ReliefWeb

I. Introduction

1. The present report is the sixty-ninth submitted pursuant to paragraph 17 of Security Council resolution 2139 (2014), paragraph 10 of resolution 2165 (2014), paragraph 5 of resolution 2191 (2014), paragraph 5 of resolution 2258 (2015), paragraph 5 of resolution 2332 (2016), paragraph 6 of resolution 2393 (2017), paragraph 12 of resolution 2401 (2018), paragraph 6 of resolution 2449 (2018), paragraph 8 of resolution 2504 (2020), and paragraph 3 of resolution 2533 (2020), in the last of which the Council requested the Secretary-General to provide a report at least every 60 days on the implementation of the resolutions by all parties to the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic.

2. The information contained herein is based on data available to agencies of the United Nations system and obtained from the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and other relevant sources. Data from agencies of the United Nations system regarding their humanitarian deliveries have been reported for the months of August and September 2020.

II. Major developments

Key points

1. The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continued to rise, but remained low compared with some neighbouring countries. Limited testing and a high degree of community transmission, with 92 per cent of confirmed cases not traceable to a known source, indicate that the actual number of cases may far exceed the official count.

2. The impact of the economic crisis continued to be felt across the country. While food prices decreased by 3 per cent in August, they remained at nearly 22 times the pre-crisis average. Bread and fuel shortages prompted long queues and concerns over civilians’ capacity to cope during the winter months.

3. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights verified at least 117 incidents in which 108 civilians, including 7 women and 24 children, were killed and at least 172 civilians, including 12 women and 21 children, were injured as a result of the conduct of hostilities across the Syrian Arab Republic.

4. In the north-west, almost daily ceasefire violations were reported in the Idlib de-escalation area, although the ceasefire largely continued to hold. Water shortages continued in Bab city and its surroundings, affecting some 185,000 people.

5. In the north-east, an assessment mission deployed to Hawl in August following the deaths of eight children at the camp between 6 and 10 August. Pumping at the Uluk water station resumed as at 27 August, following a two-week disruption that affected at least 460,000 people in Hasakah city, Tall Tamr and surrounding areas.

6. In the southern part of the country, water shortages around Dar‘a city affected over 65,000 people. In Rukban, some 12,000 people continued to live under harsh conditions with very restricted access for humanitarian organizations. Incidents of targeted attacks affecting civilians continued to be recorded.

7. Humanitarian assistance by United Nations agencies continued throughout the country. The humanitarian response reached an average of 7.4 million people every month across the country during the first six months of 2020.

8. An attack against a Turkish Red Crescent Society vehicle in northern Aleppo on 14 September resulted in the death of one humanitarian worker and the injury of another. On the same day, a car bomb in Afrin killed two humanitarian workers.