In response to a letter signed by Lord Alton and Dr. Ahmad Dabbagh, Consultant Ophthalmologist, NHS; Dr. David Nott, Professor of Humanitarian Surgery, Imperial College; Mr. Brooks Newmark, former MP and former Minister for Civil Society; Dr. Ghanem Tayara, Chairman of Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisation (UOSSM) ;Mr. Mohammad Antabli, Founder of Palmyra Relief; Mr. Ayman Abdelnour, President of Syrian Christians for Peace; Mr. Daoud Daoud, President of the Assyrian Democratic Organisation; Mr. Obeida Nahas, Syrian-British politician, Leader of the National Renewal-Syria; Mr. Benedict Rogers, Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission; Mrs. Amina Khoulani, Human Rights Activist, Syrian British Council and Dr. Wael Aleji, MD, MBPsS, Secretary of the Association for Middle Eastern Conservatives, the Rt Hon. James Cleverly MP Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa has sent the following response.
The Rt Hon. James Cleverly MP
Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
The Lord Alton of Liverpool
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0AA
25 August 2021
Dear Lord Alton,
Thank you for your correspondence of 14 May to the Foreign Secretary about Syria. I am replying as the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa.
May I offer you my sincerest apologies for the delay in responding to your correspondence.
As one of the largest bilateral donors to the Syrian crisis since 2011, the UK is at the
forefront of the international response. The UK focuses on helping those most in need and is encouraging the wider international humanitarian response to do the same.
To date, we have committed over £3.7 billion in response to the regional Syrian crisis, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. Since 2012, across Syria and the region, we have provided over 28 million food rations, over 22 million medical consultations, 6 million cash grants/vouchers, 10 million relief packages and over 14 million vaccines. Our aid provides life-saving support to millions of Syrians, supporting refugees to remain in countries in the region, and enabling their host communities to accommodate them.
It is unacceptable that the Assad regime continues to restrict aid access to millions of people in Syria.
The UN’s Needs and Response Summary 2021 for Syria reflects a sharp increase in requirements, with 13.4 million people now in need.
The UK strongly supports the renewal of UN Security Council Resolution 2533 to maintain cross-border aid access into Syria. We urge members of the Security Council to vote in favour of renewing the Resolution in July including the re-opening of additional border crossings to avoid an even greater deterioration of the dire humanitarian situation in north west Syria. The Foreign Secretary made this case to the Security Council in March, alongside G7 Foreign Ministers in the joint communique issued in May, and together with key partners following a discussion on Syria on 28 June.
The UK supports improved access through all modalities to reach populations in need in north west Syria, however we do not foresee any opportunity for cross-line access into Idlib to come close to matching cross-border access. Nothing can replace the scale, scope and efficiency of UN operations in northern Syria.
The UK will continue to do all that we can to ensure that a long-term, lasting solution is found to resolve the current crisis in Syria. In the meantime, I can assure you we are focused on delivering life-saving humanitarian aid to those most affected by the Syria crisis.
Yours ever,
The Rt Hon. James Cleverly MP
Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa
