Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1696584907892.pdf (United States)
IV 113TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES.

520 Calling for an end to attacks on Syrian civilians and expanded humanitarian access.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 14, 2014 Mr. ROYCE (for himself and Mr. ENGEL) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Calling for an end to attacks on Syrian civilians and expanded humanitarian access.
Whereas March 2014 marks the third year of the crisis in Syria, which has resulted in the world’s largest ongoing humanitarian disaster, and the urgent need for a resolu- tion to the conflict; Whereas Bashar al-Assad and supporting militias, including Hezbollah, continue to carry out sectarian mass atroc- ities, which have included mass targeted killings, mass graves, the extermination of entire families, including their children, incidents of ethnic cleansing, sexual vio- lence, widespread torture, aerial bombardment of residen- tial areas, and otherwise forced displacement of certain Syrian civilians especially from areas in western Syria where Assad is attempting to increase the dominance of his own loyalists; Whereas the United States Government should not continue to officially recognize a regime that is guilty of such vi- cious abuses of basic human rights on such a vast scale; Whereas the United States Department of State took appro- priate action on March 5, 2014, in restricting the move- ments of Assad’s loyal representative to the United Na- tions, Bashar al-Jaafari, to within a 25-mile radius of New York City; Whereas approximately 140,000 people have been killed, in- cluding more than 11,000 children, many more have been seriously wounded, and civilian casualties continue to mount as widespread and systematic attacks on schools, hospitals, and other civilian facilities persist in violation of international norms and principles; Whereas the United Nations has registered more than 2,500,000 Syrian refugees who have fled to neighboring countries, while regional governments and the United Na- tions estimate that the total number of refugees already has reached more than 3,000,000; Whereas the United Nations expects the total refugee count to reach over 4,000,000 Syrians by the end of 2014; Whereas approximately half of
 Syrian refugees are children, including nearly 500,000 under the age of 5, and thou- sands have been separated from their parents and are es- pecially vulnerable to abuse and exploitation; Whereas the United Nations estimates that over 9,000,000 civilians are in need of humanitarian assistance within Syria, more than 40 percent of the country’s total popu- lation, including 6,500,000 internally displaced persons; •HRES 520 IH Whereas Bashar al-Assad’s forces, supporting militias, and other parties to the conflict are systematically blocking humanitarian aid delivery, including food and medical care, from many civilian areas in violation of inter- national norms and principles; Whereas the United Nations estimates that 3,000,000 Syr- ians are trapped in hard-to-reach or besieged areas, with an estimated 250,000 cut off from assistance for over a year; Whereas the crisis has worsened already difficult conditions for Syrian women and girls, who are especially vulnerable to economic hardship and gender-based violence, includ- ing early marriage, forced marriage, trafficking, sexual violence, or the fear of sexual violence; Whereas over 5,000,000 children affected by the conflict des- perately need food, clean water, shelter, and medical care; Whereas millions of Syrian children have been forced out of school, and an entire generation of young Syrians are being shaped by violence, displacement, and persistent lack of opportunity and are therefore at high risk of ex- ploitation, life-long underdevelopment, and radicalization; Whereas the World Health Organization estimates that 70 percent of Syria’s medical professionals, up to 80,000 people, have fled the country, while remaining profes- sionals are deliberately targeted by parties to the conflict; Whereas regional states, including
 Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt and Iraq, are hosting well over 2,000,000 refugees; Whereas despite the attention and resources refugee camps receive, most refugees from Syria, 83 percent regionally, do not live in formal refugee camps but rather among host communities where resources and services, including •HRES 520 IH health, water and sanitation, electricity, and other sys- tems are strained at the municipal and national level; Whereas many members of the Syrian-American community, especially medical professionals, have generously donated their time and money, while taking great personal risk, in heroic efforts to reach those in need inside Syria with humanitarian assistance; Whereas the United Nations launched its largest appeal in its history for a single humanitarian emergency in December 2013, requesting an unprecedented $6,500,000,000 in 2014 for the Syrian response, representing nearly half of the United Nations entire global humanitarian request; and Whereas the United States has provided $1,700,000,000 in assistance to those suffering inside Syria, as well as refu- gees and host communities in neighboring countries and has committed to continue to increase its humanitarian contributions for those affected by the conflict: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— (1) strongly condemns all parties’ attacks on ci- vilians and civilian infrastructure in Syria, including attacks on medical personnel, schools, and health fa- cilities, and the use of explosive weapons, including ‘‘barrel bombs’’ and missiles, in populated areas, and calls on Bashar al-Assad’s regime and sup- porting militias, as well as all other parties to the conflict in Syria, to end the violence against civil- 10 ians, respect international norms and principles,
 and •HRES 520 IH pursue all appropriate diplomatic options to work to- ward a negotiated end to the crisis; (2) demands that Bashar al-Assad’s regime and supporting militias, as well as all other parties to the conflict in Syria, immediately cease attacks upon ci- vilians and civilian infrastructure, facilitate unfet- tered humanitarian access, especially that of domes- tic and international medical professionals, through- out the country, respect the safety and security of humanitarian workers, and ensure freedom of move- ment for humanitarian workers and organizations so they may deliver aid to those most in need; (3) calls for the immediate and full implementa- tion of the provisions of the October 2013 United Nations Security Council Presidential Statement, es- pecially including facilitation of the expansion of hu- manitarian relief operations in accordance with international humanitarian norms; (4) calls for the immediate, full and United Na- tions-monitored implementation of the provisions of the 2014 United Nations Security Council Resolu- tion 2139 to promptly allow unhindered humani- tarian access, including across conflict lines (for the United Nations and its partners) to people in need throughout Syria; •HRES 520 IH (5) urges the Administration and allies of the United States to formally withdraw their recognition of Bashar al-Assad’s regime as the rightful Govern- ment of Syria, unless and until the Assad regime and its supporting militias discontinue their barbaric slaughter, systematic starvation, and other grave
 human rights abuses and are granted full and unfet- tered access for deliveries of humanitarian assist- ance, even as other negotiations with Assad’s regime may continue; (6) further calls upon the United Nations Secu- rity Council, acting under Article 5 of the Charter of the United Nations, to suspend the Government of Syria’s rights and privileges of membership by the General Assembly until such time as the Assad re- gime has ceased attacks upon civilians, and granted free and unfettered access for deliveries of humani- tarian assistance throughout the territory of Syria; (7) urges all donors, regional and otherwise, to meet the 2014 United Nations humanitarian fund- ing appeal; (8) commends regional governments and com- munities for continuing to host Syrian refuges and urges them to keep their borders open to civilians fleeing the Syria conflict; •HRES 520 IH (9) calls upon the Assad regime, the Syrian op- position, and all other parties to the conflict, the Ad- ministration, and the United Nations to improve their facilitation and support for the Syrian-Amer- ican community, especially medical professionals, as they work to aid the Syrian people with all forms of humanitarian assistance; (10) calls for continued international support of neighboring countries and host communities that are supporting refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict; (11) calls for international investment in edu- cation in host countries to expand learning opportu- nities for refugee children, and support programs that help them gain access to quality instruction, protect them from violence and abuse, and provide counseling; (12) calls on the international community to en- sure that vulnerable refugee and displaced women and girls have
 access to services and programs, im- plement steps to mitigate risks and prevent gender- based violence, and assure the protection of women and girls against sexual exploitation, early marriage, human trafficking, and rape; (13) calls for the meaningful participation of Syrian civil society, including women representatives, •HRES 520 IH 10 11 12 13 8 in the overall humanitarian response, political proc- esses, and peace negotiations; (14) urges international donors and aid agen- cies to integrate humanitarian relief and longer-term development programs through a comprehensive strategy to address the protracted Syrian crisis; and (15) calls on the President of the United States to develop and submit to Congress within 60 days from adoption of this resolution a strategy for United States engagement on the Syria crisis, with a specific focus on humanitarian assistance and de- velopment, and protecting human rights inside Syria and in the region.
•HRES 520 IH