A message to the UN on Syria

The war in Syria has been ongoing for more than two years now.  As the months pass and the body count increases, the United Nations has, unsuccessfully, been trying to think of something they can do to help.  The majority of countries seem to be in favor of helping the rebels in the conflict, but most attempts at action on that front have been blocked by Russia and China, who are backing President Assad.  But as the time stretches on the ability of the many organizations dedicated to providing aid to those caught in the crossfire of the war lessens.  Now, these organizations have taken it upon themselves to call the UN out and tell them to get their act together.

Five major humanitarian organizations are involved in this latest plea for peace - UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the World Food Program and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.  Together, these five groups have helped millions of Syrians both inside and outside of the country.  But they are being stretched thin and this help may soon begin to dwindle.

In order to get the message across, the groups sent out the call and made their request public via newspapers and a YouTube video.  The video (check it out below) is a bit more on the angry side and less on the diplomatic side:

 Syria Crisis Appeal

Whether this will have an effect or not remains to be seen.  There are many issues surrounding the resolution of conflict in Syria.  Some countries were close to helping the rebels, but the revelation that some rebel leaders have announced their alliance with Al-Qaeda shut that down pretty quick.  When the choice is to either support a fascist or a potential regime allied with known terrorist murderers, decisions aren’t exactly simple.

If something isn’t done quickly, however, these relief organizations and others may be forced to shut down many of their aid programs, due to the inability to continue aid safely and effectively.  This is in addition to the severe long-term effects that continued conflict will have on the country and the surrounding region.

UN Flag courtesy of United Nations via Wikicommons