Syria and the Neutrality Trap by Carsten Wieland

Author:Carsten Wieland [Wieland, Carsten]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780755641413
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2021-03-23T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

IN THE PILLORY: THE UN’S SYRIA DILEMMA

The UN-led humanitarian response in Syria has been coordinated from multiple locations inside and outside the country, partly in reaction to the difficult working conditions under the Syrian regime. Complementary cross-border assistance was set up from Turkey, Jordan and Iraq, as long as it was possible with the consent of the UN Security Council. The humanitarian hub in Damascus was established to serve people in need in government-held areas and was responsible for cross-line assistance, too. This was the toughest aspect, especially when it came to besieged and so-called ‘hard-to-reach areas’ (actually often a euphemism for places under siege). The UN called their efforts the ‘Whole of Syria Approach’, which is co-led by the Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC) in Damascus as well as the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator (RHC) based in Amman. In this constellation the UN has overseen relief operations since 2014.

The regime in Damascus was obviously displeased with this dual arrangement since it was an effort to bring to the table both the cross-border humanitarian actors and those from within Syria so that they could coordinate, agree on priorities, strategic vision and so forth. Such an arrangement had become a way out of the dilemma that UN representatives in Damascus could not visit cross-border operations in Gaziantep (Turkey) or those coming from Iraq or Jordan. A senior former UN official told this author that this structure helped bring teams “closer” and agree on common vision and strategy, as part of a US$3.5 billion annual humanitarian plan for Syria. According to his assessment, the post of the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator was crucial in advocating for protection and in voicing issues that were challenging to deal with from Damascus due to the politicization of the crisis.

The parameters of the humanitarian response in Syria were set by the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP). In Damascus, the Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC) has been leading the Humanitarian Country Team that convenes senior representatives from across the humanitarian community – including from the UN, international NGOs and local organizations in order to develop common policies and advocate with the government on behalf of the response plans. The RC/HC plays a crucial role inside Syria and has been in the main line of political fire. He is the key advocate with senior members of the Syrian government on strategic access issues. In addition, there are Area Humanitarian Country Teams chaired by the UN on provincial levels, including in Aleppo, Homs, Qamishli and Tartous (which is responsible for government-held parts of Idlib), as well as one covering the southern governorates.

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