Security Council Briefings

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

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

The Syrian people both inside and outside Syria continue to suffer acutely from the conflict in all its dimensions, and the absence of a genuine political process is deeply detrimental to their well-being.

For several months, we have been urging and advising that the new diplomatic context surrounding the Syrian conflict could act as a circuit breaker – if there was substantive engagement. With substantive engagement, diplomacy could begin to see important issues addressed incrementally

The past month, the violence and suffering experienced by the Syrian people have reminded us all of what is at stake as diplomatic efforts continue on Syria.

Last month, when I briefed you in New York, I said that new diplomatic activity in the region could be an opportunity, if seized. It could act as a circuit breaker in the search for a political solution in Syria –ifthere is constructive Syrian engagement, and indeed if key regional and international