21.01.2016 – For tre år siden udsendte lederne af FN’s humanitære organisationer en indtrængende appel til dem, som havde mulighed for at stoppe konflikten i Syrien. De efterspurgte alle bestræbelser for at redde det syriske folk. ”Nu er det nok,” sagde de, med lidelser og blodsudgydelser.
Det var tre år siden.
Nu nærmer krigen sig sit sjette brutale år. Blodsudgydelserne fortsætter. Lidelserne bliver dybere.
Så i dag appellerer vi – ledere af humanitære organisationer og FN agenturer– ikke kun til regeringer men til hver enkelt af jer – borgere rundt omkring i verden – om at bruge jeres stemme og opfordre til at gøre en ende på dette blodbad. At opfordre til, at alle parter når en aftale om våbenhvile og en vej frem mod fred.
Mere en nogensinde før har verden brug for at høre en fælles stemme, der opfordrer til at gøre en ende på disse uhyrligheder. Fordi denne konflikt og dens konsekvenser berører os alle.
Den berører dem i Syrien, som har mistet deres kære og levebrød, som er blevet fordrevet fra deres hjem, eller som lever i desperation under belejring. I dag er omkring 13,5 millioner mennesker i Syrien afhængige af humanitær bistand. Det er ikke blot statistik. Det er 13,5 millioner individuelle mennesker, hvis liv og fremtid er i fare.
Den berører de familier som, med få muligheder for en bedre fremtid, sætter ud på farefulde rejser til fremmede lande i søgen efter sikkerhed. Krigen har sendt 4,6 millioner mennesker på flugt til nabolande og videre ud i verden.
Den berører en generation af børn og unge mennesker, der – berøvet uddannelse og traumatiseret af de rædsler de har oplevet – i stigende grad ser deres fremtid formet udelukkende af vold.
Den berører dem langt uden for Syrien, der har set de voldsomme følger af krisen nå ud i gader, kontorer og restauranter tættere på deres hjem.
Og den berører alle dem rundt omkring i verden, hvis økonomiske velbefindende påvirkes, synligt og usynligt, af konflikten.
De, som har mulighed for at stoppe lidelserne, kan og derfor bør skride til handling nu. Indtil der er en diplomatisk løsning på konflikten, bør sådanne handlinger omfatte:
– Uhindret og vedvarende adgang for humanitære organisationer til at bringe humanitær assistance til alle i nød i Syrien
– Humanitære pauser og betingelsesløse, kontrollerede våbenhviler for at tillade levering af fødevarer og anden vigtig assistance til civile, vaccinationer og andre sundhedstiltag og for at børnene kan vende tilbage til skole
– Indstilling af angreb på civil infrastruktur, så skoler, hospitaler og vandforsyning beskyttes
– Fri bevægelighed for alle borgere og øjeblikkelig ophævelse af alle belejringer af alle parter
Disse er praktiske foranstaltninger. Der er ingen praktisk årsag til at de ikke kan gennemføres, hvis viljen er til stede.
På vegne af vores fælles medmenneskelighed… for de millioner af uskyldige, som allerede har lidt så meget… og for de millioner hvis liv og fremtid er på spil, appellerer vi om handling nu.
Nu.
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Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, Chairperson, BRAC, Bangladesh
Zairulshahfuddin bin Zainal Abidin, Country Director, Islamic Relief Malaysia
Ryoko Akamatsu, Chairperson, UNICEF Japan
Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen, CEO, Plan International
Richard Allen, CEO, Mentor Initiative
Dr. Haytham Alhamwi, Director, Rethink Rebuild
Steen M. Andersen, Executive Director, UNICEF Denmark
Barry Andrews, CEO, GOAL Ireland
Nancy A. Aossey, President and CEO, International Medical Corp
Bernt G. Apeland, Executive Director, UNICEF Norway
Dr. Mohamed Ashmawey, CEO, Islamic Relief Worldwide
Elhadj As Sy, Secretary General, CEO, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Lina Sergie Attar, co-founder and CEO, Karam Foundation
Carmelo Angulo Barturen, President, Spanish National Committee for UNICEF,
Gudrun Berger, Executive Director, UNICEF Austria
Tomaž Bergoč, Executive Director, UNICEF Slovenia
David Bull, Executive Director, UNICEF UK
Marie-Pierre Caley, CEO, ACTED
Adriano Campolina, Chief Executive, Actionaid
CARE Netherlands
Tineke Ceelen, Director, Stichting Vluchteling, Netherlands
Margaret Chan, Director-General, World Health Organization
Jonny Cline, Executive Director, UNICEF Israel
Sarah Costa, Executive Director, Women’s Refugee Commission
Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director, World Food Programme
Emese Danks, Executive Director, UNICEF Hungary
Maryanne Diamond, Chair, International Disability Alliance
Hisham Dirani, CEO, BINAA Organization for Development
Edukans, Netherlands
Jan Egeland, Secretary-General, Norwegian Refugee Council
Patricia Erb, President and CEO, Save the Children Canada
Sanem Bilgin Erkurt, Executive Director UNICEF National Committee for Turkey
Pierre Ferrari, President and CEO, Heifer International
Amy Fong, Chief Executive, Save the Children Hong Kong
Justin Forsyth, CEO, Save the Children UK
Michel Gabaudan, President, Refugees International
Meg Gardinier, Secretary General, ChildFund Alliance
Global Call to Action against Poverty
Mark Goldring, Chief Executive, Oxfam Great Britain
Pavla Gomba, Executive Director, Czech Republic
Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Madalena Grilo, Executive Director, UNICEF Portugal
Noreen Gumbo, Head of Humanitarian Programmes, Trócaire
Handicap International, Belgium
Abdullah Hanoun, CEO, Syrian Community of the South West UK
Heather Hayden, Chief Executive Officer, Save the Children New Zealand
Dr. Dirk Hegmanns, Regional Director Turkey/Syria/Iraq, Deutsche Welthungerhilfe
Anne-Marie Helland, General Secretary, Norwegian Church Aid
Anne Hery, Director for Advocacy and Institutional Relations, Handicap International
International Organization for Migration, Netherlands
W. Douglas Jackson, President and CEO, PROJECT C.U.R.E.
Wolfgang Jamann, Secretary General, Care International
Kevin Jenkins, President and CEO, World Vision International
Bergsteinn Jónsson, Executive Director, UNICEF Iceland
Benoit Van Keirsbilck, Director, DEI-Belgique
Thomas G. Kemper, General Secretary, General Board of Global Ministries, United Methodist Church
Neal Keny-Guyer, Chief Executive Officer, Mercy Corps
Kerk in Actie, Netherlands
Marja-Riitta Ketola, Executive Director, Finnish National Committee for UNICEF
Peter Klansoe,Regional Director, Danish Refugee Council, Middle East North Africa region
Pim Kraan, Director, Save the Children Netherlands
Marek Krupiński, Executive Director, UNICEF Poland
Dr. Hans Kuenzle, Chair, UNICEF Switzerland
Anthony Lake, Executive Director, UNICEF
Jane Lau, Chief Executive, UNICEF Hong Kong
Lavinia Limón, President and CEO, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
Jonas Keiding Lindholm, CEO Save the Children Denmark
Rosa G. Lizarde, Global Director, Feminist Task Force
Olivier Longue, CEO, Accion Contra el Hambre
John Lyon, President, World Hope International
Sébastien Lyon, Executive Director, UNICEF France
Dominic MacSorley, Chief Executive Officer, Concern Worldwide
Dirk Van Maele, Director, Plan België
Cécil Van Maelsaeke, Director, Tearfund, Belgium
Vivien Maidaborn, Executive Director, UNICEF New Zealand
Blanca Palau Mallol, President, UNICEF Andorra
Rev. John L. McCullough, President and CEO, Church World Service
Carolyn Miles, President and CEO, Save the Children USA
David Miliband, President and CEO, International Rescue Committee
Mr. Juraj Mišura, President, UNICEF Slovakia
James Mitchum, Chief Executive Officer, Heart to Heart International
David Morley, President and CEO, UNICEF Canada
John Nduna, General Secretary, ACT Alliance
Stephen O’Brien, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund
Ignacio Packer, Secretary-General, Terre des Hommes International Federation
People in Need
Dato Dr Ahmad Faizal Perdaus, President, Mercy Malaysia
Plan, Norway
Peter Power, Executive Director, UNICEF Ireland
Sarina Prabasi, Chief Executive Officer, WaterAid America
Chris Proulx, President and CEO, LINGOS, United States
Dr. Jihad Qaddour, President, Syria Relief and Development
Red Cross, Netherlands
Curtis N. Rhodes Jr., International Director, Questscope
Michel Roy, Secretary General, Caritas International
Paolo Rozera, Executive Director, UNICEF Italy
Dr. Tessie San Martin, President and CEO, Plan International USA
Christian Schneider, Executive Director, UNICEF Germany
Rev. Thomas H. Smolich, S.J. International Director, Jesuit Refugee Service
Janti Soeripto, Interim CEO, Save the Children, International
SOS Kinderdorpen, Netherlands
Marie Soueid, Policy Counsel, Center for Victims of Torture
Caryl M. Stern, President and CEO, U.S. Fund for UNICEF
John Stewart, President, UNICEF Australia
Odd Swarting, Chair, UNICEF Sweden
William L. Swing, Director General, International Organization for Migration
Florence Syevuo, Global Call to Action against Poverty, Kenya
Daigo Takagi, Association for Aid and Relief, Japan
Tearfund, UK
Constantine M. Triantafilou, Executive Director and CEO, International Orthodox Christian Charities
Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, General Secretary, World Council of Churches
Monique van ‘t Hek, Director, Plan Nederland
Dr. William Vendley, Secretary General, Religions for Peace
Pierre Verbeeren, Director, Medecins du Monde, Belgium
Damien Vincent, Executive Director, UNICEF Belgium
Sandra Visscher, Executive Director, UNICEF Luxembourg
Tove Wang, CEO, Save the Children Norway
David A. Weiss, President and CEO, Global Communities
Kathrin Wieland, CEO, Save the Children Germany
Jan Bouke Wijbrandi, Executive Director, UNICEF Netherlands,
Nancy E. Wilson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Relief International
Carolyn Woo, President and CEO, Catholic Relief Services
Daniel Wordsworth, President and CEO, American Refugee Committee
Samuel A. Worthington, CEO, InterAction
Leila Zerrougui, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
Mohammad Zia-ur-Rehman, Chief Executive, AwazCDS and Pakistan Development Alliance
