United Nations Security Council draft resolution S/2020/654
Date: 2020-07-07 (meeting S/2020/657)
Agenda: The situation in the Middle East
Vetoed by: CHINA
RUSSIA/USSR

United Nations
Security Council
Distr.: General
7 July 2020
Original: English
Belgium and Germany: draft resolution
The Security Council,
Recalling its resolutions 2042 (2012), 2043 (2012), 2118 (2013), 2139 (2014),
2165 (2014), 2175 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2209 (2015), 2235 (2015), 2254 (2015), 2258
(2015), 2268 (2016), 2286 (2016), 2332 (2016), 2336 (2016), 2393 (2017), 2401
(2018), 2449 (2018), 2504 (2020) and its Presidential Statements of 3 August 2011
(S/PRST/2011/16), 21 March 2012 (S/PRST/2012/6), 5 April 2012 (S/PRST/2012/10),
2 October 2013 (S/PRST/2013/15), 24 April 2015 (S/PRST/2015/10),17 August 2015
(S/PRST/2015/15), and 8 October 2019 (S/PRST/2019/12),
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,
Emphasizing that more than 11 million people in Syria require humanitarian
assistance and that the cross-border mechanism remains an urgent and temporary
solution to address the humanitarian needs of the population, which cannot be reached
through existing operations within Syria,
Expressing grave concern at the humanitarian situation in Syria and the impact
of the COVID-19 pandemic, recognising that the pandemic presents a profound
challenge to Syria's health system, socio-economic and humanitarian situations, and
calling for the provision of humanitarian assistance to all parts of Syria,
Recalling the guiding principles of Humanitarian Emergency assistance as set
out in the GA resolution 46/182 and reiterating the need for all parties to respect and
uphold the relevant provisions of international humanitarian law and the United
Nations guiding principles of humanitarian emergency assistance, emphasizing the
importance of upholding the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and
independence, in the provision of humanitarian assistance and recalling also the
importance of humanitarian deliveries reaching their intended beneficiaries,
Taking note of the Report of the Secretary-General on the review of alternative
modalities for the border crossing of Al Yarubiyah (S/2020/139, of 21 February 2020),
and further taking note of the Review of United Nations crossline and cross-border
operations (S/2020/401), and encouraging the United Nations and their implementing
partners to continue to take steps to scale up humanitarian deliveries throughout the
country,
Taking note of efforts to improve cross-line deliveries of UN humanitarian
assistance and encouraging all relevant parties to further promote, on the basis of
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S/2020/654
United Nations assessments of need, immediate and unhindered delivery of
humanitarian assistance, including cross-line,
Determining that the devastating humanitarian situation in Syria continues to
constitute 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. Calls upon all parties to ensure principled, sustained and improved
humanitarian assistance to Syria;
2.
Reiterates its demand that all parties, in particular the Syrian authorities,
immediately comply with their obligations under international law, including
international humanitarian law and international human rights law as applicable and
further demands the full and immediate implementation of all provisions of all
relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165
(2014), 2191 (2014), 2258 (2015), 2332 (2016), 2393 (2017) 2401 (2018), 2449
(2018), and 2504 (2020) and recalls that some of the violations and abuses committed
in Syria may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity;
3.
Decides to renew the decisions in paragraphs 2 and 3 of Security Council
resolution 2165 (2014), for a period of twelve months, that is, until 10 July 2021,
excluding the border crossings of Al-Ramtha, and Al Yarubiyah;
4.
Requests the Secretary General, in view also of the grave risk posed by the
COVID-19 pandemic, to report to the Security Council no later than by the end of
August 2020 on the impact of the pandemic on the need for and the delivery of
humanitarian assistance, including medical and surgical supplies, to people in need
throughout Syria, including in areas currently not under the control of the Syrian
government, in particular in the Northeast of the country, through the most direct
routes, and in accordance with the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality,
impartiality and independence and on trends in cross-border and cross-line access;
5.
Further demands that all parties allow safe, unimpeded and sustained
access for United Nations' and their implementing partners' humanitarian convoys,
including medical and surgical supplies, to all requested areas and populations
according to United Nations' assessment of need in all parts of Syria;
6. Reiterates that the situation will continue to deteriorate further in the
absence of a political solution to the Syrian conflict and recalls its demand for the full
and immediate implementation of resolution 2254 (2015) to facilitate a Syrian-led
and Syrian-owned political transition, in accordance with the Geneva Communiqué
as set forth in the ISSG Statements, in order to end the conflict in Syria and stresses
again that the Syrian people will decide the future of Syria;
7.
Calls upon United Nations humanitarian agencies to improve monitoring
of the delivery and distribution of United Nations relief consignments and their
delivery inside Syria and requests the Secretary-General to conduct, within six
months of the adoption of this resolution, an independent written review of the United
Nations humanitarian cross-line and cross-border operations, including
recommendations on how to further strengthen the United Nations Monitoring
Mechanism, in order to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people in need
through the most direct routes, taking into account the views of relevant parties
including the Syrian authorities, the relevant neighbouring countries of Syria and the
United Nations Humanitarian Agencies and their implementing partners;
8. Requests the Secretary-General to brief the Council monthly and to
provide a report on a regular basis, at least every 60 days, on the implementation of
resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2258 (2015), 2332 (2016), 2393
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S/2020/654
(2017), 2401 (2018), 2449 (2018), 2504 (2020) and this resolution and on compliance
by all relevant parties in Syria and further requests the Secretary-General to continue
to include in his reports overall trends in United Nations cross-line and cross-border
humanitarian access and detailed information on the humanitarian assistance
delivered through United Nations humanitarian cross-border operations as authorized
by resolution 2165 (2014) and this resolution, including on the number of
beneficiaries, locations of aid deliveries at district-level and the volume and nature of
items delivered;

9. Reaffirms that it will take further measures under the Charter of the United
Nations in the event of non-compliance with this resolution or resolutions 2139
(2014), 2165 (2014) and 2191 (2014), 2258 (2015), 2332 (2016), 2393 (2017), 2401
(2018), 2449 (2018), and 2504 (2020);

10. Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.

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Voting result: 13 yes, 2 no, 0 abstentions
Votes by member:
country: Belgium
vote: Y
country: Dominican Republic
vote: Y
country: Estonia
vote: Y
country: France
vote: Y
country: Germany
vote: Y
country: Indonesia
vote: Y
country: Niger
vote: Y
country: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
vote: Y
country: South Africa
vote: Y
country: Tunisia
vote: Y
country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
vote: Y
country: United States of America
vote: Y
country: Viet Nam
vote: Y
country: China
vote: N
country: Russian Federation
vote: N