United Nations A/HRC/24/NGO/83

General Assembly Distr.: General

4 September 2013

English only

Human Rights Council

Twenty-fourth session
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development

Written statement* submitted by Liberal International

(World Liberal Union), a non-governmental organization in
general consultative status
The Secretary-General has received the following written statement which is circulated in
accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31.
[22 August 2013]

*
This written statement is issued, unedited, in the language(s) received from the submitting non-
governmental organization(s).

GE.13-16759
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Ever-deteriorating humanitarian crisis in the Syrian Arab

Republic
Liberal International (LI) welcomes the fifth report of the United Nations Secretary General
Ban Ki-Moon on the Responsibility to Protect titled State Responsibility and Prevention
and fully reiterates its commitment to the reports recommendations and conclusions. LI
aligns with the Secretary Generals conclusions of the need to adopt targeted measures for
prevention such as a concerted, comprehensive and inclusive review of risks and
vulnerabilities to an armed conflict and building national resilience.
Liberal International is at the forefront of the promotion of the Responsibility to Protect
(R2P) principle given that it is proving to be a principle of International Law which is
fundamentally in tune with liberal values and as such it is at the core of the organisations
human rights work.
This statement would like to pay particular attention to the failure of the international
community to evoke the R2P principle in the Syrian Arab Republic focusing in particular
on the terrible humanitarian disaster which has emerged as a result and on steps the
international community needs to take in order to alleviate the current crisis.

Recognizing that:
The conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic has led to more than 2 million refugees at
present, with further potential for further deterioration and escalation of the
humanitarian crisis
There is heavy economic and social burden placed on the neighbouring governments
of Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq which are currently hosting over 1.5 million
Syrian refugees, which might lead to political destabilisation of the respective
nations with dire consequences for the entire region
International humanitarian assistance to the Syrian Arab Republic is often
politicized and does not reach its intended recipients, in particular those that are
outside of the control of the authorities in Damascus
There are over 4 million internally displaced Syrians who have limited access to
health, education, food and other essential services
Current refugee camps set up in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Egypt and Iraq often lack
adequate sanitary and safety conditions, leading to emergence of diseases with lethal
consequence
Sexual violence and abuse has become prevalent in a number of Syrian refugee
camps
60% of the Syrian refugee populations lives outside refugee camps which creates a
number of challenges in securing long-term support and live-hood opportunities
The humanitarian crisis is to further deteriorate with the approaching of the winter
conditions in the region

Stressing on the fact that:

Germany and Sweden together have received nearly two-thirds of all Syrians
seeking protection in the European Union

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Women and children are the most vulnerable category of Syrian refugees often
facing physical and sexual abuse and exploitation and thus are at a particularly high
risk of long-term displacement
There is a 54% funding gap in the Syria Regional Response Plan set up by the
United Nations Refugee Agency, as reported during the summer of 2013 with no
indications of improvement
The number of people fleeing the conflict in Syria has escalated to an average of
6,000 a day during 2013
6.8 million Syrians need urgent humanitarian assistance, one third of whom are
children
According to the latest assessment by the World Food Programme more than 4
million Syrians can no longer meet their basic food needs
At least $3.1 billion are still needed to help the people in Syria and neighbouring
countries for the rest of the year considering the current number of refugees and
IDPs
Absorption and integration rates of Syrian refugees have remained low with little
emphasis put on community development and long-term resettlement
Rape is the number one reason for refugees to flee Syria according to an official
report issued by the International Rescue Committee
The assistance given to the Assad-led authorities by the Governments of Iran and of
Iraq and by Hezbollah in Lebanon has further intensified the conflict and
destabilized the region

Expressing deep concern that:

More than 100, 000 Syrians have been killed since the beginning of the conflict
There is an increased anti-Syrian sentiment and detention of Syrian refugees in
direct vicinity of the Syrian Arab Republic
Countries in the region are tightening the grip on accepting new refugees, with the
new law of the Arab Republic of Egypt requiring visas and security clearance for
Syrian nationals which poses significant impediments to Syrians seeking to flee the
conflict in their own country
The ethnic and religious minority and/or indigenous groups, such as Assyrians,
Armenians, Druze, Palestinians, Kurds, Turkmen, are particularly vulnerable to
threats and attacks from both Government-affiliated and anti-Government armed
groups and represent 5% of the total refugees fleeing Syria
No measures have been discussed or undertaken with regards to Syrias post-conflict
future, given that generations of young people are out of education and social
protection schemes

Liberal International Recalls:

The urgency resolution to its 57th Congress in the Philippines which called on the
Syrian regime to stop immediately and unconditionally the violence against its own
population
Its written statement to the 19th Session of the United Nations Human Rights
Council (UNHRC) which called on the Syrian Authorities to comply with the

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provisions of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and put an end to the
violent persecution of innocent civilians
Its oral statement on the civil war in Syria to the 19th Session of the UNHRC which
condemned the brutal actions of the Syrian authorities and it urged the Human
Rights Council to recommend to the Security Council to refer the situation in Syria
to the International Criminal Court and freeze President Bashar Al-Assad's assets
The World Today resolution adopted at its 58th Congress in Abidjan resolution
which stressed that the conflict in Syria represents a major threat to regional and
international peace and security
Its written statement to the 23rd Session of the UNHRC deploring the deliberate
targeting of children by the armed forces of President Assad and the active
deployment of children to the front lines of the conflict by the opposition forces
The urgency debate on Syria at its 190th Executive Committee meeting in Beirut,
Lebanon

Liberal International Calls on:

The international community to provide urgent support and increase its financial aid
to refugee hosting countries in order to secure on-going humanitarian assistance to
Syrian refugees
All UN member states to keep their borders open to offer protection and safety to
Syrian refugees
The European Union to provide swift and easy access to asylum procedures for
Syrian refugees and ensure that the Common European Asylum System is applied in
a consistent manner across its territory
The Arab League to intensify its regional support to resolving the crisis by working
closely with the European Union, the United States of America and other relevant
international actors
The international community and in particular the G8 countries to increase their
financial commitment to the United Nations Refugee Agency in light of the ever-
increasing number of Syrian refugees and their assistance and protection needs
The United Nations Refugee Agency to provide an input when political decisions
are being made on the long term actions and measure pertaining to the conflict in
Syria
On the international community to create safe channels of communication in order
to share more accurate information on what is happening in the communities
affected by the violence in Syria
On President Assad of Syria to cease all killing and violence against his people and
neighboring countries, and to leave power with immediate effect.
On the UN Security Council to take all necessary measures to stop the killings in
Syria
On the Arab League to implement all necessary measures to put an end to the
conflict in Syria
On the United Nations to attempt a political solution offering protection and
participation of all Syrian groups in the future democratic political solution for
Syria, based on full human rights and the rule of law

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Liberal International Commits:

For liberal parliamentarians from around the world to unite and project a common
voice on the conflict in Syria especially at a time when the world community is split
along the issue of arming the opposition
For all liberal parties to act as a catalyst for the world community and propose
peaceful and resourceful ways to ending the atrocities in Syria
To support the United Nations in its actions to end the conflict in Syria