Actions and proposals on humanitarian affairs from Spain at UNSC meeting in April

Below is a list of some of the actions or proposals tabled by Spain in this regard in April:

At the Open Debate on 24 April to discuss the humanitarian situation in Syria, the Spanish State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Ignacio Ibáñez, spoke to highlight the drama being experienced by refugees and the challenges that their presence poses in neighbouring countries. As regards this humanitarian crisis, Spain proposed that a mission should be launched to assess the humanitarian requirements in the affected regions, which should also facilitate access to those regions.

In its capacity as Security Council penholder for the humanitarian dossier on Syria, Spain (together with its co-penholders Jordan and New Zealand) negotiated the Presidential Declaration on the situation of Syrian refugees in bordering countries.

Regarding this same dossier, the Spanish mission met with representatives from the UN Humanitarian Aid Office and held another meeting with the NGO Jesuit Refugee Service, which works with refugees in Syria, to discuss the special situation in Aleppo.

As regards Yemen, Spain advocated introducing an improvement to the classification of humanitarian access into the text of Resolution 2216 (14 April), which was included therein.

Spain also actively participated in the introduction of improvements to the humanitarian aspect of the text of Resolution 2217 (28 April), under which the mandate for MINUSCA in the Central African Republic was renewed.

As regards South Sudan, the Spanish mission met with representatives from the International Federation of Human Rights (IFHR) to discuss the upcoming renewal of the mandate for the UN Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Special emphasis was placed during this meeting on the importance of ensuring proper accountability within the context of civilian protection.

Following a request from Italy, Spain proposed a press release at the Security Council on the recent tragedy in the Mediterranean, which was adopted on 21 April.

Following the earthquake in Nepal, Spain proposed - and is actively working on - drafting a Resolution of the General Assembly as an expression of solidarity by the international community with Nepal.