[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 43 (Friday, March 14, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E388-E389]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       THE NEED FOR REFOCUSING AMERICAN HUMANITARIAN AID IN SYRIA

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                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 14, 2014

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the third 
anniversary of the ongoing conflict in Syria. As the war stretches into 
its fourth year and the regional humanitarian crisis shows little signs 
of improvement,

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the United States must do more to ensure that its aid is utilized to 
the greatest effect possible.
  According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 
140,000 people, including 7,000 children, have been killed. Nearly 2.5 
million refugees have fled to neighboring countries, including 1.2 
million children. Within Syria, nearly seven million people have been 
displaced from their homes and 19 million are in need of emergency food 
support. It is projected that by the end of this year, 75 percent of 
the Syrian population will need humanitarian assistance.
  The civilian population inside Syria faces systematic starvation, 
shelling of residential neighborhoods, government use of chemical 
weapons, and threats from improvised barrel-bombs filled with 
explosives and dropped by military helicopters into residential areas.
  In the dozens of refugee camps now surrounding Syria, food remains 
scarce, access to sanitation and clean water is limited, and diseases 
like polio--on the verge of eradication worldwide--have resurfaced.
  The United States has rightly pledged and contributed a combined $1.7 
billion in humanitarian assistance since the start of the crisis. These 
funds are critical for the Syrian people caught in the middle of the 
conflict. Their survival, and indeed the future stability of the 
region, hangs in the balance. As a leader in the international 
community, we must ensure that these funds are used efficiently and 
distributed in a manner that reaches as many people as possible.
  I recently heard a story about a school in the Aleppo Province that 
continued to hold classes despite the war raging around it. When the 
school's funding inevitably ran out--and with international aid not 
immediately available--extremists in the area also fighting the Assad 
regime came forward with the resources that the school needed. In 
return, they demanded that the school dispose of its moderate textbooks 
for more politically-charged texts, and required the teaching of the 
Koran.
  Accepting assistance from extremist groups in exchange for loyalty is 
a decision faced by Syrians on a daily basis. For most civilians, the 
radical views expressed by the extremists are not in line with their 
own moderate views. Many are simply trying to carry on with their 
lives.
  Organizations like the United States Agency for International 
Development (USAID) have had considerable success in distributing 
school materials, food, medical supplies, and vaccines. However, Syria 
is a war zone, and these large-scale operations are often not equipped 
to distribute materials and aid at the local level--like the school in 
Aleppo--where they are needed most.
  But, imagine if these organizations could know which schools had 
exhausted their resources, which hospitals were in immediate danger of 
running out of supplies, and which neighborhoods were being most 
affected by the lack of incoming food relief. Making this process more 
efficient is no small task, but it is possible. If we are to avoid 
greater catastrophe in Syria, it is also necessary.
  Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict, I have urged Congress and 
the President's administration to increase cooperation with Syrian non-
government organizations (NGOs) to get aid where it needs to go. 
Increased engagement with Syrian and Syrian-run groups is essential to 
expanding assistance inside Syria and making every dollar of foreign 
aid count. Syrian aid groups are now working in nearly every sector of 
the humanitarian response, delivering flour to bakeries, medical 
supplies to field clinics, and helping to protect refugees.
  Already, USAID and other NGOs in the region rely on information and 
distribution networks of local aid groups to deliver supplies to areas 
most in need. Empowering these Syrian groups will make our impact on 
the region even greater. These groups have the most at stake and work 
at great personal expense and risk.
  The Department of State and USAID should work together to establish 
training, capacity building, and aid delivery partnerships with Syrian 
relief organizations in order to expand their operations. With proper 
oversight and strict training on the international standards governing 
the delivery of aid, the United States can enable hundreds of Syrian 
civilians to take greater control of their country's future while 
assisting those inside Syria who are not reachable by other means.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States has shown leadership in providing aid 
for the humanitarian crisis in Syria, but we must do more with the 
international community and Syrian refugee host nations to improve our 
aid delivery systems while pressuring the Assad regime and its 
supporters. As the war drags on with no end in sight, time is in fact 
running out.

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