Security Council Briefings

Last month, you, the members of the Security Council, “called on all parties to ensure a sustained period of calm throughout the country and reaffirmed the need for the full implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2254”. This signal from the Council was timely, following the Secretary-Gene

We have arrived at another critical point in the Syrian conflict. After terrible violence, an uneasy calm prevails on the ground – and now, Syrians face a new potentially devastating threat in COVID-19.

Since my briefing two weeks ago, I cannot report any progress in ending the current violence in the northwest or in reconvening the political process.

Thank you for the opportunity to brief on the alarming situation in north-west Syria, which has further escalated since last week’s briefings. Heavy strikes from both air and ground are causing massive waves of civilian displacement and major loss of civilian life.

It is an honor for me to brief this Council today. The Special Envoy is in Damascus where he is seeking to de-escalate the situation in the northwest and to renew progress in the UN-facilitated political process. Let me update the Council on where we stand today.

One year ago, many believed that the Syrian conflict was winding down. Yet the past 12 months have seen a steady stream of violence, punctuated by escalations, that continue to this day, across many areas of Syria – such as the northwest, the northeast and the south. Proscribed terrorist groups hav

منذ عام مضى، اعتقد الكثيرون أن الصراع في سوريا أشرف على نهايته. إلا أن الاثني عشر شهرا الاخيرة شهدت استمراراٌ للعنف، تخللته فترات تصعيد، تستمر حتى اليوم في عدة مناطق في سوريا مثل الشمال الغربي و كذلك في الجنوب. بالاضافة إلى ذلك، فلم يتم القضاء على المجموعات المحظورة بشكل كامل ولا زالت تشكل تهديدا أمنياً كبيراً، وتذكرنا كل هذه الامور بشكل مستمر بأن الحاجة لعملية سياسية شاملة وفقا للولاية المنصوص عليها في قرار مجلس الأمن 2254 هي أكثر الحاحاً من أي وقت مضى.