followed the un s failure to agree with the syrian government on how to get aid to the rebel held territories. in 2014, the un security council authorised aid to be delivered through four border crossings. however, in 2020, russia used its veto to reduce the number of crossings from four to just one at bab al hawa. karsten weiland is a former political consultant for the un. he studied how the syrian regime has politcised humanitarian aid. so, we have a debate in the security council every six months again to discuss the conditions under which the un is allowed to deliver cross border aid into syria. and that s the occasion where the russian side imposes new conditions on the delivery of humanitarian aid. valerie amos is a former head of the un s office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs.
where conditions are now worse than any seen during 12 years of war. at last, five days after the quake, a convoy of 14 un aid lorries arrives at bab al hawa. but even then, it wasn t the urgently needed search and rescue equipment. i m here at the bab al hawa crossing point. two days later, martin griffiths, the un s head of emergency relief, makes an extraordinary admission. writing on twitter, he says the un has so far failed the people of north west syria.
but the border crossing, the only entry point for un aid to north west syria, is reportedly blocked and unusable. took three days for the turkish authorities to reopen the border crossing because, as you well know, this earthquake hit not only, of course, millions of people, but it impacted the humanitarian operation itself, the humanitarian infrastructure that was in place. however, others maintain that the bab al hawa crossing remained open.
but the border crossing, the only entry point for un aid to north west syria is reportedly blocked and unusable. it took three days for the turkish authorities to reopen the border crossing because, as you well know, this earthquake hit not only, of course, millions of people, but it impacted the humanitarian operation itself, the humanitarian infrastructure that was in place. however, others maintain that the bab al hawa crossing remained open.
who were there to actually bring themselves back to a working state. when they had to deal with their own families, they had to deal with their own houses having been collapsed. sarah was at bab al hawa. she witnessed the tragic consequences of the earthquake.