Aid groups criticize Security Council over Syria
Organizations say UN not doing enough to deal with humanitarian crisis as 2.7m refugees have fled to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq,and Egypt.
More than 20 international aid groups sharply criticized the United Nations Security Council on Thursday, saying it has failed to implement three resolutions passed last year seeking to boost humanitarian assistance to Syrian civilians caught in the country's civil war.
The 21 humanitarian and human rights organizations delivered a "failing grade" for world powers and the broader international community as Syria's uprising against President Bashar Assad entered its fifth year. The conflict, which began with peaceful protests before escalating into a voracious civil war, has touched off a devastating humanitarian crisis that has engulfed the broader region.
Since the conflict began, more than 220,000 people have been killed and 1 million wounded. All told, an estimated 12.2 million Syrians are in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN.
The spiraling crisis spurred the Security Council -- usually paralyzed by divisions on Syria -- to pass three resolutions last year aiming to increase humanitarian aid. The latest resolution, approved unanimously in December, extended cross-border aid deliveries to Syrians in rebel-held areas without approval from Damascus.
But the aid groups say diplomacy has not translated into action on the ground.
In their 27-page report, the aid organizations say the number of people in need in hard-to-reach areas has nearly doubled in the past year to 4.8 million. The number of children in need of assistance has risen to 5.6 million, up 31 percent on last year, they said.
Funding, meanwhile, has not kept pace with needs. In 2013, 71 percent of the funds needed to support Syrians displaced in the country as well as refugees were provided. Last year, only 57 percent of the necessary funds were granted, the groups said.
The massive numbers of Syrians fleeing the civil war has stretched the resources of neighboring countries and raised fears of violence spreading in the region. The UN estimates there are nearly 2.7 million Syrians registered in neighboring countries, with more than 67,500 more awaiting registration.
There also are hundreds of thousands who are not registered. Syria had a prewar population of 23 million.
A look at Syrian refugees in neighboring countries:
Lebanon
Lebanon is officially home to more than 1 million refugees, with many more not on the books scattered around the country in informal tent settlements, old construction sites and underground parking garages. UNHCR says Lebanon, whose population is about 4.5 million, has the highest per capita concentration of refugees recorded anywhere in the world in recent history. Despite grave risks to its own stability, Lebanon has kept its border open to the refugees. But the sheer numbers are straining health, education and housing services to the brink of collapse.
Jordan
Jordan has nearly 600,000 registered refugees, and the numbers are growing daily. Most are in two encampments near the northern border with Syria; a third, Azraq, opened Wednesday. The largest is Zaatari camp, with a population exceeding 120,000, where refugees are under direct care of the UN and the Jordanian government. Azraq, which was built to host 130,000 people, will outstrip Zaatari once full.
Turkey
Turkey has more than 722,000 registered refugees. Ankara has been funding and managing the refugees, who have been sheltered in 22 camps complete with schools, medical centers and other social facilities. While Turkey's border with Syria remains open, it is carefully managing the flow, processing the new arrivals as more facilities become available.
Iraq
Iraq has more than 221,000 registered refugees, the majority of them ethnic Kurds from Syria who found shelter in the autonomous Kurdish region in the north. Tens of thousands live in a camp of tents and cinderblock shacks near the border, while the rest have found jobs and homes in towns. The local Iraqi Kurdish government allows them to move around freely. Some have also sought refuge in Iraq's restive western province of Anbar, but the exact number is not known. They are believed to be mostly Sunnis who dominate the revolt against Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Egypt
Egypt is home to more than 136,000 registered refugees, although officials estimate there are hundreds of thousands who are not registered.
