Statement by Ambassador Matthew Rycroft on humanitarian access in

Syria
11 January 2016
40,000 civilians are starving to death in Madaya because of a six-month siege
by the Asad regime and Hizbollah. Access for food and aid supplies is desperately
needed. Men have died trying to break the siege and many have lost limbs due
to the land mines encircling the area. There are 850 infants in urgent need of
milk. The commitment made by the Asad regime to allow the UN access to
deliver humanitarian access in the coming days is long overdue.
The international community cannot stand by in silence while humanitarian
access in Syria continues to be denied. The people in Madaya represent only
10% of the people in besieged areas and 1% of the people in hard-to-reach areas
in Syria. Between January and November 2015, the UN could only reach 1.5% of
the 400,000 people in need in besieged areas. This is unacceptable. Wilfully
impeding relief supply and access can constitute a violation of International
Humanitarian Law.
Starving civilians is an inhuman tactic used by the Asad regime and their allies.
All sieges must be lifted to save civilian lives and to bring Syria closer to peace,
as set out again only recently in UN Security Council Resolutions 2254 and 2258.
I call on all UN Member States with influence over those besieging Madaya, and
all other besieged areas, to uphold their responsibility to international
Humanitarian Law, lift the sieges and ensure the access of international
humanitarian actors.