Updated on : 24-02-2014 07:42 AM

The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution to boost humanitarian access in Syria that threatens to take ‘further steps’ in the case of non-compliance, demands cross-border aid access and condemns rights abuses by the Syrian government and opposition armed groups.

The 15-nation UNSC met to vote on the resolution, co-authored by Australia, Jordan and Luxembourg amid uncertainty that Russia and China could veto the draft.  Russia and China support the Syrian government and have vetoed three previous resolutions backed by Western nations that would have pressed Syrian President Bashar Assad to end the three-year conflict. The resolution 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”.  After the 15 nations voted in favour of the draft, Ban told the UNSC that he welcomed the adoption of the resolution, which if implemented quickly could ease “some of the suffering” and “prolonged desperation” of the Syrian people.  “This resolution should not have been necessary. Humanitarian assistance is not something to be negotiated; it is something to be allowed by virtue of international law,” he said.  The humanitarian situation in Syria continues to deteriorate with half the country’s people needing urgent assistance, he said.  “Despite the dangerous circumstances, UN humanitarian agencies and our partners are reaching millions of people. But too many millions are beyond our reach. And funding continues to fall short; I urge the international community to step up its contributions,” Ban said.  The UN chief said it is “profoundly shocking” that the government and opposition in Syria are “besieging civilians as a tactic of war.”