“Over the past two days, 77 trucks carrying UN aid have crossed from Türkiye to Idlib through the Bab Al-Hawa border crossing,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated.
The trucks transported as many as 1,600 metric tonnes of food from the World Food Programme (WFP), along with health supplies, blankets, and essential items provided by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Briefing reporters on Friday Dujarric said nearly 200 aid trucks have crossed into Syria from Türkiye since the start of the year, “more than triple the amount compared to the same time last year.” The uptick in aid coincides with an increased effort by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to assess conditions on the ground.
“OCHA is increasing the weekly assessment and monitoring missions in Syria,” Dujarric said. Recent missions to Tal Refaat and Nubul in Aleppo Governorate, as well as to villages in Suran, Hama Governorate, revealed “a significant scale of destruction of homes and infrastructure.”
Returnees often arrive from displacement camps with minimal possessions to find healthcare facilities and basic services either “limited or nonexistent.” Meanwhile, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that since December, approximately 270,000 Syrian refugees have returned home.
Dujarric reminded that “many of the six million Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries are weighing the momentous decision as to whether or not to return to Syria.” On the political front, UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen is attending the Munich Security Conference following his participation in the recent Paris Conference on Syria. In a joint statement, conference participants reiterated their “commitment to a free, inclusive, and sovereign Syria” in line with Security Council Resolution 2254.
They also called for a “clear timeline for constitutional reform and free elections” while expressing support for the UN’s mediation efforts. During a bilateral meeting with Syria’s Caretaker Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani, Pedersen reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to facilitating the country’s political transition.
