The Security Council,
Recalling its resolutions 2042 (2012), 2043 (2012) and
2118 (2013), and its Presidential Statements of 3 August 2011, 21 March 2012, 5
April 2012 and 2 October 2013,
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,
Being appalled at the unacceptable and escalating level of violence and the death of well
over 100,000 people in Syria, including over 10,000 children, as reported by the
UN Secretary-General and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General
for Children and Armed Conflict,
Expressing grave alarm at the significant and rapid deterioration of the humanitarian 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 million people in hard-to-reach areas, and deploring the difficulties in providing, and the failure to provide,
access for the humanitarian assistance to all civilians in need inside Syria,
Emphasizing the
need to respect the UN guiding principles of humanitarian emergency
assistance and stressing the importance of such assistance being delivered on
the basis of need, devoid of any political prejudices and aims, commending
the efforts of the United Nations and all humanitarian and medical personnel in
Syria and in neighbouring countries, and condemning all acts or threats of violence against United Nations staff and
humanitarian actors, which have resulted in the death, injury and detention of
many humanitarian personnel,
Expressing grave concern at the increasing number of refugees and internally displaced persons
caused by the conflict in Syria, which has a destabilising impact on the entire
region, and underscoring its
appreciation for the significant and admirable efforts that have been made by
the countries of the region, notably Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt,
to accommodate the more than 2.4 million refugees who have fled Syria as a
result of the on-going violence, while acknowledging the enormous political,
socioeconomic and financial impact of the presence of large-scale populations
in these countries, and underscoring
the need for all parties to respect and maintain the security and civilian
character of camps for refugees and internally displaced persons,
Welcoming the pledges totalling $2.5 billion at the Second International
Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria, hosted by Kuwait on 15 January
2014, and expressing its appreciation
to Member States and regional and sub-regional organizations that have pledged
to provide humanitarian assistance to people in need in all parts of Syria,
including internally displaced persons, as well as to refugees in neighbouring
host countries, and calling on all
Member States to ensure the timely disbursement of pledges and continued
support in line with growing humanitarian needs,
Calling on all parties to immediately end all violence which has led to human
suffering in Syria, save Syria’s rich societal mosaic and cultural heritage,
and take appropriate steps to ensure the protection of Syria’s World Heritage
Sites,
Strongly condemning the increased terrorist attacks resulting in numerous casualties and
destruction carried out by organizations and individuals associated with
Al-Qaeda, its affiliates and other terrorist groups, and reiterating its call on all parties to commit to putting an end to
terrorist acts perpetrated by such organizations and individuals, while reaffirming that terrorism in all
its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to
international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal
and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by
whomsoever committed,
Expressing its regret that its Presidential Statement of 2 October 2013 (S/PRST/2013/15) has not
delivered as expected and has not yet translated into meaningful progress on
the ground, and that humanitarian aid delivery continues to be impeded
throughout Syria, while condemning
all cases of denial of humanitarian access and recalling that arbitrary denial of humanitarian access and
depriving civilians of objects indispensable to their survival, including
wilfully impeding relief supply and access, can constitute a violation of international
humanitarian law,
Emphasizing that the humanitarian situation will continue to deteriorate in the
absence of a political solution to the crisis, reiterating its endorsement of the Geneva Communiqué of 30 June
2012 (Annex II of Resolution 2118 (2113)) and demanding that all parties work towards the immediate and
comprehensive implementation of the Geneva Communiqué aimed at bringing an
immediate end to all violence, violations and abuses of human rights and
violations of international law, and facilitating the Syrian-led political
process launched in Montreux on 22 January 2014, leading to a transition that
meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and enables them
independently and democratically to determine their own future,
1.
Strongly condemns the widespread violations of human rights and international humanitarian
law by the Syrian authorities, as well as the human rights abuses and
violations of international humanitarian law by armed groups, including all forms
of sexual and gender-based violence, as well as all grave violations and abuses
committed against children in contravention of applicable international law,
such as recruitment and use, killing and maiming, rape, attacks on schools and
hospitals as well as arbitrary arrest, detention, torture, ill treatment and
use as human shields, as described in the United Nations Secretary-General’s
report on children and armed conflict in Syria (S/2014/31);
2.
Demands that all parties immediately put
an end to all forms of violence, irrespective of where it comes from, cease and
desist from all violations of international humanitarian law and violations and
abuses of human rights, and reaffirm their obligations under international
humanitarian law and international human rights law, and stresses that some of these violations may amount to war crimes and
crimes against humanity;
3.
Demands that all parties immediately cease all attacks against civilians, as well
as the indiscriminate employment of weapons in populated areas, including
shelling and aerial bombardment, such as the use of barrel bombs, and methods
of warfare which are of a nature to cause superfluous injury or unnecessary
suffering, and recalls in this regard
the obligation to respect and ensure respect for international humanitarian law
in all circumstances, and further recalls,
in particular, the obligation to distinguish between civilian populations and
combatants, and the prohibition against indiscriminate attacks, and attacks
against civilians and civilian objects as such;
4.
Demands that all parties, in particular the Syrian authorities, fully implement
the provisions of the 2 October 2013 Statement by the President of the Security
Council (S/PRST/2013/15) including through facilitating the expansion of
humanitarian relief operations, in accordance with applicable provisions of
international humanitarian law and the UN guiding principles of humanitarian
emergency assistance;
5.
Calls upon all parties to immediately lift the sieges of populated areas,
including in the Old City of Homs (Homs), Nubl and Zahra (Aleppo), Madamiyet
Elsham (Rural Damascus), Yarmouk (Damascus), Eastern Ghouta (Rural Damascus),
Darayya (Rural Damascus) and other locations, and demands that
all parties allow the delivery of
humanitarian assistance, including medical assistance, cease depriving
civilians of food and medicine indispensable to their survival, and enable the
rapid, safe and unhindered evacuation of all civilians who wish to leave, and underscores the need for the parties to agree
on humanitarian pauses, days of tranquillity, localised cease-fires and truces
to allow humanitarian agencies safe and unhindered access to all affected areas
in Syria, recalling that starvation of civilians as a method of combat is
prohibited by international humanitarian law;
6.
Demands that all parties, in particular the Syrian authorities, promptly allow rapid,
safe and unhindered humanitarian access for UN humanitarian agencies and their
implementing partners, including across conflict lines and across borders, in
order to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people in need through the
most direct routes;
7.
Urges all parties, in particular the Syrian authorities, to take all appropriate
steps to facilitate the efforts of the United Nations, its specialized
agencies, and all humanitarian actors engaged in humanitarian relief
activities, to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the affected people
in Syria, including by promptly facilitating safe and unhindered humanitarian
access to populations in need of assistance in all areas under their control, and
encourages further cooperation
between the United Nations, its specialized agencies and all parties concerned,
including Syrian civil society organisations, to facilitate access and the
delivery of assistance in the entirety of the Syrian territory;
8.
Demands that all parties respect the principle of medical neutrality and
facilitate free passage to all areas for medical personnel, equipment,
transport and supplies, including surgical items, and recalls that under international humanitarian law, the wounded and
sick must receive, to the fullest extent practicable, and with the least
possible delay, medical care and attention required by their condition and that
medical and humanitarian personnel, facilities and transport must be respected
and protected, and expresses grave
concern in this regard at the removal of medical supplies from humanitarian
shipments;
9.
Also demands that all parties take all appropriate steps to protect civilians,
including members of ethnic, religious and confessional communities, and stresses that, in this regard, the
primary responsibility to protect its population lies with the Syrian
authorities,
10.
Further demands that all parties demilitarize medical facilities, schools and other
civilian facilities and avoid establishing military positions in populated
areas and desist from attacks directed against civilian objects;
11. Strongly condemns the arbitrary detention and torture of civilians
in Syria, notably in prisons and detention facilities, as well as the
kidnappings, abductions and forced disappearances, and demands the immediate end of these practices and the release of all
arbitrarily detained persons starting with women and children, as well as sick,
wounded and elderly people and including UN personnel and journalists;
12.
Urges all parties to take all appropriate steps to ensure the safety and
security of United Nations personnel, those of its specialized agencies, and
all other personnel engaged in humanitarian relief activities, without
prejudice to their freedom of movement and access, stresses that the primary responsibility in this regard lies with
the Syrian authorities and further
stresses the need not to impede these efforts;
13.
Stresses the need to end impunity for violations of international humanitarian law
and violations and abuses of human rights, and reaffirms that those who have committed
or are otherwise responsible for such violations and abuses in Syria must be
brought to justice;
14.
Strongly condemns the increased terrorist attacks resulting in numerous casualties and
destruction carried out by organisations and individuals associated with
Al-Qaeda, its affiliates and other terrorist groups, urges the opposition groups to maintain their rejection of these
organizations and individuals which are responsible for serious violations of
international humanitarian law in opposition-held areas, calls upon the Syrian authorities and opposition groups to commit
to combating and defeating organizations and individuals associated with
Al-Qaeda, its affiliates and other terrorist groups, demands that all foreign fighters immediately withdraw from Syria, and
reaffirms that terrorism in all its
forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to
international peace and security, and that any acts of terrorism are criminal
and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever
committed;
15.
Emphasizes that the humanitarian situation will continue to deteriorate in the absence
of a political solution, welcomes in
this regard the Geneva Conference on Syria launched in Montreux on 22 January
2014, and demands that all parties
work towards the comprehensive implementation of the Geneva Communiqué of 30
June 2012 leading to a genuine political transition that meets the legitimate
aspirations of the Syrian people and enables them independently and
democratically to determine their own future, and further stresses that rapid progress on a political solution should
include full participation by all groups and segments of Syrian society,
including women, and represents the only sustainable opportunity to resolve the
situation in Syria peacefully, and that the implementation of this resolution
is key to meeting the humanitarian needs of the Syrian people;
16.
Urges all Member States to contribute or increase their support to the United
Nations’ humanitarian appeals to meet the spiralling needs of people affected
by the crisis, and to provide this support in coordination with the relevant
United Nations agencies, and to ensure that all pledges are honoured in full, and
further urges all Member States,
based on burden sharing principles, to support the neighbouring host countries
to enable them to respond to the growing humanitarian needs, including by
providing direct support;
17.
Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Council on the implementation of
this resolution by all parties in Syria, in particular paragraphs 2 through 12,
in 30 days of its adoption and every 30 days thereafter, and upon receipt of
the Secretary-General’s report, expresses
its intent to take further steps in the case of non-compliance with this
resolution;
18.
Decides to remain actively seized of the matter.
