Good afternoon.
The depth of suffering of the Syrian people is difficult to convey.
I have rarely been so disturbed and heartbroken.
The earthquake that struck more than three weeks ago adds unimaginable suffering to people who have already suffered so much over 12 years of war, economic collapse, the COVID-19 pandemic and an ongoing cholera outbreak.
I offer my deepest sorrow to those who have lost their loved ones, their homes, their livelihoods.
I offer my deepest respect and admiration for responders and health workers, many of whom have themselves lost family members.
And I offer my deepest commitment that WHO will continue to support the Syrian people in the days, months and years ahead.
WHO is playing our role in supporting the Syrian people, who have responded incredibly with the little that they have. WHO has been delivering essential medicines, supplies, and equipment for years, as well as on the day the earthquakes struck. And we will do more.
But the people of northwest Syria need the assistance of the international community to recover and rebuild. Even before the earthquake, more than 90% of the Syrian people were living below the poverty line.
Even before the earthquake, needs were increasing, while international aid was decreasing. But we must not close our eyes or turn our backs on the Syrian people. We cannot let this be a forgotten crisis.
I call on the international community – governments, philanthropies and individuals – to dig deep to lift up those who are enduring unimaginable loss, poverty and deprivation.
At the same time, I call on the leaders of both sides of the Syrian conflict to use the shared suffering of this crisis as a platform for peace.
12 years of war has delivered nothing but suffering, division and the destruction of Syria’s proud history and rich culture.
The earthquake must shake all of us to the realisation that we are one humanity, sharing one planet. We have no future but a shared future.
More than ever, the people of Syria need health for peace, and peace for health.