17-03-2016 | di COOPI

Appeal for Syria

On the fifth anniversary of the start of the conflict in Syria (March 15), 102 humanitarian organizations, including the Italian COOPI, ask for a prolonged and unconditional humanitarian access to reach all Syrians.

"If we evaluate the number of people affected and the human suffering caused, Syria is the greatest humanitarian emergency of our time" explains the Director of COOPI - International Cooperation, Ennio Miccoli. "The problem is not solved just bringing aid to Syria", he reaffirms "but also bringing aid to all Syrians have fled their country. The international community must seriously wonder what to do", concludes the Director.

COOPI is in Lebanon in 2013 to help the refugees and Syrian refugees and at this time is conducting a mission to the region to assess the ability to deliver aid directly to Syria.

The appeal and the signatories below.

5th Anniversary of the Syrian Conflict

As the parties to the conflict in Syria resume talks to end a war that now enters its sixth horrific year, there is renewed hope for peace. For an end to the suffering of millions of the innocent.

Two months ago our organizations appealed for urgent access to all those in desperate need inside Syria: for the lifting of sieges; for the full protection of civilians. Today, there are some encouraging signs of progress.

The cessation of hostilities has allowed humanitarian organizations to rush more food and other relief to communities desperate for help.

But access has to go beyond a temporary lifting of seiges and checkpoints and allowing more aid convoys to move.

Humanitarian access and freedom of movement of civilians in Syria has to be sustained. It has to be unconditional. And it should include access to all people in need by whatever routes necessary.

The parties to this conflict and their international sponsors must from now on guarantee:

Full access for humanitarian and medical workers to assess the wellbeing of civilians in all communities and treat those who are sick and injured without obstacle or restriction.
Allowing all humanitarian aid, as required by international humanitarian law, to reach, unimpeded, those who urgently need it - including medical supplies, surgical equipment, and nutritional necessities.
Support for an urgently needed nationwide immunization campaign for children.

These are practical actions that would mean the difference between life and death. All parties to the conflict can agree on them, now.

And in doing so, they can take another step to peace.

Peace for Syria.

The peace that Syrians so desperately deserve.

Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen, CEO, Plan International

Ahmad Alhendawi, UN Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth

Richard Allan Director, C.E.O., The MENTOR Initiative

Steen Andersen, UNICEF Denmark

Nancy A. Aossey, President & CEO, International Medical Corps

Bernt G. Apeland, ED UNICEF Norway

Dr. Mahmoud Aswad, Syrian Expatriate Medical Association

Stephan Bauman's President of World Relief

Dr. Gudrun Berger, Executive Director, UNICEF Austria

Tomaž Bergo?, Executive Director, Slovenska fundacija za UNICEF

Big Heart Foundation

Rod Brooks, President and CEO, Stop Hunger Now

David Bull, Unicef UK

Nan Buzard Executive Director, ICVA

Teresa Casale, Global Communities

Jonny Cline, Executive Director, UNICEF Israel

Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director, World Food Program

Fadi Al-Dairi, Country Director, Hand in Hand for Syria

Elisabeth Dahlin, Secretary General, Save the Children Sweden

Defence for Children International

Shukria Dellawar, Women Thrive Worldwide

Hisham Dirani, BINAA

Jan Egeland, Secretary General, Norwegian Refugee Council

Danks Emese, Executive Director, UNICEF Magyar

Patricia Erb, President and CEO, Save the Children Canada

Pierre Ferrari, President and CEO of Heifer International

Amy Fong, Chief Executive, Save the Children Hong Kong

Meg Gardinier, Secretary General, ChildFund Alliance

Mark Goldring, Chief Executive, Oxfam GB and on behalf of Oxfam International

Pavla Gomba, Výkonná ?editelka, UNICEF ?R

Madalena Marçal Grilo, Executive Director, Comité Português para a UNICEF

Daryl Grisgraber, Refugees International

Neal Keny-Guyer, President/CEO, Mercy Corp

Ken Hayami, Executive Director, Japan Committee for UNICEF

Headwaters Relief Organisation

Abdullah Hanoun, Syrian Community of the South West UK

Dirk Hegmanns, Regional Director Turkey/Syria/Iraq, Welthungerhilfe

Rolla Hinedi, Syria Relief Turkey

International Disability Alliance

Islamic Relief Worldwide

W. Douglas Jackson, President/CEO, PROJECT C.U.R.E

Kevin Jenkins, President, World Vision

Bergsteinn Jónsson, Executive Director, UNICEF Iceland

Mohannad Kanawati, Khayr Charity

Helen Keller

Thomas G. Kemper, General Secretary General, Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church

Marja-Ritta Ketola, CEO, UNICEF Finland

Peter Klansoe, Regional Director, Danish Refugee Council

Pim Kraan, Chief Executive, Save the Children Netherlands

Susanna Krüger, CEO of Save the Children Germany

Marek Krupi?ski and Krzysztof Socha, Polish National Committee for UNICEF

Dr. Hans Kuenzle Chair of the Board of the Swiss Committee for UNICEF

Anthony Lake, Executive Director, UNICEF

Jane Lau, Chief Executive, Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF

Ilias Liberis, Executive Director, Hellenic National Committee for UNICEF

Jonas Keiding Lindholm, Generalsekretær / CEO, Red Barnet / Save the Children Denmark

John Lyon, President, CEO, World Hope International

Eleanor McClelland, People in Need

Vivien Maidaborn, CEO, UNICEF NZ

Ennio Miccoli Director COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale

Carolyn Miles, President & CEO, Save the Children USA

David Milliband, International Rescue Committee

Juraj Mišura and Giorgio Dovogi Slovak Committee for UNICEF

James Mitchum Chief Executive Officer, Heart to Heart International

Othman Moqbel , Chief Executive, Human Appeal International

David Morley, President and CEO, UNICEF Canada

John Nduna, General Secretary, ACT Alliance

Stephen O'Brien, UN Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator

Niall O'Keeffe, Head of Region, Middle East & Asia, Trócaire

William O'Keefe, Catholic Relief Services

Babatunde Osotimenhin, Executive Director, UNFPA

Ignacio Packer, Secretary General,Terre Des Hommes International Federation

Ahmad Faizal Perdaus, MERCY Malaysia

Peter Power, UNICEF Ireland

Erna Reynisdóttir, CEO, Barnaheill - Save the Children á Íslandi

Curt Rhodes International Director, Questscope

Michel Roy, Secretary-General, Caritas Internationalis

Paolo Rozera, Executive Director, UNICEF Italian National Committee

Christian Schneider, German Committee for UNICEF

Kunio Senga, Chief Executive Officer, Save the Children, Japan

Martin Shupack, Church World Service

Baraa Al-Smoudi, Ihsan RD

Janti Soeripto, Save the Children International

SOS Children's Villages International

Tanya Steele, Interim Chief Executive of Save the Children UK

Caryl M. Stern President and CEO, US Fund for UNICEF

John Stewart, President, Australian Committee for UNICEF

Dae Won Suh, Executive Director, KCU

Odd Swarting, Chair, UNICEF Sverige

William Lacy Swing Director General IOM

Syria Relief and Development

Dina Taddia, President, GVC Italy

Ghaith Taraben, Head of Mission, Turkey, Qatar Red Crescent

Amro Tarrisi, Violet Organization

Marta Alberch Terres, Directora, Unicef Comitè d'Andorra

Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit , General Secretary, World Council of Churches

Joan Timoney, Women's Refugee Commission

United Muslim Relief

Dr. William F. Vendley, Secretary General, Religions for Peace

Damien Vincent, UNICEF Belgium

Sandra Visscher, Executive Director UNICEF-Luxembourg

Jan Bouke Wijbrandi, Dutch National Committee for UNICEF

Nancy E. Wilson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Relief International

Tove R. Wang, CEO, Save the Children Norway

Samuel A. Worthington, CEO, InterAction

Leila Zerrougui, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict

Mohammad Zia-ur-Rehman, Chief Executive, Awaz Foundation Pakistan

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For more information, please contact:

Christophe Boulierac, cboulierac@unicef.org, +41799639244

John Budd, jbudd@unicef.org, +19179099542

Tuva Raanes Bogsnes, tuva.bogsnes@nrc.no, +47 93231883