UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations humanitarian chief on Thursday told the UN Security Council that he is "very concerned" about the situation in northwest Syria, while noting that the Syrian people continue to bear the consequences of eight and a half years of war.
"I remain very concerned about the situation in the northwest," UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Mark Lowcock told the council meeting on the situation in Syria.
"In recent weeks, there has been an increase in airstrikes and ground-based strikes, mostly in parts of southern and western Idlib, that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reports has caused a high number of civilian casualties," he said.
"Across the country, more than 11 million remain in need of humanitarian assistance. That's more than half the estimated population," said Lowcock.
Speaking of the humanitarian response, the UN humanitarian chief said that the UN and other humanitarian organizations work through all possible avenues to reach as many of the people in need every month as possible.
"So far this year, we've reached an average of 5.6 million people a month in all parts of Syria. We try to prioritize the neediest," he noted.
"This year, the UN and humanitarian organizations are delivering assistance to an average of 3 million people every month from within Syria. Most of the beneficiaries are people in the most acute need and in communities with a high concentration of people in need," said Lowcock.
