III 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 384 

Expressing the sense of the Senate concerning the humanitarian crisis in 

Syria and neighboring countries, resulting humanitarian and development 

challenges, and the urgent need for a political solution to the crisis. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 13, 2014 

Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. DURBIN, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. 

MURPHY, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. CARDIN, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. MENENDEZ, 

Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mrs. BOXER, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. CASEY, Mr. 

BLUMENTHAL, Mr. WARNER, Mr. KIRK, Mr. KING, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. 

CRUZ, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. CORNYN, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. 

FRANKEN, Mr. BURR, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, and Mr. COONS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Foreign Relations 

APRIL 2, 2014 

Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, without amendment 

APRIL 3, 2014 

Considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate concerning the humanitarian crisis in Syria and neighboring countries, resulting 

humanitarian and development challenges, and the urgent need for a political solution to the crisis. 

Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 2139, 

adopted on February 22, 2014, expresses grave alarm at 

the significant and rapid deterioration of the humaniVerDate Mar 15 2010 22:49 Apr 03, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR384.ATS SR384

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SRES 384 ATS 

tarian situation in Syria, in particular the dire situation 

of hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in besieged 

areas, most of whom are besieged by the Syrian armed 

forces and some by opposition groups, as well as the dire 

situation of over 3,000,000 people in hard-to-reach areas, 

and deplores the difficulties in providing, and the failure 

to provide, access for the humanitarian assistance to all 

civilians in need inside Syria; 

Whereas widespread and systematic attacks on civilians, 

schools, hospitals, and other civilian infrastructure, in 

violation of international humanitarian law, continue in 

Syria, and parties to the conflict are blocking humanitarian aid delivery, including food and medical care from 

many civilian areas; 

Whereas the World Health Organization estimates that 70 

percent of Syria’s health professionals, up to 80,000 people, have fled the country, cases of typhoid, tuberculosis, 

polio and other diseases are rampant and increasing, and 

medical personnel inside Syria are deliberately targeted 

by parties to the conflict; 

Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has registered more than 2,500,000 Syrian refugees, nearly 80 percent of whom are women and 

children, and by the end of this year, the United Nations 

estimates the number of refugees will increase to 

4,000,000; 

Whereas nearly 500,000 refugees from the Syrian conflict are 

children under the age of five, and more than 11,000 

children have been killed and thousands more have suffered severe injuries, including burns, shrapnel wounds, 

the severing of limbs, and spinal cord injuries; 


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Whereas over 5,000,000 children affected by the conflict desperately need food, clean water, shelter, medical care and 

psychosocial support; 

Whereas, since 2011, nearly 3,000,000 Syrian children have 

been forced to quit their education as fighting has destroyed classrooms, left children too terrified to go to 

school, and forced families to flee the country; 

Whereas the refugee crisis threatens the stability of the Middle East, putting immense burdens on Syria’s neighbors, 

most notably Lebanon and Jordan, as well as Turkey and 

Iraq; and 

Whereas the United States Government has played a leading 

role in addressing the Syrian crisis, providing 

$1,700,000,000 in humanitarian assistance to those suffering inside Syria, as well as to refugees and host communities in the neighboring countries: Now, therefore, be 

it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) strongly condemns the unlawful use of vio3 lence against civilians by all parties to the conflict 

4 in Syria, particularly the ongoing violence and wide5 spread human rights violations perpetrated against 

6 the people of Syria by the Government of Syria; 

7 (2) urges all parties to the conflict to imme8 diately halt indiscriminate attacks on civilians and 

9 civilian infrastructure; 

10 (3) affirms the neutrality of medical profes11 sionals providing humanitarian assistance and health 


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1 care on a non-political basis, and condemns attacks 

2 against such personnel or interference in the provi3 sion of medical care; 

4 (4) urges all parties in Syria to allow for and 

5 facilitate immediate, unfettered access to humani6 tarian aid throughout the Syrian Arab Republic, re7 specting the safety, security, independence, and im8 partiality of humanitarian workers and ensuring 

9 freedom of movement to deliver aid; 

10 (5) supports the immediate and full implemen11 tation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 

12 2139 (2014), which calls for unimpeded access of 

13 humanitarian assistance to all Syrians to address 

14 the rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation 

15 in Syria, in particular the dire situation of hundreds 

16 of thousands of civilians trapped in besieged areas, 

17 most of whom are besieged by the Syrian armed 

18 forces and some by opposition groups, as well as the 

19 dire situation of over 3,000,000 people in hard-to20 reach areas; 

21 (6) calls on the international community to as22 sist the people of Syria, especially internally dis23 placed persons and refugees, in meeting basic needs, 

24 including access to food, health care, shelter, and 

25 clean drinking water; 


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1 (7) calls on the international community to sup2 port civilians and innocent victims of the conflict in 

3 Syria, particularly women and children who are dis4 placed and vulnerable to physical and psychological 

5 exploitation; 

6 (8) calls on the international community to im7 plement steps that prevent gender-based violence, 

8 and assure the protection of women and girls 

9 against sexual exploitation, human trafficking, and 

10 rape; 

11 (9) calls on the international community to con12 tinue to support neighboring countries and host 

13 communities who are generously supporting refugees 

14 fleeing the conflict in Syria; 

15 (10) calls on the international community to in16 crease investment for education in host communities 

17 to expand learning opportunities for refugee children 

18 and to support programs that help children gain ac19 cess to quality education, protect them from violence 

20 and abuse, and provide counseling and psychosocial 

21 support; 

22 (11) calls on countries that are hosting refugees 

23 in the region to support refugee self-reliance and 

24 dignity by expanding employment opportunities for 

25 refugees; 


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1 (12) calls on international donors and aid agen2 cies to integrate humanitarian relief and longer term 

3 development programs through a comprehensive re4 gional strategy to address the protracted crisis in 

5 Syria; and 

6 (13) calls on the President to develop and sub7 mit to the appropriate committees of Congress with8 in 90 days from adoption of this resolution a strat9 egy for United States engagement in addressing the 

10 Syrian humanitarian crisis, to include assistance and 

11 development, and protecting human rights inside 

12 Syria and in the region. 

Æ 


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