ESCWA: UCMs on Syria disrupted provision of humanitarian aid there

Beirut-SANA- The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) has shed light on the impact of sanctions on various aspects of people’s life in Syria. 

In its report released today titled “Dynamics and Unintended Effects of Unilateral Coercive Measures (UCMs) against the Syrian Arab Republic, the commission stated that these unilateral measures imposed on Syria disrupt the delivery of basic services, access to medical supplies and water, import of educational equipment and materials, and other services, noting that various aspects of living conditions are affected by these sanctions. 

The commission emphasized that UCMs, besides other factors, disrupt provision of essential social services and humanitarian aid, directly reducing access to medical supplies, import of equipment, WASH(Water, sanitation and hygiene ), and educational materials, and indirectly through “chilling effects” and over-compliance issues, due to fear of being hit by the sanctions, independently from the existing exemptions. Over-compliance significantly undermines the effectiveness of these exemptions, impacting financial transactions, contracting, procurement, imports, and humanitarian operations. 

The shortage or unavailability of certain goods in the country affect directly essential services, availability and cost of inputs for people’s livelihoods, it added, saying that the production of pharmaceutical products, which used to be manufactured domestically under licenses from foreign companies, has been canceled due to sanctions, and there are greater barriers to importing machinery and inputs for agriculture. 

In its report, ESCWA called for efforts to limit over-compliance and chilling effects associated with UCMs and stressef the importance of continuous dialogue with relevant stakeholders, including humanitarian organizations, to address the unintended repercussions of sanctions and to facilitate recovery-related transactions and activities for resilience building and effective stabilization efforts, thereby enhancing sustainable livelihoods. 

It also recommended establishing oversight mechanisms to monitor the effectiveness of sanctions and propose improvements. Additionally, it called for providing clear regulations and information on permitted trade and procedures for smooth humanitarian operations, as well as ensuring access to legal aid or services for dealing with multiple sanctions regimes. 

The report called for a comprehensive and nuanced approach to mitigate the unintended effects of UCMs and safeguard the resilience of the Syrian population and its livelihood.