UNITED NATIONS

The United Nations has called for the extension of a resolution that allows the use of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing for the delivery of humanitarian aid into Syria’s northwest from Türkiye.

The long-running aid operation has been in place since 2014 and the most recent six-month authorization expires on Jan. 10, 2023.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will brief the UN Security Council no later than Dec. 10 on the humanitarian needs before the Council decides whether to reauthorize the cross-border aid mechanism, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Friday when asked by Anadolu Agency.

"Our positions of course on the need to continue the cross border remains unchanged," he said. "We have recently done a cross line which is extremely useful, but nothing really can replace our cross border operations."

Cross-border aid operation into Syria first started at four locations but was cut down to one through Türkiye last year into the rebel-held area due to the opposition from Russia and China -- two of the veto-wielding powers at the Security Council.

More than 4 million people in Syria's northwest rely on cross-border humanitarian operations for food aid, essential medicine, and other basic humanitarian goods, according to the UN.