GENEVA: The UN children’s fund UNICEF issued a blank “statement” on Tuesday to express its outrage at mass casualties among Syrian children in the besieged enclave of Eastern Ghouta and neighboring Damascus.
“No words will do justice to the children killed, their mothers, their fathers and their loved ones,” the release from UNICEF’s regional director Geert Cappalaere began.
There followed 10 empty lines with quote marks indicating missing text, and an explanatory footnote.
“UNICEF is issuing this blank statement. We no longer have the words to describe children’s suffering and our outrage,” it said.
“Do those inflicting the suffering still have words to justify their barbaric acts?“
Forces loyal to President Bashar Assad have been besieging almost 400,000 civilians trapped inside Eastern Ghouta for years, but the siege has tightened this year and attacks on the enclave have intensified.
Siege tactics and indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas contravene the internationally-agreed “rules of war.”
Pro-government forces carried out air raids on Eastern Ghouta overnight on Monday and early on Tuesday, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
More than 100 people were killed in air raids, rocket strikes and shelling of the area on Monday, it added.
UN issues blank statement on Syria, says it has run out of words
UN issues blank statement on Syria, says it has run out of words
Denmark supports Palestinian refugees’ UN agency with over $16m
- ‘UNRWA is an indispensable lifeline for Palestinians in Gaza & the region,’ the Danish foreign minister said
- In 2023, Denmark and UNRWA signed a 5-year support agreement totaling $75.2m between 2023 and 2027
LONDON: Denmark announced on Tuesday the disbursement of all planned funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, amounting to over €14 million ($16.54 million) for 2026.
“UNRWA is an indispensable lifeline for Palestinians in Gaza & the region,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen wrote on X.
He added: “Continued support is essential especially with UNRWA under intense pressure. Urge more to follow.”
In 2023, Denmark and UNRWA signed a five-year support agreement totaling $75.2 million between 2023 and 2027, with an annual contribution of around $15.2 million (DKK 105 million).
The funding comes after Israeli authorities recently demolished UNRWA’s headquarters in Jerusalem and stormed its premises in the occupied West Bank on several occasions. Britain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Norway, Portugal, and Spain condemned the demolition.
Israeli forces bombed and destroyed several UNRWA buildings in the Gaza Strip, accusing the agency of employing Hamas members involved in the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. UNRWA stated that Israel has not provided evidence for its accusations, which have endangered UNRWA staff and harmed the organization’s reputation.
The Danish contribution will support UNRWA’s essential services for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. The agency employs 12,000 people in the Palestinian territories, and its health care, education, and social protection services are vital to Palestinians.
