Syria

The following statement was issued by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

Humanitarian officials in the Occupied Palestinian Territory said the entry of goods into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom crossing remains limited, and some 250,000 people are still without regular access to piped water.  They called for a return to the predictable entry of goods and the easing of movement restrictions.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is warning today that, without urgent funding, the displacement crisis in the north of Mozambique could become a hunger emergency.  Displacement has left at least 730,000 people in Cabo Delgado without access to their land and no means of earning a living.

In Syria, United Nations agencies and aid partners are trucking in emergency water supplies and installing reverse osmosis pumps in Al-Hasakeh city amid reports of another disruption at Alouk water station,  which shut down on 23 June.  Up to 1 million people in the region are affected when the station ceases to operate.

The Security Council today renewed the mandate of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) for six months, until 31 December, as it continues to monitor the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement between Israel and Syria in the Golan.

The Ministerial Forums for the High-Level Dialogue on Energy ended today, with commitments announced by India’s major power supplier, NTPC; Power Africa pledging to the electrification of more health centres; and Student Energy aiming to mobilize $150 million to train 35,000 young energy leaders in 100 countries.

The plight of detainees, establishing a nationwide ceasefire, countering terrorism and embarking on economic recovery are among the several areas where the warring parties in Syria may find common ground, the United Nations mediator for that country told the Security Council today.

In Myanmar, the United Nations team remains very concerned about the humanitarian situation.  Some 230,000 people have been forced to flee their home due to clashes between the military and ethnic armed groups, or among ethnic armed groups, since the military takeover of the Government on 1 February.

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria today:

Ahead of the 10 July expiration of resolution 2533 (2020) authorizing humanitarian aid deliveries from Turkey into Syria, the Security Council today debated whether such operations should continue, including options for closing the only remaining crossing and for reopening previous border checkpoints.