The Emergency Relief Coordinator of the UN Martin Griffiths Sunday declared that there has been a failure in the delivery of international aid to the people of northwest Syria. Griffith urgently calls for international support in the wake of a series of earthquakes that hit Türkiye, Syria, and the surrounding region.

Two UN convoys with supplies have arrived in northwest Syria via the Turkish Bab al-Hawa border crossing. The second convoy arrived Friday carrying blankets, mattresses, tents, and shelter material as well as basic relief items and solar lamps provided by the International Organization for Migration. However, humanitarians have warned that a lot more aid is required, and much more quickly.

UN Security Council Resolution 2533 provides that Bab al-Hawa is currently the only crossing point for international aid to reach people. The government of Syria is notified in advance of each shipment. Additionally, a UN monitoring mechanism oversees loading in neighboring countries, including to confirm the humanitarian nature of consignments. This is significantly slowing the arrival of supplies into Syria.

In light of this, many UN officials, including the Secretary General, are advocating for the exploration of all potential ways of getting aid and personnel into affected areas. Corinna Fleischer, UN World Food Programme Regional Director, insists that “Crossline deliveries need to restart and be stepped up from Government-controlled areas into opposition territory.” This is echoed by Griffiths, who shared that the UN “need[s] to open more access points and get more aid out fast.”

Thus, there is evidently widespread support for an agreement to open borders to facilitate fast and regular access to northwest Syria. The UN Secretary General’s office reported that there has been ongoing encouraging discussions with various Member States in this regard.