Syria: Chemical Weapons Use Clear Violation of International Law - Security Council Briefing

Briefing by Ms. Reena Ghelani, Director for Operations and Advocacy Division of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), on the situation in the Middle East.
A top UN official told the Security Council that any confirmed use of chemical weapons “is abhorrent and a clear violation of international law” following the reported use of chlorine in Syria’s Aleppo City.
Addressing the Council today (29 Nov), Reena Ghelani, Director for Operations and Advocacy at the UN humanitarian office (OCHA), said shells fired at three densely populated neighbourhoods in the western part of the city reportedly contained chlorine gas adding that people “with respiratory symptoms” were rushed to the main hospitals in the area. She said the World Health Organization (WHO) “provided support to both hospitals and stands ready to provide further public health support as required.”
Ghelani said airstrikes over the weekend on Idlib demonstrated the fragility of the situation and the urgent need for sustained engagement by all sides to preserve the gains of the agreement reached between Turkey and Russia in September. She stressed that the stakes were high as the alternative is humanitarian suffering on a scale that would devastate a population of some three million people.
The Director for Operations and Advocacy reported to the Council that the UN, together with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, was able to reach some 50,000 people in Rukban this month for the first time since January. She said most people inside the makeshift settlement expressed their desire to return to their homes, “but many are terrified of what the future may hold for them, whether it is in Government areas or locations held by non-State armed groups.” Ghelani stressed that a durable solution that is “safe, voluntary and dignified, one that adequately addresses protection concerns, is urgently needed for the population in Rukban” adding that the winter cold would only further deteriorate their situation.
Ghelani said she was troubled by reports of restrictions in north-eastern Syria, where half of the 102,000 children enrolled in Government-run schools are facing impediments in accessing their schools. She said buses carrying children had been prevented from crossing check-points if they were carrying children going to schools teaching the nationally accredited curriculum. She underscored that across Syria, “the conflict continues to have a devastating impact on children, including their access to education.” She added, “An estimated 180,000 teachers are no longer in service. Some 40 percent of schools have been damaged or destroyed, and many others have been used to shelter displaced people. All Syrian children have a right to education without discrimination, and this right must be protected, respected and fulfilled.”
The OCHA official appealed to the Council to renew its resolution 2165 allowing for cross-border assistance delivery. She said some 4.3 million people in need live in areas outside the control of the Government, including some three million reached exclusively through cross-border operations. She added, “The United Nations does not have an alternative means of reaching these people as access from within the country is impeded. It is for that reason that the Secretary-General has called for a renewal of resolution 2165 for an additional twelve months. The renewal of this Council’s resolution will continue to save lives. Millions of people depend on your decision.”