A/HRC/RES/41/23 47. Welcomes the work of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to Assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of Persons Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law Committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011, as mandated by the General Assembly in resolution 71/248 of 21 December 2016, including its close cooperation with the Commission of Inquiry and Syrian civil society, so that the voices of victims are heard, any evidence of crimes is collected and criminal prosecution proceeds; 48. Invites Member States to actively support the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism, including by considering the provision of information and data on the most serious crimes under international law committed in the Syrian Arab Republic, and to provide adequate financial means for its functioning, pending a decision on the necessary funding of the Mechanism by the regular budget, in accordance with relevant General Assembly resolutions, highlights the importance of sustainable funding, and notes the steps taken by the Secretary-General in this respect; 49. Welcomes the steps taken by Member States to prosecute the most serious crimes under international law committed in the Syrian Arab Republic in national courts under the principles of universal jurisdiction and extraterritorial jurisdiction as an important contribution to end impunity and ensure justice for victims, and notes the contribution that the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism and other accountability mechanisms can make in this regard; 50. Deplores the grave humanitarian situation in the Syrian Arab Republic and expresses deep concern at the plight of the 11.7 million people in need of full, timely, immediate, unhindered and safe humanitarian assistance, including the over 5 million Syrians whose needs are particularly acute and the over 1 million people who remain in hard-to-reach areas, where freedom of movement and access to humanitarian aid and services remain very restricted; 51. Strongly condemns the Syrian authorities’ continued and deliberate obstruction of life-saving humanitarian assistance to those most in need, including the removal of humanitarian aid from United Nations-approved convoys, including medical aid and supplies intended to reach desperate populations deprived of food, medical aid and vital necessities, which may result in the starvation of civilians; 52. Expresses deep concern at the deliberate use of starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, and encourages the Commission of Inquiry to include in future investigations violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law related to the use of starvation of civilians; 53. Deplores the escalation of violence in the north-west of the country, and strongly condemns the attacks by the Syrian authorities and their State and non-State allies on civilians and first responders and civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, which is causing immense suffering to the civilian population, with over 300,000 people forced to leave their homes since April 2019, in addition to the almost 2 million displaced from homes at least once, and which has caused the death of almost 500 civilians and damage to at least 37 schools and 25 health facilities; 54. Demands that the Syrian authorities facilitate, and all other parties to the conflict do not hinder, the full, timely, immediate and safe access of the United Nations and other humanitarian actors, and that they ensure that the delivery of unrestricted humanitarian aid reaches all those in need for as long as it is needed, including in hard-to-reach areas, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions, and calls upon Member States to fully fund the United Nations appeals; 55. Expresses deep concern for the more than 5.6 million registered refugees in the region fleeing the violence in the Syrian Arab Republic, welcomes the efforts of the neighbouring countries, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, as well as of Egypt, to host Syrian refugees, acknowledges the socioeconomic consequences of the presence of large-scale refugee populations in those countries, and urges the international community to provide urgent financial support to enable the host countries to respond to the growing humanitarian 8