Call for the immediate protection of civilians and medical personnel,
facilities and transport in Syria
All parties to the conflict in Syria must comply with the rules of international
humanitarian law to protect civilians against the violence of conflict at all times. It is
our moral duty to remind them of their obligation to do so and to protect the provision
of medical and humanitarian assistance in Syria. Violence against civilians in Syria
must stop now. Expansion of current humanitarian efforts is urgently required,
independent of political efforts to resolve the conflict. We call upon all parties to the
conflict to:
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immediately uphold their obligation to protect civilians as well as medical
personnel, facilities and transport;
allow and facilitate immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access to the
whole of the territory;
guarantee without delay the safety and security of humanitarian personnel in
the exercise of their duties
Imagine that the city you live in, the place where you work and where your children go to
school are all being destroyed. Not quickly from one day to another, but in a slow, gradual
and unpredictable manner. Imagine the uncertainty and stress you would feel at the
thought of tomorrow. Will the next house destroyed be my neighbour's? Will it be mine?
This is the tragic and unbearable reality for people living in Syria.
We want people around the world to understand that the on-going conflict in Syria has
real and tangible consequences for ordinary people. So even though much of the
discussion and coverage of the crisis tends to focus on the political and military situation,
we must not lose sight of the day-to-day impact on people living in Syria.
The tragic conflict in Syria has continued for more than two years. Thousands of civilians
have been killed every month and those who survive - whether in Syria or in its
neighboring countries - suffer unprecedented humanitarian hardship.
We are shocked by the growing tragic consequences of the conflict. Fighting and violence
have reached intolerable levels, leading to unbearable suffering, loss of human life,
refugees-flows, massive displacement of people and material destruction. Despite the
efforts to increase protection for all affected civilians in Syria and in neighbouring
countries, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate dramatically and many
civilians remain cut off from humanitarian assistance. We are particularly concerned
about the most vulnerable, especially children and women.
The numbers speak for themselves. More than 100.000 people are estimated to have
been killed during the war and 465.000 injured. More than 2 million refugees including 1
million of children have already left Syria, while 4.3 million including 2 millions of children
have been forced from their homes, but remain within the Syrian borders. These numbers
continue to increase daily.
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We are appalled by the use of chemical weapons in Syria, which have taken so many
civilian lives, including numerous women and children. We condemn in the strongest
terms the use of such weapons of mass destruction. The use of chemical weapons by
anyone under any circumstances is a grave violation of international law and an
outrageous war crime. There should be no impunity for such acts and any perpetrators
must be brought to justice.
All parties to the conflict have the responsibility to comply with the rules of international
humanitarian law, including the principles of distinction, proportionality and humanity to
protect civilians against the violence of conflict at all times. We have a moral obligation to
remind and influence all parties to respect their obligations and to protect the provision of
medical and humanitarian assistance in Syria.
In particular, we are greatly concerned that medical infrastructure has been severely
damaged or destroyed. According to the UN, 60% of the public hospitals have been
affected, many badly damaged and almost 40% completely unusable. Almost 80% of
ambulances in the country have been damaged and, alarmingly, some are being misused
for combat purposes. Convoys are regularly checked and medical supplies are often
being seized. Patients, medical personnel, facilities and vehicles are being deliberately
targeted by those involved in the hostilities. Medical facilities, including hospitals, are
being exploited for combat purposes, and some are even being used as torture and
detention centres.
As a result of the damage to health facilities, lack of qualified health personnel and
insecurity, many people can not consistently access medical care. This deprives them of
basic medical services placing in particular women and children at significant risk, as well
as those who suffer from chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart
disease. The disruption of vaccination programmes, damage to water and sanitation
services, and destruction of homes and shelters also places people at substantial risk of
infectious diseases. Outbreak of measles and diarrhea have already been documented.
In some instances, life-saving surgical supplies have been removed from aid convoys.
We are also seeing too many civilians dying of injuries which they could have survived, if
only timely medical assistance was available. At the same time, humanitarian
organizations continue to face dire conditions as they attempt to access victims.
Violence against civilians in Syria must stop now. Expansion of current humanitarian
efforts is urgently required, independent of political efforts to resolve the conflict.
We express our gratitude to the humanitarian workers from various UN, international and
domestic organisations, who put their lives at risk on the ground every day to deliver
humanitarian supplies to all the civilians under extraordinary difficult circumstances. We
wish to praise the courage and solidarity of ordinary men and women in their efforts to
relieve the suffering of their families and neighbours in such a dire and tragic situation.
We call upon all parties to the conflict to immediately uphold their obligation to protect
civilians as well as medical personnel, facilities and transport. They must allow and
facilitate immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access to the whole of the territory,
including delivery of medical care and humanitarian assistance on a non-discriminatory
basis. We urge all parties to guarantee the safety and security of humanitarian personnel
in the exercise of their duties.
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Michael Spindelegger, Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister for European and
International Affairs, Austria
Didier Reynders, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade
and European Affairs, Belgium
Kristian Vigenin, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Bulgaria
Charles Koffi DIBY, Minister of State, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Côte
d'Ivoire
Vesna Pusić, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs,
Republic of Croatia
Ioannis Kasoulides, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Cyprus
Jan Kohout, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Czech Republic
Christian Friis Bach, Minister for Development Cooperation, Denmark
Nabil Fahmy, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arab Republic of Egypt
Urmaes Paet, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Estonia
Kristalina Georgieva, International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis response
Commissioner, European Commission
Heidi Hautala, Minister for International Development, Finland
Evangelos Venizelos, Deputy Prime-Minister and Foreign Minister, Greece
Janos Martonyi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hungary
Dr. Marty M. Natalegawa, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia
Eamon Gilmore T.D., Tánaiste (Deputy Prime Minister) and Minister for Foreign Affairs
and Trade, Ireland
Edgars Rinkēvičs, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Latvia
Jean Asselborn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Grand Duchy of
Luxembourg
Lilianne Ploumen, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, The
Netherlands
Radoslaw Sikorski, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Poland
Miroslav Lajcak, Deputy-Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs,
Slovakia
Karl Erjavec, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Slovenia
D. José Manuel García-Margallo y Marfil, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation,
Spain
Didier Burkhalter, Federal Counsellor in charge of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland
Surapong Tovichakchaikul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Kingdom of Thailand
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