Money alone can't buy the rebuilding of Syria

In a joint op-ed, the Irish and Norwegian foreign ministers discuss how to put the country back together

People remove belongings from a damaged site after an air strike Sunday in the rebel-held besieged Al Qaterji neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria on October 17, 2016. Reuters

Civil Defence members inspect a damaged site after an airstrike in the besieged rebel-held Al Qaterji neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria on October 14, 2016. Reuters

A youth inspects a damaged site after an air strike in the besieged rebel-held Al Qaterji neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria on October 14, 2016. Reuters

A general view taken with a drone shows damaged buildings in a rebel-held area of Aleppo, Syria, on October 13, 2016. Reuters

Men inspect a site damaged after an air strike in the rebel-held Al-Qaterji neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria on October 11, 2016. Reuters

Syrians react as the bodies of children are pulled from the rubble of a building after government air strikes in the rebel held neighbourhood of Al Shaar in Aleppo on September 27, 2016. AFP

Civil Defence members work at a site hit by an air strike in the rebel-held Al Shaar neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria, on September 27, 2016. Reuters

One of the warning leaflets dropped by the Syrian army is seen in the rebel held Tariq Al Bab neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria on September 25, 2016. The leaflet reads "This is your destiny!!!" and "Who is next" as it depicts pictures of killed rebel commanders and fighters. Reuters

People dig in the rubble in a search for survivors at a site hit by an air strike in the rebel-held Tariq Al Bab neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria, on September 26, 2016. Reuters

Syrian men look at a heavily damaged building following air strikes on rebel-held eastern areas of Aleppo on September 24, 2016. AFP

A tractor clears rubble after Syrian government air strikes in the rebel-held neighbourhood of Tariq Al Bab in Aleppo on September 24, 2016. AFP

The wreckage of a bus sits in a bombed-out street in Ramussa on September 9, 2016, after pro-regime fighters took control of the strategically important district on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Aleppo. AFP

Ten years after its onset, the war in Syria has become one of the worst humanitarian disasters of the 21st century. The human cost has been beyond measure. Disturbing moments are seared in our collective consciousness, ranging from shocking chemical weapons attacks to images of doctors working in bombed out hospitals, gross human rights violations and desperate civilians forced to flee their homes.

The sheer scale of the tragedy can overwhelm us. More than 13 million people are still in need of humanitarian assistance. Sixty per cent of the population are struggling to get enough food to eat, according to World Food Programme. More than 5 million Syrians are refugees and over 6 million are internally displaced. An entire generation is growing up with no or limited access to education, and has known only conflict. Human suffering will continue to traumatise new generations of Syrians unless the conflict is brought to an end.

The unresolved conflict continues to lead to immense suffering and increasing humanitarian needs. Even if it is in a less-intense phase than before and the situation on the ground is less unstable than it was, it still hinders development and the return of refugees. Syria, meanwhile, is still fertile ground for terrorist groups, such as ISIS.

As members of the UN Security Council and as facilitators for its work on the humanitarian situation in Syria, Norway and Ireland will continue to champion the people of Syria.

They must receive the support necessary to survive and rebuild their lives. The respective responses of Norway and Ireland to the Syrian conflict has been our largest ever to a single crisis. We will once again pledge our support at the upcoming "Brussels V" conference later this month.

Financial support on its own is not enough. We must also provide humanitarian workers with the safe, secure and unimpeded access they need to reach all the people in need. Hundreds of aid workers have been killed in the course of the conflict. Too often, efforts by aid workers to reach those in need have been frustrated by administrative impediments, or the calculus of geopolitical considerations.

We will continue to advocate tirelessly in the Security Council for humanitarian actors to be given full and unimpeded access to all the people in need in all parts of Syria.

While continued provision of humanitarian assistance and access is vital, only an end to conflict and an inclusive political settlement can bring stability to Syria and end the suffering. There is no military solution to the Syrian conflict. Security Council Resolution 2254 on a political settlement in Syria provides the framework for a Syrian-owned and Syrian-led political process, facilitated by UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen and supported broadly by the international community, including with strong support from Norway and Ireland. The inclusion of women and civil society in the peace process is crucial for the best result for the whole population.

To date, we have seen little progress in the efforts to reach a political settlement. We need joint and intensified efforts to implement UN resolutions, first and foremost from the government in Syria and all the Syrian parties, but also from the international community and the countries involved in the country's affairs. The people of Syria deserve nothing less. The region needs it, too.

As we face a second decade of instability, conflict and human suffering, we reiterate our appeal for a lasting, nationwide ceasefire and serious engagement in the political process in Syria, in the spirit of compromise and constructive engagement. Humanitarian aid must reach all the people in need. For the sake of this and future generations of Syrians, we call for an end to this catastrophe, and for everyone to work towards peace.

Simon Coveney is Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Ine Marie Eriksen Soreide is Norway's Minister of Foreign Affairs