UN Special Envoy: ‘Duration of Syria aid mechanism must be extended to save millions of lives’

United Nations (UN) Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen speaks during a press conference at the UN Geneva Office in Geneva, Switzerland on 21 August 2020. [Bayram Altuğ – Anadolu Agency]

The United Nations (UN) Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen on Friday stressed the need to extend and expand the aid mechanism to Syria to save millions of lives.

This came during a speech delivered by Pederson before a UN Security Council session currently being held at the permanent headquarters of the international organisation in New York on the Syrian file.

The mechanism for the delivery of UN cross-border aid to Syria from Bab Al-Hawa Border Crossing on the Turkish border expires on 11 July.

“The large-scale cross-border humanitarian response needs to be extended for an additional 12 months to save lives, and your unity will be pivotal,” the UN official added.

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