Syria Arab Republic Tender

The UN Secretary-General welcomed the decision by the Syrian president to open two further crossing points on the Turkish border to allow more aid into the stricken northwest of the country. Only a single crossing point Bab al-Hawa has been open to humanitarians since the 6 February earthquakes struck across the border region of southern Trkiye and northwest Syria which has been in the grip of civil war for the past 12 years and is the last remaining region partly under the control of opposition forces.I welcome the decision today by President Bashar al-Assad of Syria to open the two crossing points of Bab Al-Salam and Al Raee from Trkiye to northwest Syria for an initial period of three months to allow for the timely delivery of humanitarian aid Antnio Guterres said in a statement.As hope fades of bringing more survivors out alive from the ruins in Syria more than 4300 deaths had been reported in the northwest on Sunday. Deaths in Trkiye have reportedly now exceeded 31000.Utmost urgencyIts clear that delivering food health nutrition protection shelter winter supplies and other life-saving supplies to all the millions of people affected is of the utmost urgency. Opening these crossing points along with facilitating humanitarian access accelerating visa approvals and easing travel between hubs he added will allow more aid to go in faster added Mr. Guterres.Lifting gear and medicines neededHumanitarians working to save lives in Syria and Trkiye made an urgent appeal for more heavy machinery to remove rubble and debris in towns and villages shattered by the earthquakes together with medical supplies.That includes ambulances and medicine shelter and non-food items including heating emergency food supplies and so-called WASH assistance water sanitation and hygiene the UN Spokesperson Stphane Dujarric told correspondents in New York at the regular daily briefing.UN aid coordination agency OCHA said that Harim Afrin and Jebel Saman are the worst-affected districts in northwest Syria and that more than 50 trucks loaded with aid from five UN agencies have so far arrived via the sole international crossing at Bab al-Hawa from Trkiye.UN continuing to mobilizeThe UN continues to mobilize emergency teams and relief operations Mr. Dujarric stressed.At Trkiyes request a UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination UNDAC Team with a total of 50 members has been deployed to the aid hub of Gaziantep and to three other hubs in the affected area to support the coordination of the International Urban Search and Rescue Operations he added.A UNDAC liaison team to Trkiyes Disaster and Emergency Management Ministry which is leading the response has also been established in Ankara. Speaking from there to UN News UNDACs Winston Chang said that the scale and the damage sustained inside the disaster area in the south of the country was one of the worst we have seen.6000 high-rise buildings are now rubbleWe are looking at a damaged area of over 50000 square kilometers covering a span of ten provincesWe count now 6000 collapsed high-rise buildings.He said there were still reports coming in eight days after the deadly earthquakes struck Trkiye and Syria of miracle rescues including a newborn baby who was still attached to the umbilical cord pulled from the rubble.We have 25 different disaster groups fighting across all sectors from environmental medical the military and of course disaster response coordination he added noting that at the Turkish national emergency center there was a strong sense of unity and mission to aid those in need.As for the horrific scale of the disaster he said that compared to the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 where 220000 were killed I think this one does not pale in comparison.UN disaster relief teams in SyriaA separate UNDAC team composed of seven members reached Syria and is supporting the response in Aleppo Latakia and Homs said Mr. Dujarric. Currently eight international rescue teams are working in the earthquake-impacted areas in Syria.The UN is working to rapidly scale up its assistance including through the cross-border aid operations into the northwest he added before news of President Assads decision had been announced.In New York the Security Council held a private meeting reportedly to discuss the speeding up of aid to stricken areas of northwest Syria. Six trucks carrying food and non-food items from the World Food Programme WFP crossed through Bab al-Hawa crossing the UN Spokesperson said.Since 9 February a total of 58 trucks loaded with essential humanitarian assistance crossed into northwest Syria from southern Trkiye.Relief chief in DamascusUN Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths was in the stricken quake region over the weekend surveying the huge challenges of the aid operation and on Monday arrived in Damascus. Earlier in the day he was in Aleppo and spoke to families who have lost loved ones and their homes Mr. Dujarric said.He also met first responders and aid workers who have worked tirelessly to meet urgent humanitarian needs. He said the trauma of the people he spoke to in Aleppo was visible and this is a trauma that the world needs to help heal. Mr. Griffiths said our obligation is to ensure shelter food schooling psychosocial care and a sense of the future for people affected by the devastating earthquake.