UN Security Council voted unanimously on Resolution 2165, which authorized direct provision of humanitarian assistance to Syria through four checkpoints from the neighbouring countries without the consent of the Assad regime.

The authors of the resolution took the floor immediately after the vote to explain the rationale of passing the resolution. Australia stated that the resolution “should not have been necessary”, for it was the consistent non-compliance of previous resolutions 2135 and 2139 that gave rise to the instant resolution. The Austrian Ambassador added it is the “cynical manipulation of humanitarian aid by the regime” and “calculated denial of life-saving medical supply” that caused the council to act in unison. Luxembourg spoke on the monitoring procedures of the resolution, stating that a Secretary-General initiated monitoring regime will ensure that only aid and aid workers pass through the specified checkpoint. The third author, Jordan, reminded the council that the new resolution should be read in concert with previous ones, and that the previous resolutions are still in force. Other members of the council explained their vote by reiterating the “untold suffering of Syrian people” and the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis in Syria. They also highlighted the need to find political solutions for the political problems facing Syria. Many, including American Ambassador Samantha Power, commended the council for the new unity in handling the Syrian crisis. Members also urged all sides in Syria to work with the Secretary-General’s new envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura.

In response to the resolution, the Syrian Ambassador reiterated his government’s provision of humanitarian aid, and stated that the opposition is part of the humanitarian crisis but not the solution of it. He denounced some countries for supporting the opposition, stating that such stubbornness of these governments encouraged terrorism from Iraq spilling over to Syria.

Meeting Title –7216th meeting of the UN Security Council
Speakers – Permanent Representative of Argentina, Australia, Chad, China, Chile, France, Jordan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Nigeria, Republic of Korea and Rwanda, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States to the United Nations
Location – Security Council Chamber, United Nations Headquarters
Date – July 14^th, 2014
Summary Written By – Harrison Chung