That's an important question and one which we track very closely, given the concerns about the aid actually reaching the affected population. Of course, that's at the heart of what we're trying to achieve.
We are seeing the restrictions on aid delivery loosening. In November of this year, the UN managed seven cross-line convoys of assistance. Those cross-line convoys go into contested areas and opposition areas. That's an increase over previous times. Our assistance goes through experienced partners that have local community networks. Much as we would see assistance delivered throughout Canadian communities, there are Syrian community groups that have long-standing relationships with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. They are working to identify which is the most vulnerable of those communities and how to get assistance to them.
There is banditry; there is looting of supplies. That happens in a conflict situation. What we've noticed and what we hear from our partners, which is really interesting, is that when this happens, community pressure often leads to a negotiated release of those supplies back to the communities. So we are seeing the efforts that are being made by the international community but also by Syrians themselves to make sure that assistance is getting to those who need it.