“Regional spillover is only the latest accelerant to a conflict that is growing in complexity and with each passing year. The situation is worsening on almost all indicators and the status quo is unsustainable and unmanageable,” he said. Airstrikes and casualties Multiple airstrikes attributed to Israel were carried out this month in Syria, including on…
The Syrian Government informed the UN on Saturday of its consent to allow humanitarian assistance to be delivered into the region through two border crossings with Türkiye – Bab al-Salam and Al-Ra’i – until 13 May. This follows Syria’s decision in January to renew consent for the UN and partners to use the Bab al-Hawa…
Briefing ambassadors at the Security Council, Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria, noted that though there have been some diplomatic breakthroughs none led to tangible changes on the ground for civilians. He also raised the alarm over the impact on the region of the devastating Israel-Palestine crisis. On top of killings, injuries, displacement, abduction…
Najat Rochdi, UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, told ambassadors at the Security Council that Israeli airstrikes hit Damascus airport this weekend, following several other airstrikes and artillery fire on locations across the country, reportedly killing one civilian airport worker. She added that the airstrikes coincided with reports of rocket and missile launches from southern…
WFP food aid in the country, which was suspended in June, will aim to reach 3.2 million people after the relaunch. ‘Working around the clock’ WFP chief Cindy McCain said that the agency’s teams and partners “have been working around the clock to get to this point.” The UN agency’s new approach will rely on…
Briefing the Security Council, Geir Pedersen said the country had been in a “strategic stalemate” since March 2020, with the brutal conflict now marked by static front lines, persistent violence, and sporadic escalation in fighting. De facto authorities are strengthening control, while foreign armies remain active, he told ambassadors. The lack of a meaningful political…
That’s the message from the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Morris Tidball-Binz, who said on Monday that perpetrators are mostly, but not exclusively, partners or ex-partners, and often escape accountability “due to a lack of proper investigation”. A 2022 report from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN…
More than 80 people were killed, according to media reports. The victims were both military personnel and civilians, including children. Hundreds more were wounded. UN chief concerned UN Secretary-General António Guterres was deeply concerned about the attack and “retaliatory shelling” across multiple locations in Syria, and underlined the need for a nationwide ceasefire. “He also…
It marks a “monumental step” for cancer treatment in the region said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, briefing reporters in New York. Radiotherapy sessions have historically not been available in local health facilities, forcing Syrian cancer patients to become dependent on cross-border referrals to Türkiye, he added. The announcement comes on the heels of multiple advocacy…
Briefing the UN Security Council in New York, Geir Pedersen urged political leaders and the international community to act now to “arrest the downward slide in Syria” as suffering and the sense of hopelessness among the population deepens. Deliver hope “We cannot simply accept the status quo, because it will get worse and worse, it…
