Syria: $65 million appeal for humanitarian catastrophe
The widening gap between the needs and humanitarian response to Syria's growing humanitarian catastrophe has prompted the ICRC to launch a multi million dollar appeal.
The organisation is appealing for 62.3 million Swiss francs (65.2 million USD) to step up its response for the people in Syria and neighbouring countries affected by the worsening conflict.
According to the ICRC, the overall response has been insufficient, hampered by security constraints and undermined by excessive bureaucratic and military controls.
Four million people have been displaced within Syria and a further 1.2 million have fled to neighbouring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
"Our houses have been destroyed. Our children, women and elderly have been forced to flee. We all left. Rockets are falling every day" said one man fleeing across the border to Turkey.
The intense fighting is hampering the evacuation of the dead and wounded with an increasing number of casualties left behind. The ICRC is calling on both sides to the conflict to respect international humanitarian law by sparing civilians and allowing access to those killed or injured in the fighting.
The ICRC plans to provide monthly food parcels for 450,000 people, most of them displaced and household essential for up to 112,500 people. It will also continue to provide clean drinking water to more than 12.5 million people across the country and increase its support to health infrastructure.
It will also step up assistance to the emergency medical services provided by the Lebanese Red Cross for the wounded arriving from Syria and and provide surgical and other medical supplies for the treatment of weapon-wounded patients at border posts and some hospitals.
(Video 2 - Statement in Arabic)
Shotlist
Location: Aleppo, Qah displacement camp Idlib Syria/Geneva HQ
Length: 3'27
Filmed: February and May 2013
Format: Mpeg2 / 16:9 anamorphic / HD
Production: Claire Doole
Sound: English/Arabic
ICRC ref: AV074
Date: 13th May 2013
Copyright: ICRC access all
00:00 Exteriors of Tal Dar Al Shifa hospital, Aleppo
00:10 Syrian Arab Red Crescent ambulance – evacuating wounded in Aleppo
00:24 Travelling shot from ambulance of Aleppo
00:31 Interior of wounded in ambulance
00:35 Evacuation of wounded across the border to Turkey
00:47 Crowds of Syrians waiting to cross the border into Turkey
00:56 Syrians walking towards border post
01:18 Syrians crossing the border
01:26 Turkish border crossing
01:30 INTERVIEW: Syrian Refugee (Arabic)
"We are coming to seek refuge here. Our houses have been destroyed. Our children, women and elderly have been forced to flee. We all left. Rockets are falling every day. The shelling is really random, killing women children, hitting bakeries." Dur 15 seconds
01:45 Qah displacement camp Idlib Syria wide shots
02:05 Children in camp including amputee
02:29 Close up and zoom out of boy
02:43 INTERVIEW: Dibeh Fakhr ICRC spokesperson (English)
"Well the humanitarian situation in Syria is a major catastrophe. More than 4 million are displaced. An estimated 1.2 million have fled to neighbouring countries. The fighting is getting worse by the minute. Every day hundreds of civilians are killed or wounded and it is becoming a huge challenge to quickly evacuate the wounded and dead bodies."
03'06 INTERVIEW: Dibeh Fakhr ICRC spokesperson (English)
"The overall humanitarian response is still insufficient. We are striving to bridge the gap between the huge needs of millions of people and response. We are stepping up our response in Syria and in neighbouring countries. Our plans may seem modest if you look at the needs today however let me tell you they are ambitious if you look at the constraints"
3'27 END
