The first cargo plane carrying food took off from Arbil in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region and will make a one-hour flight to Hassakeh in Syria.
The food supplies over the next 12 days should be able to feed more than 6,000 Syrian families for the rest of December, the UN's World Food Programme said. This is the third winter since the Syrian conflict began in March 2011.
The airlifts were delayed from last week because of a storm which swept across Syria and Lebanon, bringing with it high winds and freezing temperatures. Cold, dry winds whipped the Tarmac at Arbil airport before takeoff.
"This wave of extreme cold led to deteriorating conditions for people in the city of Qamishli and other places in Syria," Iyad Nuaman, WFP regional coordinator, told Reuters by telephone from Arbil.
"Regions of eastern Syria are suffering more than others because they are far from the capital and there were problems with the delivery of food supplies," he said.
Both governments gave permission for the aid flights which will also include supplies of non-food items such as blankets, clothes and medicine in the coming days.
The 12-day airlift, involving various UN agencies, will include 400 tons of food and 196 kg of medical kits.
http://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/UN-starts-first-aid-airlifts-from-Iraq-as-winter-weather-affects-Syria-335067
15/12/13
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U.N. seeks $6.5 billion for Syria crisis in 2014...
ReplyDelete(Reuters) - The United Nations appealed for $6.5 billion for Syria and its neighbors on Monday to help 16 million people next year, many of them hungry or homeless victims of a 33-month-old conflict that has no end in sight.
The Syrian appeal accounted for half of an overall funding plan of $12.9 billion to help 52 million people in 17 countries, announced on Monday by U.N. emergency relief coordinator Valerie Amos at a meeting of donor countries in Geneva.
"This is the largest amount we have ever had to request at the start of the year," she told a news conference, referring to the worldwide appeal. She said the money requested for Syria was the largest U.N. appeal ever for a single crisis......http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/12/16/us-syria-crisis-aid-idUSBRE9BF0C520131216?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
16/12/13
US, Turkey discuss humanitarian assistance for Syrian refuges out of access...
ReplyDeleteA U.S. official is having discussions with Turkish officials and civil society organizations in a bid to provide humanitarian assistance to Syrian refugees who have been living out of camps in Turkey, mostly on streets, parks or in poor accommodations in urban areas.
“My focus is what the United States and international organizations can do for better work with the Turkish government in providing and expending services to urban refugees in Turkey,” U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary Simon Henshaw said Dec. 16, speaking to a group journalists.
The major reason for his trip to Turkey is to consult with Turkish officials, both inside the government and outside the government, on how they can enhance assistance for Syrian refugees, he said.
They have discussed many options, the U.S. official said, but he did not want to elaborate on details because the discussions are still continuing.
More than two thirds of the 700,000 Syrian refugees in Turkey live in urban areas, not in camps, Henshaw said, emphasizing the lack of assistance to those particular refugees as winter comes.
They not only want to provide service in urban areas, but they are trying to get information on what refugees need, he noted.
“The humanitarian assistance we provide through international organizations go to all victims of the conflict, whether they are one side or the other,” Henshaw stated.
“The U.S. government applauds the Turkish government and its people’s generosity in hosting refugees from Syria. The U.S. is proud to work hand-in-hand with Turkey in addressing these issues,” he said.
He stressed the Kuwait II donors conference in January is also an important opportunity, in which countries will be asked for contributions. “We cannot afford to waste resources. A coordinated response, using the U.N. appeals process,” he said.
Besides from funding, the lack of access for agencies within Syria is the largest challenge, according to Henshaw. The Syrian regime still inhibits the access of international organizations in large areas, the U.S. official underlined.
There are also some radical opposition groups which do not allow humanitarian access, Henshaw said expressing concern. The U.S. was proud to be the largest outside donor having contributed $1.3 billion since the beginning of the crisis, he noted, adding almost $100 million has come to Turkey.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/us-turkey-discuss-humanitarian-assistance-for-syrian-refuges-out-of-access.aspx?pageID=238&nID=59683&NewsCatID=352
16/12/13