A no go: International aid Collaboration with Assad Regime

07.03.2023

The collaboration between international aid organizations and the Assad regime in Syria has been heavily criticized by human rights activists and advocacy groups. The United Nations and the European Union have been providing humanitarian aid to the Syrian people through partnerships with the Assad regime, despite the regime's long history of human rights violations. Reports from on the ground suggest that the regime has used aid distribution as a tool for political manipulation and control, with aid being directed only to areas loyal to the regime and withheld from opposition-held territories.

Katrin Langensiepen, Member of the European Parliament and of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, comments:

“ The cooperation with the Assad regime is not only embarrassing but also extremely dangerous and counterproductive. It is largely known that the Assad regime has been responsible for countless war crimes and atrocities, including the use of chemical weapons against its own citizens, the indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas, and the torture and murder of political prisoners.

By partnering with the regime, the UN and EU are effectively endorsing its actions and providing it with legitimacy and resources that it can use to further oppress its people. 

Our priority must be that our international efforts profit the people on the ground and not the Assad regime. 

By distributing aid through the selective hands of Damascus, millions of Syrian civilians are excluded from vital help and relief efforts, exacerbating their already dire humanitarian situation further worsened by the current earthquake.


We urge the international community to reevaluate its partnership with the Assad regime.

The UN and EU must ensure that their aid efforts are distributed fairly and without political bias. Direct and unhindered help is needed especially in the northwest of the country. This is the benchmark for genuine support, not aid that merely soothes the conscience and indirectly helps to perpetuate the suffering of those who really need help. Sanctions must be maintained. There must be no creeping normalization of the regime under the guise of necessary diplomatic discussions.”