A meeting took place between the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, and the new United Nations Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordination, Mark Lowcock, on Tuesday 27 February in Brussels. The questions of the international coordination of humanitarian efforts in the ongoing crisis in Syria, Yemen and Somalia were at the heart of this meeting.
In regard to Syria and the situation in Eastern Ghouta, the two interlocutors stressed that the recently adopted UN Security Council Resolution needs to be fully and immediately implemented. This resolution calls for a humanitarian truce for at least 30 days in order to ensure the protection of civilians and proceed to emergency medical evacuations.
The meeting also focused on the preparations for the second international conference in Brussels on 24 and 25 April next, in order to mobilise support for Syria and the region, under the auspices of the EU and United Nations, explained the European External Action Service in a press release.
According to this press release, Mogherini highlighted the need for sustainable humanitarian access to be guaranteed to the populations requiring assistance in the Yemen and confirmed the EU's support for the negotiating process under the supervision of the UN. The questions of short and medium-term humanitarian requirements in Somalia and continued EU aid in response to the Rohingya refugee crisis were also discussed. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)