The FDFA is dismayed by the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk (Syria) – Statement by the FDFA
Bern, 10.04.2015 - The FDFA calls on all parties to abide by their obligations under international law and in particular to ensure the protection of civilians caught up in the fighting.
The FDFA is dismayed by the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk (south Damascus) and calls on all parties to the conflict to cease hostilities. Yarmouk has been under siege for almost two years and around 18,000 people are still living in the camp in unacceptable conditions. The FDFA calls on all parties to abide by their obligations under international law and in particular to ensure the protection of civilians caught up in the fighting. It also calls on the parties to authorise rapid and unimpeded passage of emergency humanitarian relief and to allow civilians who wish to do so to leave the camp for safer areas at any time.
The FDFA recalls that, in addition to the population of Yarmouk, some 440,000 people in Syria are living in besieged areas and should be subject to the same principles. For its part, the FDFA is working to alleviate the suffering of all victims of the Syrian crisis through SDC projects in favour of those affected and through its humanitarian partners. To this end, the humanitarian aid budget for the Syrian crisis has been increased by an additional CHF 50 million, bringing the total to CHF 178 million. Switzerland is seconding experts from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit to UN organisations and is mobilising internationally to improve access for humanitarian assistance in Syria. It is also supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to assist the 5 million Palestine refugees present in the Middle East.
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Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
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