Thank you very much, Mr. President.
I deliver this statement on behalf of Brazil and Switzerland as Co-penholders of the Syrian humanitarian file.
We welcome today’s unanimous adoption by the Security Council of resolution 2672 confirming the continuation of the mandate for the humanitarian cross-border mechanism into Northwest Syria. It comes at a time when the 4.1 million people in need of assistance in Northwest Syria are facing harsh winter conditions. Let me therefore warmly thank all the Council members for their support.
This resolution allows humanitarian actors, particularly the United Nations and its agencies, to continue to reach those in need in a coordinated and carefully monitored manner. It extends this crucial lifeline to the civilian population in Northwest Syria, whose needs are greater than ever, and allows humanitarian actors to continue providing both life-saving and early recovery assistance at scale.
Rapid, unimpeded and sustainable access is needed. We call on all parties to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.
We again express our particular gratitude to the previous co-penholders Ireland and Norway for their tireless work on this file over the past two years and for their diligent engagement leading the path to today’s adoption. We also note with satisfaction the continued and united support by the elected members of the Council as we passed the baton from 2022 to 2023.
Finally, it remains clear that a political solution to the conflict in line with Security Council resolution 2254 must be found to improve the overall living conditions in Syria.
In our role as co-penholders with Brazil, we are guided by the humanitarian needs of the Syrian population and the universal principles represented by the UN, its agencies and its partners. Today’s adoption is an important step to ensure that crucial life-saving aid continues to reach those in need. We will work in the spirit of shared responsibility with all Council members and engage with partners on the ground towards that objective in the future.
Thank you, Mr. President.