WASHINGTON

UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen on Monday said they fully “fully recognize” the tremendous predicament that refugee hosting nations face, and called for them to be supported “even more”. 

“We continue also to stress the importance of supporting Syrians who do choose to return voluntarily,” Pedersen told a UN Security Council meeting on the political process and the humanitarian situation in Syria.

“At the same time, we also call for anti-refugee rhetoric and action to end,” he added.

Recalling that Syria remains in a state of profound conflict, complexity, and division, he added: “Syria is riddled with armed actors, listed terrorist groups, foreign armies and frontlines.”

“Civilians are still victims of violence and subject to extensive human rights abuses,” he said, also noting the dire humanitarian conditions.

Turning to the threat of regional conflict, he said that Israel carried out strikes that the Syrian government said hit military sites in southern Syria and a residential building in Damascus last week.

He said that parents in the PKK-affiliated SDF/YPG controlled area are holding sit-ins to demand the release of their children.

“Meanwhile, repressive practices, including arbitrary arrests, torture and detention, and disappearances continue in all areas of Syria, such practices also contribute to a generalized reality of lawlessness, fear and violence,” he added.

Director of Coordination at the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Ramesh Rajasingha, said Syria continues to suffer its worst humanitarian crisis since the start of the conflict more than 13 years ago, adding over 16 million people across the country need humanitarian assistance, and some 7.2 million people remain displaced.

“Many of these people have seen a significant reduction in the humanitarian assistance they had relied on due to significant funding cuts. People’s access to water has been curtailed due to decreased rainfall, compounded by the impact of conflict and the economic crisis on water and electricity infrastructure,” he added.

“More than halfway through the year, the Humanitarian Response Plan is barely 20 per cent funded,” he said, “I urge donors to provide the funding we need to support the people of Syria as they face crisis upon crisis, year after year.”

He warned that without improvements in the overall situation, many of the Syrians who represent the future of the country choosing to leave, adding to the millions of refugees in the region and beyond.

“More than anything, these vulnerabilities yet again underscore the need for urgent progress on a political solution to end the conflict,” he said.​​​​​​​