United Nations: The UN`s top aid official asked the Security Council on Tuesday to allow continued cross-border aid deliveries to Syria, now home to the world`s largest number of displaced by war.
The Council in July agreed in a resolution to allow convoys of much-needed relief supplies to cross into rebel-held Syrian territory without the consent of the Damascus regime.
While the convoys have not reached as many people in need as hoped, "they have made a difference," said Valerie Amos, the Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Aid.
"I hope that this council will renew the provisions in resolution 2165" allowing the deliveries, she said.
Over the past six months, 30 UN convoys carrying food aid, medical supplies, water and sanitation equipment have been sent from Turkey and Jordan.
The opposition Syrian National Coalition said in a statement that the UN cross-border convoys had "reached only a fraction of the 3.5 million it was intended to assist" and called on the UN to ramp up deliveries.
The nearly four-year war in Syria has forced almost half of Syrians to flee their homes, many of them multiple times.
There are now 7.6 million people displaced inside Syria and 3.2 million others have fled the country, mostly to bordering nations.
"This is the largest number of people displaced from conflict in the world," Amos said.
Amos asked the Council to press all sides in the Syrian war to stop blocking aid deliveries and to push for an end to the violence.
A UN report this month said that 10 requests by the World Health Organization to deliver aid since October had gone unanswered by the government of Bashar al-Assad.
UN envoy Staffan de Mistura has proposed setting up special zones in Syria to "freeze" fighting to allow for humanitarian aid deliveries and to create space for political negotiations.
