World leaders should join forces to end Syria crisis

Senior UN officials have called on world leaders to join forces in a bid to bring an end to the Syria crisis which has exacted a heavy toll on civilians.

“We need world leaders to put aside their differences and use their influence to bring about meaningful change in Syria,” the heads of the UN agencies for humanitarian affairs, health, food aid, refugees, Palestinian refugees, and children said in a joint statement on Friday, adding that the crisis has led to an “unconscionable” human cost.

The UN officials warned that the future generation of Syria is in danger due to the international community’s failure to find ways to terminate the crisis which has entered its fifth year.

“The future of a generation is at stake. The credibility of the international community is at stake,” the statement added.

So far over 210,000 people have reportedly died in Syria, which has been gripped by deadly violence since March 2011.

New figures show that over 76,000 people, including thousands of children, lost their lives in Syria in 2014. Nearly 4 million Syrians have left their country since the beginning of the crisis, and 7.6 million civilians have been internally displaced.