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STORY: UN / SYRIA
TRT: 05:41
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / RUSSIAN / ARABIC / NATS
DATELINE: 22 OCTOBER 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations Headquarters
22 OCTOBER 2025, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Najat Rochdi, Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“Syrian women have the right to participate fully and meaningfully in determining the future of the country. They led and sacrificed for survival, justice, and equality through more than a decade of conflict.”
4. Med shot, Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Najat Rochdi, Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“But an overwhelming sentiment for many Syrian women is that the processes and initial outcomes of transition have not matched their expectations and the commitments made. This month, six women were elected to the People’s Assembly out of 119 seats contested, reflecting a voting process where women were consistently underrepresented from the outset, which could have been avoided.”
6. Wide shot, Council
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Najat Rochdi, Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“Moreover, with one Christian, three Ismailis, three Alawites, four Kurds and no Druze among the 119 elected so far, the Supreme Electoral Commission has publicly acknowledged the need to improve representation of communities. Some of our Syrians interlocutors have also criticized this and other aspects of what they see as underrepresentation.”
8. Wide shot, Council
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Ramesh Rajasingham, Director, Coordination Division, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“Syria’s humanitarian crisis is longstanding, but it is not static. Developments on the ground continue to add to or exacerbate people’s needs. Clashes in parts of Aleppo earlier this month caused civilian casualties and temporarily displaced some families. While the ceasefire in As-Sweida has largely held, the fragile and unpredictable security environment continues to affect the movement of people and goods. And this has led to shortages and high prices for critical items like fuel and bread; hampered the restoration of critical services including healthcare and water; and prevented displaced people from returning to their homes.”
10. Wide shot, Council
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Ramesh Rajasingham, Director, Coordination Division, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA):
“We need more funding for critical humanitarian aid. Our response plan for Syria remains only 19 percent funded, one of the lowest levels among our biggest appeals. This month, water trucking services for IDPs in parts of Ar-Raqqa were suspended, and trucking in Al-Hasakeh will be curtailed next month without more resources. The World Food Programme warns that without additional funding they will have to scale back their assistance by January. Over 340 health facilities have suspended services, reducing access to healthcare and medicine for more than 7 million people.”
12. Med shot, US Ambassador Mike Waltz
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Mike Waltz, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, United States:
“Syria has before it a historic opportunity – a historic opportunity to build a stable, sovereign, and vibrant nation. We continue to call on the Syrian government to seize this opportunity made possible by President Trump's historic announcement on sanctions relief for the Syrian people. Further relief from sanctions is critical for the well-being of the Syrian people to give Syria a chance. In that vein, we call on this Council to support efforts to ease UN sanctions on Syria, including the removal of sanctions on certain members of Syria's leadership who are subject to sanctions under UN Resolution 1267.”
14. Wide shot, Council
15. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Russian Federation:
“The process of recovery of the country is significantly being obstructed by the persistent negative consequence of unilateral sanctions, which for many years prevented the exercise of the Syrian People's legitimate right to development. Statements made by Western countries about the lifting of sanctions pressure are heartening, however, by all accounts, including according to accounts from humanitarian structures operating in Syria, these illegitimate measures, which were imposed in circumvention of the Security Council of the United Nations, effectively remain in effect, thwarting efforts towards recovery and deepening the crisis.”
16. Med shot, Syrian Ambassador Ibrahim Olabi
17. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ibrahim Olabi, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Syrian Arab Republic:
“I do not have time to speak about all our achievements. This is why I will let the numbers speak. More than one million refugees are back. This is a message of confidence on the government's policies, achievements, and efforts. It is a message we are proud of, and we will not be taking for granted. For this return to be sustainable, the international community must support Syria and its people through genuine partnership and put an end to the destabilising Israeli practices.”
18. Wide shot, end of Council session
The Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, Najat Rochdi, today (22 Oct) told the Security Council that “Syrian women have the right to participate fully and meaningfully in determining the future of the country,” but said “the processes and initial outcomes of transition have not matched their expectations and the commitments made.”
Briefing virtually from Damascus on the situation in Syria, Rochdi said, “this month, six women were elected to the People’s Assembly out of 119 seats contested, reflecting a voting process where women were consistently underrepresented from the outset, which could have been avoided.”
Moreover, she said, “with one Christian, three Ismailis, three Alawites, four Kurds and no Druze among the 119 elected so far, the Supreme Electoral Commission has publicly acknowledged the need to improve representation of communities.”
In meetings with Syrian interlocutors, Rochdi said, some “have also criticized this and other aspects of what they see as underrepresentation.”
She emphasized that solutions must uphold Syria’s sovereignty, unity, independence, and territorial integrity, and address the Druze and Bedouin communities’ safety and rights. The UN, she underscored, stands ready to support authorities and civil society.
Briefing from Geneva, the Director of Coordination Division at OCHA, Ramesh Rajasingham said, “Syria’s humanitarian crisis is longstanding, but it is not static,” and added that “developments on the ground continue to add to or exacerbate people’s needs.”
Rajasingham said, “clashes in parts of Aleppo earlier this month caused civilian casualties and temporarily displaced some families,” and while the ceasefire in As-Sweida has largely held, “the fragile and unpredictable security environment continues to affect the movement of people and goods,” which “has led to shortages and high prices for critical items like fuel and bread; hampered the restoration of critical services including healthcare and water; and prevented displaced people from returning to their homes.”
The humanitarian official said, “we need more funding for critical humanitarian aid. Our response plan for Syria remains only 19 percent funded, one of the lowest levels among our biggest appeals.”
He said, “this month, water trucking services for IDPs in parts of Ar-Raqqa were suspended, and trucking in Al-Hasakeh will be curtailed next month without more resources. The World Food Programme warns that without additional funding they will have to scale back their assistance by January. Over 340 health facilities have suspended services, reducing access to healthcare and medicine for more than 7 million people.”
United States Ambassador Mike Waltz told the Council that “Syria has before it a historic opportunity – a historic opportunity to build a stable, sovereign, and vibrant nation.”
Waltz called on the Syrian government “to seize this opportunity made possible by President Trump's historic announcement on sanctions relief for the Syrian people,” and stressed that “further relief from sanctions is critical for the well-being of the Syrian people to give Syria a chance.”
He called on the Council “to support efforts to ease UN sanctions on Syria, including the removal of sanctions on certain members of Syria's leadership who are subject to sanctions under UN Resolution 1267.”
Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya said the Syria’s process of recovery “is significantly being obstructed by the persistent negative consequence of unilateral sanctions, which for many years prevented the exercise of the Syrian People's legitimate right to development.”
Nebenzya told the Council that despite statements by Western countries about the lifting of sanctions, “these illegitimate measures, which were imposed in circumvention of the Security Council of the United Nations, effectively remain in effect, thwarting efforts towards recovery and deepening the crisis.”
Syrian Ambassador Ibrahim Olabi for his part said, “more than one million refugees are back. This is a message of confidence on the government's policies, achievements, and efforts. It is a message we are proud of, and we will not be taking for granted.”
For this return to be sustainable, Olabi added, “the international community must support Syria and its people through genuine partnership and put an end to the destabilising Israeli practices.”
Since Syrian interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa took power in December 2024, Israel has expanded its control of territory in the Golan, conducted hundreds of airstrikes and incursions into Syrian territory, and demanded the de-militarisation of southern Syria.
