LIVE: UNSC holds meeting to discuss Syria

The United Nations Security Council is holding a meeting on Syria at its headquarters in New York City on Friday, January 10. January 10 marks the day in which the UN’s authorisation for cross-border humanitarian aid in the Middle Eastern country is set to expire. In general terms, the authorisation ruled by UN resolution 2449 allows humanitarian access to Syria’s hard-to-reach areas, which are outside government control. On January 3, an intense debate took place on the ongoing crisis in the embattled city of Idlib amid appeals from France and the United Kingdom to reauthorise the humanitarian aid. In December of 2019, the Security Council rejected two draft resolutions to renew the authorisation. China and Russia vetoed the first proposal on the grounds that the Syrian government was now capable of delivering humanitarian aid to areas outside of its control. A second draft submitted by Russia was rejected by six countries.