MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th March, 2021) International donors must ensure that counter-terrorism measures and economic sanctions against Damascus do not affect the humanitarian response in Syria, Aline Yacoubian, emergency food security and vulnerable livelihoods policy officer at Oxfam Syria, said on Monday.
"Early recovery and resilience are key pillars of any humanitarian response. The donor community must also ensure that counter-terrorism measures and economic sanctions do not impede the humanitarian response in Syria. You see, we cannot keep doing what we're doing," Yacoubian at a Brussels conference on supporting the future of Syria and the region.
According to her, after the active phase of the war in Syria ended, a new crisis fueled by hyperinflation, food insecurity, unemployment and poverty has emerged.
"The time has come to change our actions. We need to look ahead and follow a more outcome-focused approach. An approach that puts the Syrian population first, wherever they are, above everything," Yacoubian said.
Syria has been torn apart by an armed conflict since 2011. At the end of 2017, the victory over the Islamic State terror group (banned in Russia) in Syria and Iraq was announced. Though anti-militant security sweeps continue in some regions, the priority is currently given to political settlement, restoration of Syria, and return of refugees.
According to data published by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 6 million people are displaced within Syria, and as many as 6.6 million Syrians have fled the country as refugees since 2011.
Oxfam was founded in 1942. As of now, it is an international body uniting 17 organizations that operate in over 90 countries across the globe. While Oxfam was initially meant to provide food to relieve famine, it now has extensive programs addressing poverty and related injustice.
