UN chief welcomes resumption of aid delivery into Syria through key border crossing

UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed on Tuesday resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries from Türkiye into northwest Syria through the Bab al-Hawa crossing, a UN spokesman said.

"Though our humanitarian operations have continued to assist millions of people in need in northwest Syria, the Bab al-Hawa crossing has long been central to the UN's efforts to deliver aid in the northwest," said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for Guterres.

"With more people than ever requiring humanitarian aid in Syria, the secretary-general underscores the need for ever greater efforts to be made to ensure we reach all those who need it," he added.

A 17-truck convoy carrying 50 tons of assistance from the UN Children's Fund, the International Organization for Migration, the World Health Organization and the World Food Programme was the first to traverse the Bab Al-Hawa crossing since it was closed in early July, Dujarric said.

He said the cargo arriving in Idlib on Tuesday included hygiene kits and educational items for 46,000 people, nutrition support for 10,000 babies, tents and non-food items for 5,000 people and enough supplies for 260,000 medical procedures.

The spokesman said UN staff on Monday carried out three preliminary cross-border missions to northwest Syria, including two to Idlib via Bab al-Hawa, but without relief supplies.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said it made a routine monitoring visit to hospitals supported by the Syria Cross-border Humanitarian Fund.

"Additional truck movements and missions by UN personnel are planned in the coming days, as we work with our partners to provide life-saving assistance in line with core humanitarian principles," Dujarric said. "Each month, the UN and our partners reach an average of 2.6 million people with critical assistance and protection services."

Bab al-Hawa was closed to aid convoys after the UN Security Council failed to reach an accord on a resolution in July to re-authorize the Syria cross-border humanitarian aid delivery mechanism through the crossing.

The world body and Syria worked out an agreement last month allowing for Tuesday's resumption of relief convoys through Bab al-Hawa.