UN Security Council urges all parties in Syria to end violence

The UN Security Council on Friday expressed grave alarm at the deterioration of Syria's humanitarian situation and demanded that all parties to the Syrian conflict put an immediate end to all forms of violence.

According to a presidential statement adopted by the council at a meeting on Syria, more than 220,000 people have been killed since the beginning of the conflict, including well over 10,000 children. Around half of the population have been forced to seek refuge in neighboring countries.

Syrian crisis has become the largest humanitarian emergency crisis in the world today, threatening peace and security in the region, with diverse implications on neighboring countries and displacement of millions of Syrians into those countries, said the statement.

The Security Council urged to address further spill-over of the conflict in Syria into neighboring countries and also called for coordinated international support to those countries hosting Syrian refugees.

Noting the international response to the Syrian and regional crisis is still falling short of meeting the needs, the council urged donors and international financial institutions to consider financing instruments that effectively meet the needs of countries impacted by the conflict.

At Friday's meeting, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos appealed to the council to seriously consider options that could help to end the violence in Syria, including enforcing targeted sanctions for those who violate international humanitarian law.

"This is a crisis with potential global repercussions," said Amos. "The only solution is through political dialogue that reduces and ultimately ends the violence."