Excellencies,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

First, allow me to thank the European Union Delegation to the UN and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for convening this event, which is absolutely essential given that the situation in Syria is, as they rightly describe, the biggest crisis of our time. I would like to also commend Jordan, along with Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq, for shouldering such an enormous burden over the last few years while their neighbouring country of Syria has remained embroiled in a violent conflict with no meaningful political progress or end in sight.

What we are witnessing in Syria regarding access limitations is indicative of the shrinking humanitarian space in emergencies around the world. However, in few other places is the problem more glaring. The ability of humanitarian agencies and workers to deliver assistance to the multitudes of Syrians in dire need of support is routinely hampered by outright conflict, politics, and petty bureaucratic impediments. The sheer number of those in need who suffer because humanitarians lack access is truly staggering. The internally displaced population alone, numbering roughly 7.6 million, remains dispersed across a fluid and chaotic landscape of shifting and fractured lines. IDPs, many of whom have been forced to move on multiple occasions, remain extremely vulnerable, in desperate need, and often located in hard-to-reach or besieged areas.

Yet, despite the daunting challenges, humanitarians continue to deliver. IOM currently has 241 staff members working inside Syria across 14 governorates, who, along with UN and NGO partners, face an uphill battle just to do what is right – to deliver humanitarian assistance based on the needs of those civilians caught in this conflict.

Moreover, the regional dimensions of this crisis have been obvious for some time. IOM, like many other aid agencies, has staff in five different countries focused on supporting operations in Syria, or working to mitigate the impacts of the sprawling crisis on Syria’s neighbours. Humanitarian needs remain, and are often amplified, as Syrian refugees flee and cross into neighbouring countries and continue onward. Under the overall auspices of UNHCR, IOM provides assistance to Syrian refugees ranging from those located in neighbouring countries to those arriving in Southern and Eastern Europe and beyond.

Though humanitarians have applied innovative delivery modalities and coordination mechanisms, which have provided aid to hundreds of thousands of Syrians previously out of reach, the reality is – five years into the conflict – the bulk of agencies’ work remains focused on immediate, life-saving interventions. The international community needs to do more to restore basic services and income for millions inside Syria. It is vital that we also address the resilience and development challenges faced by Syrian refugees, who are likely to remain in host communities for the foreseeable future.

Nothing about the way we do business in Syria, or in the region for that matter, is sustainable in the absence of meaningful political progress. A discussion on how best to respond to the growing and evolving needs in Syria is, unfortunately, still absolutely necessary at this point in time. However, as is the case with any manmade crisis, real solutions to the situation in Syria will not be made by humanitarians, but by political actors and the States that ultimately bear the responsibility to care for and protect their people.