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GENEVA, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The head of the Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria said Monday that a week-long truce holding in Syria was offering relative hope for civilians caught up in the Middle Eastern country's protracted civil war.
"We acknowledge there is a glimmer of hope created by the most recent agreement on the cessation of hostilities brokered by the U.S. and Russia," Paulo Pinheiro said, in stakeout after giving an oral update to the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) which is currently holding its 33nd session here.
"The agreement, despite difficulties, has already resulted in a substantial reduction of violence and a drastic decrease of civilian casualties over the last week," he added.
This follows the implementation on Sept. 12 at sundown of a nation-wide cessation of hostilities, a measure brokered by Washington and Moscow after marathon talks in Geneva.
Despite a lull in violence, the UN has yet to reach populations trapped in besieged locations amid ongoing security concerns and the lack of permits allowing convoys to deliver much-needed assistance.
Presenting the commission's latest report to the HRC members earlier today, Pinheiro warned that the politicization of humanitarian aid by any party to the conflict should not be allowed.
He also deplored the continued violations documented by the report's findings between Jan. 10 and July 20 this year.
During the period under review, the report found that civilians, including women and children, were bearing the brunt of fighting between forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and rebel factions seeking to oust him.
Operations carried out by the terrorist groups Islamic State and al-Nusra Front have further compounded the situation on the ground, with allegations of unlawful killings, torture, sexual violence, and assaults on medical personnel and facilities outlined in the report.
Pinheiro also highlighted the need to release prisoners and establish a mechanism to address the issue of missing people in Syria.
It is against this backdrop that Pinheiro urged warring factions to respect the delicate truce in place and allow humanitarian aid to reach those in need.
This is hoped to build the necessary momentum to resume talks seeking to broker a political solution to the conflict.
Talks were put on hold in April this year following an upsurge in violence and the resulting difficulty in delivering food, water, and medicine to civilians.
"This is an opportunity for all parties to show that they are committed to protecting the people they are fighting for," Pinheiro reminded.
Established in August 2011 by the UN Human Rights Council, the Commission of Inquiry's mandate is to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law in Syria since March 2011.
