It’s still early days, special envoy Geir Pedersen said Wednesday, referring to the dramatic collapse of a decades-old dictatorship nearly two weeks ago. “But it’s important to say that there is a lot of hope that we will now see the beginning of a new Syria.”
He stressed that any political transition process must be shaped by Security Council Resolution 2254, which calls for a new constitution, free and fair elections and an inclusive political system led by Syrian citizens.
The Special Envoy assured that the United Nations is committed to helping all Syrians to achieve these goals.
He acknowledged that the situation in many parts of Syria is critical, especially in the northeast where the ceasefire was recently extended.
“There is stability in Damascus, but challenges remain in some areas.” Special Envoy Pedersen also mentioned the difficult economic situation.
“We urgently need humanitarian aid, but we need to make sure that Syria is rebuilt, that we see economic recovery and that we see the beginnings of a situation where the process of ending sanctions can move forward.”
Syrian-led political process
Members of the UN Security Council called for an inclusive political process led by Syrian civilians under UN auspices in accordance with Resolution 2254.
Late Tuesday night, the Security Council issued a press statement in which member state representatives expressed their determination for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and called on all countries to respect these principles.
The statement urged Syria’s neighboring countries to refrain from any such actions or interventions, which could harm each other’s security.
At the same time, it will be important to prevent terrorism and extremist groups such as ISIL (Daesh) from re-entering the country. These groups have been active in the country for many years.
According to the Security Council, the Syrian administration has an obligation to respect human rights, including the right to justice.
In serious situations for children
There is still a serious humanitarian crisis in the country and children in particular are taking its toll. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 7.5 million children are in need of humanitarian assistance.
Of these, 6.4 million children require protection assistance to prevent forced labour, child marriage and recruitment into armed groups.
“After 14 years of war, millions of children have known nothing but violent conflict and forced conditions have forced them to grow up prematurely,” said Eduard Beigbeider, UNICEF director for the Middle East and North Africa.
He said large-scale social protection services are needed to protect vulnerable people and families from sinking into extreme poverty.
UNICEF officials called on all parties and the international community to resume critical public services as soon as possible.
Also, in addition to continuing humanitarian assistance, focus will be on economic recovery, for which it will be important to bring together both the public and private sectors.