.”
According to Sabbagh, “this will only be possible when humanitarian considerations are prioritized over political considerations, when sincere and genuine support is provided for Syria and its people, when donors fulfill their commitments, and when a safe and stable environment is provided for Syrians.”
The UN Syria Flash Appeal calls for $397.6 million to meet the most critical needs over the next three months.
Meanwhile, the 2023 Syria Humanitarian Response Plan will require $4.8 billion to address pre-existing needs, making it the largest humanitarian appeal worldwide.
Addressing the Council on Tuesday (28 Feb), Geir Pedersen, the Special Envoy for Syria, noted all the challenges Syrians were already facing and said that “to then be battered by one of the biggest natural disasters of our times is almost beyond belief.”
Pedersen added, “The earthquakes struck when their needs were highest, when services were scarcest, when the economy was lowest, and when their infrastructure was already heavily damaged.”
The Special Envoy informed that, in support of the humanitarian response, he “urged all to depoliticize the humanitarian response.”
According to him, “this means access” because “this is not the time to play politics with crossings across borders or frontlines.”
It also means resources, because “this is the time for everybody to give quickly and generously to Syria and remove all hindrances to relief reaching Syrians in all affected areas” and it means calm, because “this is not the time for military action or violence.”
The Special Envoy said that “the tragic reality is that an effective response was hampered in part by challenges that relate directly to the unresolved issues at the heart of the conflict.”
Pedersen added, “I have long said that the situation in Syria is unsustainable, that the status quo is totally unacceptable, and that the Syrian people are acutely vulnerable to issues not solely in their hands. It has taken tragic earthquakes to reveal this clearly. And the Syrian people, again, are the ones who pay a heavy price.”
Despite these challenges, the Special Envoy said, “the earthquakes are revealing another reality, too.”
“We are seeing that it is possible to work for the common good. Notwithstanding the challenges and failures in the early days, the steps taken in response to the earthquakes – all temporary, all humanitarian, but all important – have sent a clear message: yes, it is possible to make positive moves, and it is possible to cooperate over Syria. I see several signals in this regard,” explained Pedersen.
The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths, also briefed the Council, noting that “three weeks since the earthquakes struck Türkiye and Syria, and the devastating scale of that disaster is coming into sharp relief, but it isn’t still fully clear.”
According to Griffiths, “at least 50,000 people have been killed, including about 6,000 in Syria, mostly in the north-west, and many more are injured.” He also said that “tens of thousands of people remain missing still, we don’t know alive or dead, and hundreds of thousands are homeless.”
For the Emergency Relief Coordinator, “this immense almost unbelievable tragedy comes at an extremely difficult time for the people of Syria, compounding suffering in a country already plagued by 12 years of conflict.”
Even before this latest tragedy, some 15.3 million people—70 per cent of the country’s population—needed humanitarian assistance.
Griffiths added, “And amid the harsh winter season, the earthquake has destroyed entire neighborhoods, rendering them uninhabitable, as I and many others saw myself earlier this month.”
The Under-Secretary-General told Council members that “we know what needs to be done to provide affected people with dignified living conditions” and he hopes everyone will be doing all it can to help.
“Everyone in this room, everyone in this meeting, can help make that a reality. It’s a common endeavor to rise to this occasion,” concluded Griffiths.
Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Bassam Sabbagh, said “the efforts to fight the destructive repercussions of the earthquake are ongoing and require great international support and enormous capabilities.”
According to Sabbagh, “this will only be possible when humanitarian considerations are prioritized over political considerations, when sincere and genuine support is provided for Syria and its people, when donors fulfill their commitments, and when a safe and stable environment is provided for Syrians.”
The UN Syria Flash Appeal calls for $397.6 million to meet the most critical needs over the next three months.
Meanwhile, the 2023 Syria Humanitarian Response Plan will require $4.8 billion to address pre-existing needs, making it the largest humanitarian appeal worldwide.
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