A/HRC/RES/25/23 truth and accountability for gross violations and abuses of international law, as well as reparations and effective remedies for victims, taking into account the relevance of referrals to the appropriate international criminal justice mechanism under appropriate circumstances; 13. Demands that the Syrian authorities meet their responsibility to protect the Syrian population; 14. Strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons and all indiscriminate methods of warfare in the Syrian Arab Republic, which is prohibited under international law, amounts to a serious crime and has a devastating impact on civilians, and in this regard calls upon the Syrian authorities to accelerate the complete and irreversible destruction of their chemical weapons programme and the removal of its chemical weapons in accordance with their obligations under the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction and the time frames pursuant to Security Council resolution 2118 (2013) of 27 September 2013 and the decisions of the Executive Council of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons; 15. Expresses its support for the efforts of the Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the League of Arab States to find a negotiated political solution to the Syrian crisis, and urges those countries with influence over the Syrian parties to take all measures to encourage the parties to negotiate constructively and on the basis of the call made in the Geneva communiqué for the formation of a transitional governing body; 16. Encourages the full participation of women in political talks as envisaged in by the Security Council in its resolutions 1325 (2000) of 31 October 2000 and 2122 (2013) of 18 October 2013, and welcomes the work of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women in this regard; 17. Strongly condemns the intentional denial of humanitarian assistance to civilians, from whatever quarter, noting especially the responsibilities of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic in this regard, and deplores the deteriorating humanitarian situation; 18. Also strongly condemns the use by the Syrian authorities of starvation of civilians as a method of combat, and further condemns the besiegement of civilians; 19. Further strongly condemns all acts of violence directed against humanitarian actors, and demands that the Syrian authorities promptly allow, and all other parties to the conflict not hinder, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access for United Nations humanitarian agencies and their implementing partners, including across conflict lines and across borders, in order to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people in need through the most direct routes; 20. Welcomes the outcomes of the second International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria, held in Kuwait on 15 January 2014, and the fourth meeting of the High-level Group on Humanitarian Challenges in Syria, held in Geneva on 3 March 2014, and further welcomes the efforts of neighbouring countries to host Syrian refugees; 21. Urges the international community, including all donors, to provide urgent financial support to enable the host countries to respond to the growing humanitarian needs of Syrian refugees, while emphasizing the principle of burden-sharing; 22. Decides to remain seized of the matter. 55th meeting 28 March 2013 3