United Nations Security Council draft resolution S/2019/961
Date: 2019-12-20 (meeting 8697)
Agenda: The situation in the Middle East
Vetoed by: CHINA
RUSSIA/USSR

United Nations
Security Council
Distr.: General
20 December 2019
Original: English
Belgium, Germany and Kuwait: 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) 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 11.1 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,
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,
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 in 2020;
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), and 2449 (2018),
19-22316 (E) 231219
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S/2019/961


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S/2019/961
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), excluding the border crossing of Al-Ramtha, for a period of
six months followed by an additional period of six months, unless the Council decides
otherwise;
4.
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;
5.
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;
6. 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, and on the need to reauthorize the use of the border crossing of
Al-Ramtha 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, and
expresses its readiness to consider the reauthorization of the border crossing of
Al-Ramtha on the basis of these recommendations;
7.
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
(2017), 2401 (2018), 2449 (2018) 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;
8. 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), and 2449 (2018);
9.
Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.
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19-22316


Voting result: 13 yes, 2 no, 0 abstentions
Votes by member:
country: Belgium
vote: Y
country: China
vote: N
country: Côte d’Ivoire
vote: Y
country: Dominican Republic
vote: Y
country: Equatorial Guinea
vote: Y
country: France
vote: Y
country: Germany
vote: Y
country: Indonesia
vote: Y
country: Kuwait
vote: Y
country: Peru
vote: Y
country: Poland
vote: Y
country: Russian Federation
vote: N
country: South Africa
vote: Y
country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
vote: Y
country: United States of America
vote: Y