The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously approved a resolution to boost humanitarian access in Syria. Through Resolution 2139 (2014), the Council demanded “that all parties, in particular the Syrian authorities, promptly allow rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access for UN humanitarian agencies and their implementing partners, including across conflict lines and across borders,” according to UN News Center. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who participated in the rare Saturday meeting, welcomed the resolution but added it “should not have been necessary” as humanitarian assistance is not something to be negotiated but allowed by virtue of international law.