UN
Last month, when I briefed you in New York, I said that new diplomatic activity in the region could be an opportunity, if seized.
Security Council Briefings (Text)
We are at a potentially important juncture in efforts to move forward a political process on Syria. In the tragic aftermath of the earthquakes, we have seen renewed diplomatic attention on Syria.
27 Apr 2023
I have just returned to Geneva from Amman where I briefed and engaged senior officials from Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Norway, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, the European Union and the League of Arab States, focusing on the way
23 Mar 2023
The earthquakes that recently struck Turkiye and Syria have caused unspeakable suffering for millions of people. The Syrians affected - in both countries - were already deep into one of the greatest humanitarian crises of this century, after 12 merciless years of war and conflict.
28 Feb 2023
As we move into 2023, the Syrian people remain trapped in a profound humanitarian, political, military, security, economic and human rights crisis of great complexity and almost unimaginable scale.
25 Jan 2023
Two weeks ago, I visited Damascus to continue my discussion with the Syrian government on advancing the political process to implement resolution 2254. As I did so, conditions on the ground were pointing in worrying directions.
21 Dec 2022
In repeated briefings, I have warned of the dangers of military escalation in Syria. I am here in person today to tell you that escalatory dynamics are indeed taking place, and this is worrying and dangerous.
29 Nov 2022
Let me first thank all those Syrians, from inside and outside Syria, who continue to engage with us – especially Syrian women. In a few days, we mark the 22nd anniversary of Security Council resolution 1325.
25 Oct 2022
The Special Envoy briefed you two weeks ago on his latest engagement to move the political process forward. Since then, he has engaged Arab, European, Iranian, Russian, Turkish and US representatives in Geneva, and appreciates their support.
14 Sep 2022
I have since early 2020 stressed that frontlines have been frozen, and I have urged that this relative calm provided the window to build a credible political process. However, this opportunity has so far not been seized.
29 Aug 2022
Last week the Secretary-General and Under-Secretary-General Griffiths briefed you on the very grave humanitarian situation in Syria.
29 Jun 2022
Syria is a hot conflict, not a frozen one. We have seen airstrikes in the northwest pick up again and intensified clashes around Afrin and the northeast, amid continued exchanges of rocket fire and shelling across all frontlines, IEDs, car bombs and other security incidents.
26 Apr 2022
I am briefing you today from Geneva at the end of the 4th day of the 7th Session of the Small Body of the Syrian Constitutional Committee.
24 Mar 2022
Every month I draw your attention to the fact that Syrians across the country – and those who are displaced - are facing poverty and hunger at levels higher than at any point in the conflict.
25 Feb 2022
Let me at the outset stress that Syrians continue to suffer deeply and that violence in Syria is indeed continuing.
27 Jan 2022
We meet at another year’s end, and we can only look back on 2021 as a year of deepening suffering of the Syrian people.
20 Dec 2021
Last week, between 18 and 22 October, I convened the Sixth Session of the Small Body of the Syrian-led, Syrian-owned, UN-facilitated Constitutional Committee in Geneva.
27 Oct 2021
Last week, a grim announcement reminded us of the appalling suffering and losses of the Syrian people.
28 Sep 2021
Over the past seventeen months, I have been informing you that, as compared with past phases of the conflict, there was a relative calm in Syria across largely frozen front lines of conflict.
24 Aug 2021
An imminent priority is of course the humanitarian situation, and let me fully reiterate the Secretary-General’s appeal when he briefed you on Wednesday. Civilians across the country desperately need life-saving assistance and help building resilience.
25 Jun 2021
We take note that today a presidential election is being held under the auspices of the current constitution. As indicated previously, this is not part of the political process called for in Security Council resolution 2254.
26 May 2021
The Syrian Women’s Advisory Board are meeting in Geneva this week - for the first time in person for a year. I thank the Swiss authorities for enabling this.
28 Apr 2021
The Syrian conflict has now raged for ten years – roughly the length of World War 1 and World War 2 combined. Ten years ago, peaceful popular demonstrations were violently suppressed.
15 Mar 2021
Allow me to start by reminding all of us of the intensity of the conflict in Syria. Next week we will be commemorating the tenth anniversary of the start of this terrible crisis, and the lack of progress in the political process is high on our collective mind.
09 Mar 2021
As the Syrian people face the year 2021, a decade of conflict has seen them experience death, injury, displacement, destructions, detention, torture, terror, violations, indignities, instability, intervention, occupation, division, de-development and destitution on a massive scale.
20 Jan 2021
Let me brief you today on the Constitutional Committee, the situation on the ground, and the search for a wider process towards a political solution that implements resolution 2254.
16 Dec 2020
It is an honor for me to address this Council today. The Special Envoy is continuing a set of engagements – he is, in fact, today in Riyadh – in support of the UN-facilitated political process.
25 Nov 2020
As we mark this month twenty years since the passage of Security Council resolution 1325, let me recall the central role that Syrian women must play and are indeed playing in the political process mandated by resolution 2254
27 Oct 2020
I begin today’s briefing recalling – as I did last month -- the deep suffering of the Syrian people, who in this almost full decade of conflict have experienced death, injury, displacement, destruction, detention, torture, terror, indignities, instability, de-development and destitution
18 Sep 2020
As I brief you today, I remain acutely conscious of the deep suffering of the Syrian people, who in this decade experienced death, injury, displacement, destruction, detention, torture, terror, indignities, instability, de-development and destitution on a massive scale
19 Aug 2020