On Tuesday, the United Nations issued an appeal for $397 million in aid to earthquake victims in Syria, where the disaster has killed nearly 6,000 people in the country and left millions homeless.
Secretary General António Guterres, announcing the appeal at UN Headquarters in New York, said the funds would bring “life-saving aid” to nearly 5 million Syrians and would last for three months.
He added that the world organization is in the final stages of a similar appeal regarding Turkey.
“A week after the devastating earthquakes, millions of people across the region are struggling to survive, homeless and in freezing temperatures. We are doing our best to change this. But much more is needed,” Guterres pleaded.
He urged Member States to “immediately, fully fund this effort and help the millions of children, women and men whose lives have been turned upside down by this generational disaster.”
Guterres also called for humanitarian workers to be allowed to work freely in Syria, which is already suffering from a 12-year civil war.
Activists and emergency responders in northwestern Syria denounced the UN’s slow response to the earthquake in rebel-held areas, contrasting it with humanitarian aid flown by planes to government-controlled airports.
Prior to the earthquake, almost all essential humanitarian aid for the more than four million people living in rebel-held areas in northwestern Syria was delivered through just one checkpoint.
Guterres announced on Monday that Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad had agreed to open two more border crossings from Turkey to northwestern Syria to let aid through.
“The human suffering from this epic natural disaster should not be exacerbated by artificial obstacles – access, funding, supplies,” the UN chief said.
“Aid must flow from all sides, in all directions, along all routes – without any restrictions.”
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke with Guterres on Tuesday about the prospects for aid and called for potential international pressure to reopen border crossings, the State Department said.
“Secretary Blinken stressed the need for the Assad regime to fulfill its commitment, announced by the UN on February 13, to open the Bab al-Salam and Al-Ray border crossings for humanitarian purposes, including with the permission of the Security Council, if necessary,” This is stated in a statement by State Department spokesman Ned Price.
The United Nations has already committed $50 million through its central emergency response fund.
