September 2024
I have repeatedly warned of the risks of regional spillover and regional escalation dragging Syria into even deeper conflict. This week has seen a major escalation of regional tensions. I share the Secretary General’s deep…
August 2024
This month marks the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions – a timely reminder to all parties in the Syrian conflict of their obligations under international humanitarian law, which must be adhered to in both letter and…
July 2024
I have four key messages for you today. My first message is a reminder that Syria remains in a state of profound conflict, complexity and division. Syria is riddled with armed actors, listed terrorist groups, foreign armies…
25 June 2025
It is an honour to brief the Security Council again. Over the past months I have met hundreds of Syrians – men and women of all backgrounds, who differ on many things, but who share a common concern for the future of their…
May 2024
The Syrian people remain trapped in a profound crisis, which is becoming more entrenched with time, with no clear political path to implement resolution 2254 emerging, and threatening prolonged division and despair. This is…
April 2024
This last month, the grim specter of regional conflict loomed over Syria once again. You will have heard the Secretary-General’s condemnation, and my own, of the 1 April strikes on Iranian diplomatic premises in Damascus - an…
March 2024
After thirteen years of conflict in Syria, and despite a year of new diplomatic avenues, the tragic reality is that developments are all going in the wrong direction – including in the security, humanitarian, human rights…
February 2024
Let me first express my deep concern about the situation on the ground in Syria and the devastating impact it is having on civilians.
December 2023
2023 has been another very difficult year for Syria. A year that saw devastating earthquakes, humanitarian needs reaching new highs, the economy plummeting to new lows, and the worst violence in three years. The year also saw…
November 2023
Let me start with the ongoing and urgent need for de-escalation in Syria and across the region, which remains the most pressing matter at hand. We remain deeply concerned about the prospect of a potentially wider escalation…
October 2023
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Since March 2020, the Syrian conflict has been in a kind of strategic stalemate characterized by static front lines, persistent violence and sporadic escalations, with de facto authorities entrenching their control and five foreign armies present and active. However, I have long warned that this sta
September 2023
Media Caption
I have engaged in several weeks of intensive diplomacy on Syria in Geneva, Beirut, Damascus, and New York, meeting the Syrian Government and the Syrian Negotiations Commission several times, and all key international actors. In parallel, Deputy Special Envoy Najat Rochdi, and our team, have been eng