Four months after the earthquake in Syria: “Don’t forget those left behind,” says the International Committee of the Red Cross

More than 90 percent of people living in Syria who have lived through more than 12 years of deadly armed conflict – compounded by the devastating earthquake in February – live below the poverty line and need urgent humanitarian aid, the International Committee of the Red Cross warned Wednesday.

Speaking to Al Arabiya English, the ICRC’s spokeswoman in Syria, Suhair Zaqout, warned that more than 15 million people across the Middle Eastern country need urgent access to basic human rights – such as water – as she urged the world to ” Not to forget” those who are in conflict. natural disasters and disease.

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Before the European Union hosted the 7th Brussels Conference on “Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region,” Zaqout said, for the majority of the country, their presence “is no longer a life.”

“We are in the second decade of the conflict in Syria, and this has been an enduring bout of trauma, pain and immeasurable loss for families across the country.”

She said the need for continued humanitarian access to the northwest became even more critical after the February 6 earthquake.

“The impact of this crisis has reverberated across Syria…shaking already fragile and traumatized people and fragile infrastructure.”

For example, she said: “In every corner of Aleppo, for someone visiting this city for the first time, you actually start to ask if this damage is related to the earthquake or is it related to an armed conflict. You find tears in people’s eyes when they start talking about How did they live the last decade in Syria?

Not only have Syrians had to deal with war and earthquakes – which have killed more than 6,000 people in the war-torn country and displaced tens of thousands – but also the effects of the coronavirus and climate change.

She warned that “crisis after crisis” has left Syrians on the brink. Vulnerable communities must also contend with rampant inflation, economic stagnation, collapsing public health services, destroyed homes, and the risk of critical infrastructure failure.

She said the risk of Syria’s critical infrastructure collapsing was an urgent concern.

Restrictive measures and penalties have impeded the import of spare parts, and have pushed drinking water systems in eight major cities to the brink of collapse. Most of the treatment plants are damaged, and their functionality is alarmingly reduced or non-existent.

“People travel on foot for miles in order to get a drop of water,” Zaqout said. “Water they can’t afford. This is not life.

Any collapse or any failure of the system or the main infrastructure, especially water, will mean severe consequences for the population. This means that public health is not only affected by water, public health, hygiene and food production, but everything is affected.

“What we appeal to, as a neutral international humanitarian organisation, is to put the needs of the population and the humanitarian consequences of what happened in Syria as a priority… because the collapse of these basic services is not a remote threat, but a severe one with severe consequences for the Syrian people.”

Other headline-grabbing conflicts — such as the Sudanese crisis and the ongoing Ukraine-Russian conflict — have seen the focus on Syria dwindle, Zaqout said.

“We have invested as the ICRC – together with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent – ​​to maintain and increase the stability of Syria’s water infrastructure by supporting the maintenance and operation of some large water treatment plants across the country.”

This includes the Aleppo water treatment plant, for example, which provides 3.5 million people with clean, safe water.

However, despite Syria being one of the ICRC’s largest operations – it was also one of the most underfunded in the region last year, says Zaqout.

“Unfortunately, media headlines follow news and breaking news. We do not want to forget Syria and forget the Syrian people between the headlines and the urgency of other complex conflicts globally or in the region.”

We must not turn our backs on the Syrian people. Donor countries and countries must not turn a blind eye to what can be a lifeline for Syrians.”

The ICRC is calling on donor states for an immediate international commitment to protect critical infrastructure and essential services, to ensure the continuation of the comprehensive humanitarian response and to find more sustainable solutions.

Concerted efforts and increased funding are urgently needed to facilitate early recovery.

Fabrizio Carboni, ICRC Regional Director for the Near and Middle East, said: “The international community must face the harsh reality that the current situation in Syria is intolerable, and that failure to act will have devastating consequences for all concerned and hinder any prospects. for sustainable recovery.

“We must prioritize maintaining critical infrastructure and providing comprehensive humanitarian responses.”

Read more:

United Nations: 15.3 million Syrians, nearly 70 percent of the population, need assistance

Syria calls for investments in the war-torn country as it returns to the Arab League

Syria extends the permit to cross the border after the earthquake for a period of 3 months

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