UN aid chief, Valerie Amos, made a final appeal Thursday to world powers to take action to end Syria’s four-year war, saying it had brought more despair than ever thought possible.
In her final report to the United Nation’s Security Council, Amos presented a list of atrocities, from the bombing of a market to attacks on medical facilities.
“For more than four years, we have watched Syria descend into deeper depths of despair, surpassing what even the most pessimistic observers thought possible,” said Amos. “I know that there are no easy answers or quick fixes,” she told the 15-member council.
She added that “We cannot leave Syrians abandoned to hopelessness and further despair,” AFP reported.
In the months leading up to her departure, Amos has repeatedly voiced frustration with the UNSC’s failure to unite behind measures to ease the suffering of civilians and chart a course for a political solution.
The British diplomat is stepping down after more than four years in one of the most challenging jobs at the UN as demands for humanitarian aid have surged in conflicts worldwide.
With more than 12.2 million people in urgent need of aid, Syria was the UN official’s top priority and Amos repeated that more needs to be done.
“For the sake of Syria and its future generations, this council must set aside its political differences and come together to find a solution to what appear to be intractable problems,” she said.
The death toll from the war has surpassed 220,000, but the UNSC has remained deadlocked over how to address the conflict despite three resolutions adopted last year.
