[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 384 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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, and Mr. Cruz) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               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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