Plight of Syrian civilians unchanged so far 2017: UN official

The Senior Advisor to the UN Syria Envoy warned Thursday that the situation for Syrian civilians has not improved since the start of the year, adding that humanitarian diplomacy is essential to assist the millions struggling to survive in the war-torn country.

"A war where more children and women die than grown, armed men is a very dirty war. A war where children suffocate to death because of toxic chemicals is a very, very dirty war," Jan Egeland said after convening with International Syria Support Group (ISSG) members in a humanitarian taskforce meeting here.

"We as humanitarians appealed for a rebirth of effective humanitarian diplomacy in the absence of ceasefires and cessation of hostilities that will last for this country," he added.

Egeland reminded that humanitarian operations in Syria are among the largest and best funded in the world.

Despite this, the much-needed aid is not reaching those most in need because of protracted fighting between warring factions, inherent mistrust and bureaucratic hurdles.

The diplomat said that almost 5 million civilians are trapped in hard-to-reach and besieged areas, with some 4.7 million have yet to be reached by aid.

In light of this, Egeland appealed to key regional stakeholders including Russia, Turkey, Iran as well as the U.S. to do their outmost to ensure that more than 1 million civilians are provided with life-saving supplies by the end of May.

Egeland stressed that only a political solution can bring an end to the conflict in Syria which has killed more 310,000 people and displaced millions of others since its eruption in 2011.

"After six years, one should have learnt that this will not have a military solution or a military end, it will have a negotiated end," he concluded. Endit