John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank our guests for this important piece of work relating to a conflict that, unfortunately, has fallen off the political agenda.

It is not getting the international focus that it deserves. Unfortunately, it is probably up there with other conflicts, such as Yemen, where the humanitarian crisis is reaching astronomical levels.

I want to make some comments first and then ask some specific questions. I reiterate my total support and that of my party for UN Security Council Resolution 2254 (2015). It is really important, especially the sections demanding that all parties take all appropriate steps to protect civilians, including members of ethnic, religious and confessional communities. The resolution stresses in this regard that the primary responsibility to protect the population lies with the Syrian authorities and that the only sustainable solution to the current crisis in Syria is through an inclusive and Syrian-led political process that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people. It is really important to state that.

Unfortunately, what is happening in Syria is not good. As I see it, this has become a geopolitical issue. I call on all the international players to step back from the conflict and allow the Syrian people to negotiate a peaceful settlement through constitutional change. In referring to international players it is important to state all of them, including Iran, Russia, Israel, USA, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar. Through their involvement they have probably added to the duration of this conflict.

The UN special envoy for Syria has engaged in a gruesome block of work in terms of the constitutional reform committee. I know the committee met again for the fifth time in January. Slow progress, if any, is being made in respect of the face-to-face talks between the government and opposition parties on the drafting of a new constitution. I implore the Government to use its influence to ensure all players engage in that committee fully. Ultimately, it is the only solution to the conflict.

Another major ask relates to the continuation of cross-border humanitarian aid and UN Security Council Resolution 2533 (2020). That needs to be continued. I know that is up again in July.

The crisis - what is happening on the ground in Syria - is appalling. All the figures have been given out. Some 13 million ordinary people are in need of humanitarian assistance. The number of people internally displaced and displaced in adjoining countries is terrible. These people should have the right to return. This is something that I totally support.

I congratulate the NGOs on their work on the ground in providing humanitarian assistance. They are all doing fantastic work that must be supported and I absolutely support it.

I am keen to hone in on the issue of sanctions, how that is impacting on the distribution of humanitarian aid for people who need it most. Unfortunately, it is a tool that has been used in other previous conflicts, such as in Iraq. We know the human cost of sanctions that were imposed. UNICEF has spoken of how 500,000 children, unfortunately, have died as a result of sanctions. Some sanctions are targeted. Unfortunately, what we have seen is the imposition of unilateral sanctions.

Specific work has been carried out by the UN rapporteurs to examine the sanctions issue. A report was produced in 2018 by the now-deceased Idriss Jazairy. He said that unilateral sanctions which restrict nearly any financial transaction or which seek to prevent third countries from engaging in legal trade with a country were an illegal and immoral form of coercion, especially when such actions harm the human rights of people living in targeted countries. He went on to say in reference to Syria that the complex financial sanctions prevented government and humanitarian actors from buying food, medicine and spare parts for water pumps or electrical generators from western countries, thus imposing further suffering on innocent civilians. He made a specific call on states to address this issue by creating a UN-led procurement mechanism that would provide for the human rights of civilians. He went on to talk about other countries in which these unilateral sanctions are imposed. He has since passed away and the current rapporteur is Alena Douhan. In a recently published report she said some other humanitarian organisations have complained because their humanitarian work aimed to deliver medicine, medical equipment and food to Syria. However, during the pandemic, this has been frozen as have the bank accounts of their personnel. All of this is due to secondary sanctions that are being imposed. We know how the imposition of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 in July last year will deepen the humanitarian crisis and impact on the rebuilding of Syria.

Some specific questions stem from this. We know the number of people in need of humanitarian assistance. How is the imposition of unilateral sanctions impacting on the excellent work that the NGOs are doing? Is it impeding their work in terms of some of the issues that have been highlighted by the UN rapporteurs?

The Caesar Act is relevant. We know people have been internally displaced and others have been displaced in other countries. They can come back home. However, if they end up in a refugee camp it is not an ideal situation. The Act is aimed at stopping the reconstruction of Syria. How do the NGO representatives see the Act playing out? How do they see what has been described as immoral, illegal unilateral? How are the sanctions impacting on humanitarian work in Syria?