Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the (1) expiry of UN authorisation for cross-border humanitarian access to areas of Syria outside government control, and (2) rejection of two draft resolutions to renew that authorisation under Resolution 2449, on displaced refugees in Syria.

​The UK abstained on UN Security Council Resolution 2504 on 10 January which extended authorisation for only two of the previous four border crossings for humanitarian assistance to Syria. This followed the vetoes by Russia and China of a renewal of Resolution 2249. We abstained because, while we support continued cross-border assistance through two border crossings from Turkey to north-west Syria, we were appalled that the other two existing crossings were not included in the new resolution at Russian insistence despite continued humanitarian need. This includes Yaroubiya crossing, between Iraq and north-east Syria, which last year was used to deliver medical aid to more than 1.4 million people. Ending the UN mandate for aid to enter via this route will therefore have a severe impact on north-east Syria. The UK is working closely with partners to consider how best to continue providing for the urgent need of Syrian civilians in the area.