At a glance: Syrian Arab Republic

Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake on Syria following the report of the independent international commission of inquiry

NEW YORK, USA, 23 February 2012 – “UNICEF is appalled by the impact on children of the escalating violence in Syria.

“Calls by the international community for the violence to stop continue to go unheeded. More and more children are being killed and injured. The injured are too often unable to get medical care. Many have witnessed violence and have lost loved ones.

“It is deeply disturbing to hear the pleas of Syrian families in need of help and to see the worsening suffering of children. UNICEF echoes calls for an immediate end to all acts of violence and immediate humanitarian access to all those in need of assistance.

“We ask all involved to remember that the children bear no responsibility in the violence among their elders. They are quite simply, the victims of this tragedy.”

For further information, please contact:

Sarah Crowe, spokesperson for the Executive Director
Tel +1 646 209 1590
scrowe@unicef.org
Peter Smerdon, UNICEF New York,
Tel +1 917 213 5188
Psmerdon@unicef.org
Marixie Mercado, UNICEF Geneva,
Tel + 41 22 909 5716,
mmercado@unicef.org