The American Relief Coalition for Syria (ARCS) is deeply saddened by the destruction and loss of life in Türkiye and Syria resulting from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake, the additional earthquakes and aftershocks that followed on February 6th, 2023. ARCS is urging the UN Secretariat and Secretary-General to recognize that the UNSC is no longer needed for UN-coordinated cross-border aid provision in Syria.

The American Relief Coalition for Syria (ARCS), is relieved that Resolution 2672 will allow for a continuation of the life-saving cross-border aid mechanism, but reiterates that such a short extension period will never be sufficient to provide a reliable and dependable humanitarian response in Northwest Syria.

Syrian NGO Alliance (SNA), the American Relief Coalition for Syria (ARCS), Syrian Networks League (SNL) and the White Helmets, urges the UN Security Council members, through the current legal basis, to continue its authorization for UN-led cross-border humanitarian assistance and coordination in Northwest Syria for a minimum of 12 months with no further changes in the resolution language that would lead to restrictive interpretation of the humanitarian life-saving activities and access.

Why the continuation of UN-coordinated cross-border aid into Syria absent a UN-security council resolution is lawful.

While The American Relief Coalition for Syria (ARCS) is grateful that UN cross-border resolution 2642 will allow UN agencies to continue to supply essential aid through the Bab Al-Hawa border point, ARCS has conducted, in partnership with a group of specialist international lawyers, a legal research on the legality of the continuation of cross-border aid in Syria without a UNSC mandate. This research shows that it is not clear that a resolution was in fact necessary, and that whilst it may have made the mandate clearer, it is far from the only claim to legality for non-consensual cross-border humanitarian assistance in Syria.

The United Nations Security Council has until July 10 to renew the Syria cross-border resolution, which authorises the UN to deliver life-saving aid to millions of Syrians in need. 32 NGO leaders are calling on the Security Council to renew the resolution for a period of 12 months.

In light of the tragic and increasingly dire humanitarian situation unfolding in Ukraine, the American Relief Coalition for Syria (ARCS), a coalition of 11 Syrian American humanitarian organizations, would like to express its sincere stance in solidarity with civilians who have found their lives starkly impacted by the Russian invasion currently taking place in Ukraine.

Syrian American diaspora organizations play a central role in localization: The transnational identity, and personal links with local communities, opens additional pathways to strengthen local resilience during an ongoing and protracted humanitarian crisis. By understanding the contributions of these organizations, the goal of this report is to contribute to the conversations around the changing humanitarian system by helping to identify potential spaces for engagement between diaspora and institutional aid actors.