 Aleppo is the scene of terrible destruction. The noise of clashes and fighting is a common occurrence now since two years and a half. Some hospitals, schools, public facilities have been damaged, affecting everyone's life. And it is becoming harder and harder for the people to maintain any semblance of a normal life. There was one hour electricity on most days. And the lack of electricity and water is affecting mainly hospitals because surgical operations are delayed, incubators do not function and machinery does not work. What I saw is that the health personnel was very busy and really caring for patients from all over Aleppo and beyond. The ICRC is supporting collective kitchen in Aleppo city, providing cooked meals to approximately 30,000 people per day. Tens of thousands of displaced people live in dire conditions in a volatile and fragile security environment. The ICRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent are also helping displaced population who are living in unfinished buildings. We have installed sanitation blocks, water storage, tap stands, isolation material around the skeleton structure to protect the displaced people against cold weather, against the wind. And also these displaced people are receiving aid from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent in terms of food and essential household items. The International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent have regular and constructive dialogue with the local authorities in Aleppo. The local authorities do recognize and facilitate the impartial and humanitarian work of the ICRC and the SAC. Our continuous dialogue with all sides yielded results and made it possible to reach and assist millions of people in need. Last week, the ICRC and the SAC returned to the cross-line and the SAC volunteers could transfer 11 people who needed specialized medical treatment that they could not get in the eastern part of Aleppo and were transferred with wheelchairs to the western part of Aleppo to a hospital. We have done a lot and we remain very committed to pursue our humanitarian work. Nevertheless, the ICRC and the SAC and all others involved in providing humanitarian and impartial aid must be allowed to do much more and to be able to work in safety. There is still so much more to do in Aleppo and similarly in other areas badly in need of aid in Syria.