UNITED NATIONS (AP) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging the Syrian government to ease "severe constraints" on access for relief workers so desperately needed humanitarian aid can get to more than 9 million people, especially 2.5 million in besieged and hard-to-reach areas.
The U.N. chief told the U.N. General Assembly on Monday that the humanitarian situation in Syria "continues to deteriorate rapidly and dramatically."
Ban singled out the government but also urged all parties "and all those with influence over them, to ensure the protection of civilians, safe passage for medical personnel and supplies, and the unhindered delivery of aid."
He said the humanitarian response is also being hampered "by a severe lack of funding" and announced that he will be organizing a high-level pledging conference for Syria in January in Kuwait.
