The UN Secretary General spoke on Wednesday of “devastating consequences” if a UN mandate for sending aid trucks into north-western Syria ends on July 10 without a Security Council agreement to renew it.
Antonio Guterres said that 70 per cent of people in Syria’s rebel-held north-west rely on imported aid and urged the council to extend its mandate to keep the Bab Al Hawa checkpoint on the Turkish border open for another year.
The US and others have pushed for Bab Al Hawa to stay open and for aid trucks to enter Syria at additional points, but Russia, which can veto council actions, says cross-border convoys are no longer necessary.
“I strongly appeal to the members of the council to reach consensus on allowing cross-border operations as a vital channel of support for another year,” Mr Guterres said.
“A failure to extend the council’s authorisation would have devastating consequences.”
The north-western Idlib region, accessible via Bab Al Hawa, is the last remaining rebel stronghold against the government of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, who has largely regained control of Syria after a decade of civil war that has left the country in ruins.
Russia, which has backed Mr Al Assad during the last 10 years of conflict in Syria, says checkpoints are no longer needed and aid should be managed from the capital, Damascus, passing across front lines into the north-west.
Moscow has also accused the West of using humanitarian aid for political purposes.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has in recent days told Mr Guterres that Turkish-backed rebels in the northwest have repeatedly tried to block UN and Red Cross humanitarian convoys travelling from Damascus.
Addressing the council via video link, Mr Gutteres described hopes for starting such “cross-line operations soon” but stressed that “they will never be able to replace cross-border assistance".
He also insisted aid does not fall into the hands of the rebels.
“Each step of the delivery is scrupulously monitored by people on the ground to ensure that this aid is not diverted and reaches its intended beneficiaries,” Mr Guterres said.
The meeting was the last public council session on Syria’s humanitarian crisis before the mandate for cross-border convoys expires in a little more than two weeks. Closed-door talks on the draft resolution to renew the operation are set to start next week.
The UN council first authorised aid convoys into Syria in 2014 at four points – Bab Al Hawa, Bab Al Salam between Turkey and northern Syria, Al Ramtha near the Jordanian border and Al Yaroubia on the north-east frontier with Iraq.
Last year, the council cut that access down to only Bab Al Hawa due to opposition from Russia and China.
The US and others have pushed to expand cross-border operations.
A resolution to extend council approval needs nine votes in favour and no veto from any of the five permanent members – Russia, China, Britain, France and the US.
US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed the convoys at their summit in Geneva on June 16, but a US official there said they failed to make any headway on aid into Syria.
Washington’s UN envoy Linda Thomas-Greenfield visited Bab Al Hawa in Turkey this month and said there was “no viable alternative” for aid delivery to meet the vast needs of more than three million vulnerable people in north-western Syria.
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The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
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Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
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Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
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On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
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The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
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4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m; Winner: MM Al Balqaa, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Qaiss Aboud (trainer)
5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: AF Rasam, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
5.30pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mujeeb, Richard Mullen, Salem Al Ketbi
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club – Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud
7pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Pat Dobbs, Ibrahim Aseel
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Nibraas, Richard Mullen, Nicholas Bachalard
