Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoSecurity Council
Middle East-Syria (Political and Humanitarian situation) - Security Council Open VTC
Syria is experiencing the calmest period of its decade-long conflict, but the political process has yet to deliver substantive results for the Syrian people nor a real vision for the future, the senior United Nations mediator for the conflict told the Security Council during a 20 January video conference meeting.
“The Syrian people have seen less all-out violence than before. The last 10 months have been the calmest in the history of the conflict. Frontlines have barely shifted,” said Geir O. Pedersen, Special Envoy for Syria.
“But this is a fragile calm. It could break down at any moment. This past month again showed us this,” he added, citing an abrupt and significant escalation around Ein Issa in north-east Syria, an intensification of airstrikes attributed to Israel, continuous attacks by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) in the east and central area, and mutual shelling and airstrikes in and around Idlib. Civilians continue to be killed in ongoing cross-fire and improvised explosive device attacks. Adding to that, economic collapse compounded by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, corruption and mismanagement are producing a “slow tsunami that is crashing across Syria”.
“Steps that could build confidence are not being taken,” he said, noting that progress is lacking on full and unhindered humanitarian access; issues related to detainees, abductees and the missing; a nationwide ceasefire; and a cooperative and effective approach to countering United Nations-listed terrorist groups. Moreover, there are no political talks among the Syrians other than on a constitutional track. And free and fair elections to be held pursuant to a new constitution under United Nations supervision, as envisaged in Security Council resolution 2254 (2015), seem far off.
He went on to point out that the conflict is highly internationalized, with five foreign armies active in Syria, calling for a more serious and cooperative international diplomacy. After all, despite their differences, key States are committed to resolution 2254 (2015) and they have common interests — including on issues such as stability, containing terrorism, the safe, dignified and voluntary return of refugees, and preventing further conflict. “We must be able to build on these together,” he emphasized.
Turning to the Constitutional Committee, he said its fifth session will convene in Geneva from 25 to 29 January, COVID-19 conditions permitting. It will discuss basic principles of the constitution. In preparation for the Committee session, he has been virtually engaging the two co-chairs, he said, also noting that he met virtually with the Middle Third civil society group on Tuesday and with the Women’s Advisory Board twice virtually in December. The Board members have emphasized the importance of women's full participation, underscoring that the core constitutional rights of women across political, social and economic spheres must be safeguarded in the process.
This coming session of the Committee is “very important”, he said, stressing that the time has come for the co-chairs to establish effective and operational working methods, so that the meetings are better organized and more focused. The Committee must begin to move from preparing a constitutional reform to drafting one. The co-chairs can and should reach agreement on a workplan for future meetings with clear agendas and topics, and there needs to be more urgency in the process. “These are reasonable goals, but I cannot assure the Council that they will be met this time,” he said, appealing to the co-chairs and to all members of the Committee to be ready to move to a new phase of work during the upcoming session.
Mark Lowcock, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, focused on the economic crisis, the impact of COVID-19, civilian protection, humanitarian access and how aid organizations are providing assistance. Describing the current situation of declining currency value and food prices which are 236 per cent higher than in December 2019, he said domestic wheat production cannot meet demands and reports show that nearly one in five households have poor consumption levels and over 80 per cent rely on negative coping mechanisms to afford food. There is a growing reliance on child labour, as 10 per cent of families say they must rely on their children to contribute to the family income. In addition, fuel shortages, power cuts and winter weather conditions are compounding the situation. “As a result of heavy rainfall affecting thousands of people in the north-west this week, people are telling us that they, their children and their elderly parents are spending whole nights standing upright in their tents because they are inundated with so much water,” he said. The impact of the pandemic is compounding the economic crisis, he added, noting more than 50 per cent of COVID-19 tests are coming back positive in Sweida and Tartous.
On civilian protection, injuries and deaths are linked to explosive weapons and unexploded ordnance, which killed at least 13 children across Syria so far this year, he said. Most of Al Hol camp residents are children, who live in unacceptable conditions. He stressed the need to protect infrastructure that is indispensable to civilians’ survival and to continue to give technical teams safe access to water and electricity installations at Alouk. Regarding humanitarian access, the United Nations has been unable to proceed with a planned first cross-line mission from Damascus into Idlib, as parties on either side have yet to agree on the composition of the mission, he said, adding that the Organization will continue to engage with all relevant parties to work towards a solution that will allow the mission to go forward.
Meantime, cross-border operations into north-west Syria dispatched an average of 1,000 trucks of aid per month in 2020, reaching 2.4 million people each month throughout the year, he observed. The United Nations-coordinated operation assisted 7.6 million people per month on average in 2020, up 20 per cent from 2019. An overview released in December shows 13 million people inside the country require aid and another 10.1 million in the region, including 5.5 million Syrian refugees. Calculated based on independent assessments, the needs are the basis for a United Nations response focusing on lifesaving aid and repairs to critical humanitarian facilities, with a request for $10 billion for 2021, including $4.2 billion for needs inside Syria.
The Organization’s efforts continue to be guided by humanitarian principles, he said, adding that United Nations leadership remains attentive to the necessary oversight of its work on the ground through established internal coordination mechanisms and regular engagement with Member States. Appropriate internal oversight mechanisms and other frameworks remain in place, including the Parameters and Principles of United Nations Assistance in Syria, in compliance with Council resolutions and other relevant decisions, including General Assembly resolution 46/182. The United Nations country team has been in discussions with the Syrian Government and Member States in the region regarding work on resilience and early recovery and the new strategic framework for 2021-2023. Given the importance of further engagement, the United Nations in Syria is working on a six-month extension of the strategic framework, he said, adding that: “We will continue to use every opportunity we have to deliver aid to those most in need; this will require adequate funding, improved access, and an end to the violence that has tormented Syrians for nearly a decade.”
In the ensuing discussion, delegates traded accusations over who is responsible for the Council’s failure to help end the conflict in Syria, debated whether the United Nations-facilitated cross-border aid delivery should continue and exchanged views on the impact of sanctions.
For further details please see SOURCE below.
MEETINGS COVERAGE
