Security Council resolution 2165 (2014) [on humanitarian situation in the Syrian Arab Republic and the establishment of a monitoring mechanism]
Symbol: S/RES/2165 (2014)
Date: 2014-07-14
Status: adopted
Agenda: S/69 [222] SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC SITUATION
Subjects: UN. Monitoring Mechanism Established pursuant to Security Council Resolution 2165 (2014)|UN. Monitoring Mechanism Established pursuant to Security Council Resolution 2165 (2014) > Establishment|UN. Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria|HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE|EMERGENCY RELIEF|SYRIAN ARAB REPUBLIC|INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW|STAFF SECURITY|RELIEF PERSONNEL|RELIEF CORRIDORS|FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT|BORDER TRAFFIC
Votes in favour: 15
Votes against: 0
Abstentions: 0
Voting record:
country: ARGENTINA
vote: yes
country: AUSTRALIA
vote: yes
country: CHAD
vote: yes
country: CHILE
vote: yes
country: CHINA
vote: yes
country: FRANCE
vote: yes
country: JORDAN
vote: yes
country: LITHUANIA
vote: yes
country: LUXEMBOURG
vote: yes
country: NIGERIA
vote: yes
country: REPUBLIC OF KOREA
vote: yes
country: RUSSIAN FEDERATION
vote: yes
country: RWANDA
vote: yes
country: UNITED KINGDOM
vote: yes
country: UNITED STATES
vote: yes

               United Nations                                                                     S/RES/2165 (2014)
               Security Council                                                 Distr.: General
                                                                                14 July 2014




               Resolution 2165 (2014)
               Adopted by the Security Council at its 7216th meeting, on
               14 July 2014

                    The Security Council,
                    Recalling its resolutions 2042 (2012), 2043 (2012), 2118 (2013) and 2139
               (2014), and its Presidential Statements of 3 August 2011, 21 March 2012, 5 April
               2012 and 2 October 2013,
                     Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and
               territorial integrity of Syria, and to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the
               United Nations,
                    Being appalled at the unacceptable and escalating level of violence and the
               death of more than 150,000 people, including well over 10,000 children, as a result
               of the Syrian conflict as reported by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict,
                     Expressing grave alarm at the significant and rapid deterioration of the
               humanitarian situation in Syria, at the fact that the number of people in need of
               assistance has grown to over 10 million, including 6.4 million internally displaced
               persons and over 4.5 million living in hard-to-reach areas, and that over 240,000 are
               trapped in besieged areas, as reported by the United Nations Secretary-General,
                    Deploring the fact that the demands in its resolution 2139 (2014) and the
               provisions of its Presidential Statement of 2 October 2013 (S/PRST/2013/15) have
               not been heeded by the Syrian parties to the conflict as stated in the United Nations
               Secretary-General’s reports of 22 May 2014 (S/2014/365) and 20 June 2014
               (S/2014/427), and recognizing that, while some steps have been undertaken by the
               Syrian parties, they have not had the necessary impact on the delivery of
               humanitarian assistance to all people in need throughout Syria,
                    Commending the indispensable and ongoing efforts of the United Nations, its
               specialized agencies and all humanitarian and medical personnel in Syria and in
               neighbouring countries to alleviate the impact of the conflict on the Syrian people,
                     Reiterating its appreciation for the significant and admirable efforts that have
               been made by the countries of the region, notably Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and
               Egypt, to accommodate the more than 2.8 million refugees who have fled Syria as a
               result of ongoing violence including the approximately 300,000 refugees who have


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               fled since the adoption of resolution 2139 (2014), and urging again all Member
               States, based on burden-sharing principles, to support these neighbouring host
               countries to enable them to respond to the growing humanitarian needs, including by
               providing direct support,
                     Strongly condemning the continuing widespread violations of human rights and
               international humanitarian law by the Syrian authorities, as well as the human rights
               abuses and violations of international humanitarian law by armed groups,
                    Stressing the need to end impunity for violations of international humanitarian
               law and violations and abuses of human rights, and reaffirming that those who have
               committed or are otherwise responsible for such violations and abuses in Syria must
               be brought to justice,
                     Expressing grave alarm in particular at the continuing indiscriminate attacks
               in populated areas, including an intensified campaign of aerial bombings and the use
               of barrel bombs in Aleppo and other areas, artillery, shelling and air strikes, and the
               widespread use of torture, ill-treatment, sexual and gender-based violence as well as
               all grave violations and abuses committed against children, and reiterating that
               some of these violations may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity,
                     Reiterating its demand that all parties demilitarize medical facilities, schools
               and other civilian facilities and avoid establishing military positions in populated
               areas and desist from attacks directed against civilian objects,
                     Reaffirming the primary responsibility of the Syrian authorities to protect the
               population in Syria and reiterating that parties to armed conflict bear the primary
               responsibility to take all feasible steps to ensure the protection of civilians, and
               recalling in this regard its demand that all parties to armed conflict comply fully
               with the obligations applicable to them under international law related to the
               protection of civilians in armed conflict, including journalists, media professionals
               and associated personnel,
                     Recalling the need for all parties to respect the relevant provisions of
               international humanitarian law and the United Nations guiding principles of
               humanitarian emergency assistance,
                      Expressing grave alarm at the spread of extremism and extremist groups, the
               targeting of civilians based on their ethnicity, religion and/or confessional
               affiliations, expressing further grave alarm at the increased attacks resulting in
               numerous casualties and destruction, indiscriminate shelling by mortars, car bombs,
               suicide attacks, tunnel bombs as well as hostage taking, kidnappings, and attacks
               against civilian infrastructure including deliberate interruptions of water supply,
               condemning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and recalling in this regard
               its resolutions 1373 (2001), 1624 (2005), 2129 (2013) and 2133 (2014),
                     Deeply disturbed by the continued, arbitrary and unjustified withholding of
               consent to relief operations and the persistence of conditions that impede the
               delivery of humanitarian supplies to destinations within Syria, in particular to
               besieged and hard-to-reach areas, and noting the United Nations Secretary-General’s
               view that arbitrarily withholding consent for the opening of all relevant border
               crossings is a violation of international humanitarian law and an act of
               non-compliance with resolution 2139 (2014),




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                 Emphasizing that the humanitarian situation will continue to deteriorate further
           in the absence of a political solution to the crisis, reiterating its endorsement of the
           Geneva Communiqué of 30 June 2012 (Annex II of resolution 2118 (2013)) and
           demanding that all parties work towards the immediate and comprehensive
           implementation of the Geneva Communiqué aimed at bringing an immediate end to
           all violence, violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international
           law, and facilitating the Syrian-led process launched in Montreux on 22 January
           2014, leading to a transition that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian
           people and enables them independently and democratically to determine their own
           future,
                 Recalling its intent, expressed in its resolution 2139 (2014), to take further
           steps in the case of non-compliance with the resolution,
                 Determining that the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Syria constitutes a
           threat to peace and security in the region,
                 Underscoring that Member States are obligated under Article 25 of the Charter
           of the United Nations to accept and carry out the Council’s decisions,
                1.     Reiterates that all parties to the conflict, in particular the Syrian
           authorities, must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law
           and international human rights law and must fully and immediately implement the
           provisions of its resolution 2139 (2014) and its Presidential Statement of 2 October
           2013 (S/PRST/2013/15);
                 2.   Decides that the United Nations humanitarian agencies and their
           implementing partners are authorized to use routes across conflict lines and the
           border crossings of Bab al-Salam, Bab al-Hawa, Al Yarubiyah and Al-Ramtha, in
           addition to those already in use, in order to ensure that humanitarian assistance,
           including medical and surgical supplies, reaches people in need throughout Syria
           through the most direct routes, with notification to the Syrian authorities, and to this
           end stresses the need for all border crossings to be used efficiently for United
           Nations humanitarian operations;
                 3.   Decides to establish a monitoring mechanism, under the authority of the
           United Nations Secretary-General, to monitor, with the consent of the relevant
           neighbouring countries of Syria, the loading of all humanitarian relief consignments
           of the United Nations humanitarian agencies and their implementing partners at the
           relevant United Nations facilities, and any subsequent opening of the consignments
           by the customs authorities of the relevant neighbouring countries, for passage into
           Syria across the border crossings of Bab al-Salam, Bab al-Hawa, Al Yarubiyah and
           Al-Ramtha, and with notification by the United Nations to the Syrian authorities, in
           order to confirm the humanitarian nature of these relief consignments;
                4.   Decides that the United Nations monitoring mechanism shall be deployed
           expeditiously;
                 5.    Further decides that the decisions contained in operative paragraphs two
           and three of this resolution shall expire 180 days from the adoption of this
           resolution, and shall be subject to review by the Security Council;
                6.   Also decides that all Syrian parties to the conflict shall enable the
           immediate and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance directly to people
           throughout Syria, by the United Nations humanitarian agencies and their


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               implementing partners, on the basis of United Nations assessments of need and
               devoid of any political prejudices and aims, including by immediately removing all
               impediments to the provision of humanitarian assistance;
                     7.     Notes in this regard the role that ceasefire agreements that are consistent
               with humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law could play to
               facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance in order to help save civilian lives,
               and further underscores the need for the parties to agree on humanitarian pauses,
               days of tranquillity, localized ceasefires and truces to allow humanitarian agencies
               safe and unhindered access to all affected areas in Syria in accordance with
               international humanitarian law, and recalls that starvation of civilians as a method
               of combat is prohibited by international humanitarian law;
                     8.    Decides that all Syrian parties to the conflict shall take all appropriate
               steps to ensure the safety and security of United Nations and associated personnel,
               those of its specialized agencies, and all other personnel engaged in humanitarian
               relief activities as required by international humanitarian law, without prejudice to
               their freedom of movement and access, stresses the need not to impede or hinder
               these efforts, and recalls that attacks on humanitarian workers may amount to war
               crimes;
                      9.   Reiterates that the only sustainable solution to the current crisis in Syria
               is through an inclusive and Syrian-led political process with a view to full
               implementation of the Geneva Communiqué of 30 June 2012 endorsed as Annex II
               of its resolution 2118 (2013), pays tribute to the efforts of Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi, and
               welcomes the appointment of the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General for Syria Mr. Staffan de Mistura;
                     10. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council on the
               implementation of this resolution, and on compliance with it by all Syrian parties to
               the conflict, within the framework of its reporting on resolution 2139 (2014);
                     11. Affirms that it will take further measures in the event of non-compliance
               with this resolution or resolution 2139 (2014) by any Syrian party;
                    12.   Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.




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