After no agreement came out of talks on Thursday at the UN Security Council, a resolution that allows humanitarian aid operations from Türkiye into Syria is at risk of being disrupted.
It remains unclear whether there will be a vote or not, although there is a scheduled meeting at the security council on Friday morning.
The cross-border aid authorization, which allows the delivery of humanitarian aid from the Cilvegozu border crossing in southern Türkiye into northwest Syria through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing, is set to expire on Sunday.
Two rival bills were negotiated by the council on Thursday. One was drafted by Norway and Ireland, and the other was made by Russia, which wants the border crossings to remain open for 12 months and which calls for a six-month extension followed by a new resolution for another six-month extension, respectively.
More than 2.4 million Syrians benefit from humanitarian aid delivered through Bab al-Hawa each month, according to the UN.
More than 9,500 trucks carrying food aid, medicine and goods to meet urgent needs crossed into Syria through Bab al-Hawa last year.
It is hoped that there will be a vote on Friday to extend the aid resolution for another year, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.
According to an international newspaper, Thomas-Greenfield said, “Six months ends in January, in the middle of winter, the worst time possible.”
Since 2014, the UN has been aiding millions of Syrians through multiple border crossings. However, from 2020, the council reduced the allowed border crossings to one, leaving Bab al-Hawa as the only option.
