[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 384 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 384
Expressing the sense of the Senate concerning the humanitarian crisis
in Syria and neighboring countries, resulting humanitarian and
development challenges, and the urgent need for a political solution to
the crisis.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 13, 2014
Mr. Kaine (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr.
Murphy, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Cardin, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Menendez, Mrs.
Gillibrand, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Casey, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr.
Warner, Mr. Kirk, Mr. King, Mr. Markey, Mr. Cruz, Mrs. Feinstein, Ms.
Collins, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Franken, Mr. Burr, Mr. Udall of
New Mexico, and Mr. Coons) submitted the following resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
April 2, 2014
Reported by Mr. Menendez, without amendment
April 3, 2014
Considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Senate concerning the humanitarian crisis
in Syria and neighboring countries, resulting humanitarian and
development challenges, and the urgent need for a political solution to
the crisis.
Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 2139, adopted on February 22,
2014, expresses grave alarm at the significant and rapid deterioration
of the humanitarian situation in Syria, in particular the dire situation
of hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in besieged areas, most of
whom are besieged by the Syrian armed forces and some by opposition
groups, as well as the dire situation of over 3,000,000 people in hard-
to-reach areas, and deplores the difficulties in providing, and the
failure to provide, access for the humanitarian assistance to all
civilians in need inside Syria;
Whereas widespread and systematic attacks on civilians, schools, hospitals, and
other civilian infrastructure, in violation of international
humanitarian law, continue in Syria, and parties to the conflict are
blocking humanitarian aid delivery, including food and medical care from
many civilian areas;
Whereas the World Health Organization estimates that 70 percent of Syria's
health professionals, up to 80,000 people, have fled the country, cases
of typhoid, tuberculosis, polio and other diseases are rampant and
increasing, and medical personnel inside Syria are deliberately targeted
by parties to the conflict;
Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has registered
more than 2,500,000 Syrian refugees, nearly 80 percent of whom are women
and children, and by the end of this year, the United Nations estimates
the number of refugees will increase to 4,000,000;
Whereas nearly 500,000 refugees from the Syrian conflict are children under the
age of five, and more than 11,000 children have been killed and
thousands more have suffered severe injuries, including burns, shrapnel
wounds, the severing of limbs, and spinal cord injuries;
Whereas over 5,000,000 children affected by the conflict desperately need food,
clean water, shelter, medical care and psychosocial support;
Whereas, since 2011, nearly 3,000,000 Syrian children have been forced to quit
their education as fighting has destroyed classrooms, left children too
terrified to go to school, and forced families to flee the country;
Whereas the refugee crisis threatens the stability of the Middle East, putting
immense burdens on Syria's neighbors, most notably Lebanon and Jordan,
as well as Turkey and Iraq; and
Whereas the United States Government has played a leading role in addressing the
Syrian crisis, providing $1,700,000,000 in humanitarian assistance to
those suffering inside Syria, as well as to refugees and host
communities in the neighboring countries: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) strongly condemns the unlawful use of violence against
civilians by all parties to the conflict in Syria, particularly
the ongoing violence and widespread human rights violations
perpetrated against the people of Syria by the Government of
Syria;
(2) urges all parties to the conflict to immediately halt
indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian
infrastructure;
(3) affirms the neutrality of medical professionals
providing humanitarian assistance and health care on a non-
political basis, and condemns attacks against such personnel or
interference in the provision of medical care;
(4) urges all parties in Syria to allow for and facilitate
immediate, unfettered access to humanitarian aid throughout the
Syrian Arab Republic, respecting the safety, security,
independence, and impartiality of humanitarian workers and
ensuring freedom of movement to deliver aid;
(5) supports the immediate and full implementation of
United Nations Security Council Resolution 2139 (2014), which
calls for unimpeded access of humanitarian assistance to all
Syrians to address the rapid deterioration of the humanitarian
situation in Syria, in particular the dire situation of
hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in besieged areas,
most of whom are besieged by the Syrian armed forces and some
by opposition groups, as well as the dire situation of over
3,000,000 people in hard-to-reach areas;
(6) calls on the international community to assist the
people of Syria, especially internally displaced persons and
refugees, in meeting basic needs, including access to food,
health care, shelter, and clean drinking water;
(7) calls on the international community to support
civilians and innocent victims of the conflict in Syria,
particularly women and children who are displaced and
vulnerable to physical and psychological exploitation;
(8) calls on the international community to implement steps
that prevent gender-based violence, and assure the protection
of women and girls against sexual exploitation, human
trafficking, and rape;
(9) calls on the international community to continue to
support neighboring countries and host communities who are
generously supporting refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria;
(10) calls on the international community to increase
investment for education in host communities to expand learning
opportunities for refugee children and to support programs that
help children gain access to quality education, protect them
from violence and abuse, and provide counseling and
psychosocial support;
(11) calls on countries that are hosting refugees in the
region to support refugee self-reliance and dignity by
expanding employment opportunities for refugees;
(12) calls on international donors and aid agencies to
integrate humanitarian relief and longer term development
programs through a comprehensive regional strategy to address
the protracted crisis in Syria; and
(13) calls on the President to develop and submit to the
appropriate committees of Congress within 90 days from adoption
of this resolution a strategy for United States engagement in
addressing the Syrian humanitarian crisis, to include
assistance and development, and protecting human rights inside
Syria and in the region.
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