Note: a complete summary of today’s Security Council meeting will be available after its conclusion.
Briefings
Statement by GEIR PEDERSEN, Special Envoy of the Secretary‑General for Syria, to come.
ROUBA MHAISSEN, Founder and Director of Sawa for Development and Aid, highlighted the difficulty in keeping Syria on the priority agenda amid conflicts in Afghanistan, Yemen, Sudan and elsewhere. As long as Syrians, inside the country or in forced refugeehood, did not obtain their human rights, and as long as a fair political settlement and a holistic transition have not been reached, “it is our imperative to actively work on ensuring that Syria remains on the international agenda,” she said, also stressing the need to advance women’s participation in the political process. The successes are modest, she said, but women did manage to participate in official delegations to the United Nations‑led talks. They also made up 28 per cent of the Constitutional Committee. However, much remains to be done. The everyday contributions of women at the community level remain unseen, and their demands remain unheard at the peace process level.
Politics is monitoring humanitarian aid, she said, questioning: “How can a wife who does not know the fate of her imprisoned, disappeared or kidnapped husband contribute to any sustainable peace? How can a woman who cannot return to her land with her children accept a political settlement that doesn’t guarantee her rights?” Pointing to evidence of returnees leaving Syria again and big waves of forced internal migration, refugees and internally displaced persons, she said they are searching for a decent life, flowing into Egypt, Turkey and Europe through newly formed trafficking channels. Despite the stalled political settlement, local actors continued their engagement at the community level — many of them women activists and agents of change — to push for local dialogue and mediation efforts, often at great risk to themselves, she stressed.
Emphasizing that a successful political settlement requires building local resilience, she went on to declare that now is the time for societal structures — including leadership and legislative frameworks — to reflect the shifts in gender dynamics that are emerging every day at the community level. The traditional efforts to convene the parties around the table are insufficient in the face of military developments inside Syria and are subservient to the will of proxies and regional Powers. The increasing grass‑roots approach to crafting healthy communities, despite polarized and divisive environments, both inside and outside the country, shows promise in increasing the unity of the Syrian people and healing the divisions and trauma caused by 10 years of conflict. Peace in Syria will require this Council to move from its fixation on great power politics to dynamic engagement with communities affected by conflict, she said, demanding: “Put Syrians at the forefront of your strategies. Speak to us, don’t only speak about us or in our name.”
Statements
Statement by the Russian Federation to come.
RICHARD M. MILLS, JR.(United States) said that, while nothing could be done to bring back to life the 350,209 people killed since the beginning of the uprising, the Assad regime could end the suffering of the 149,000 people who are estimated to be held in arbitrary detention or whose whereabouts are unknown. Calling on the Syrian regime to release the tens of thousands of men, women and children in its custody, he added that progress on the detainee issue is a confidence‑building measure that could bolster the political process. Expressing support for the Special Envoy’s continued efforts to address this protracted issue, he also called on all parties to abide by the terms of the September ceasefire, while noting the resurgence of violence in Idlib. The Constitutional Committee has so far not discussed a single sentence of the constitution, he said, welcoming recent progress towards holding a new round of meetings.
The representative of China, noting the large number of deaths and displacements in Syria since the beginning of the crisis, said the country still faces unabated violence, terrorist activities and rising humanitarian needs. Stressing the importance of a political solution, he called for a Syrian‑owned and Syrian‑led process. Highlighting the good news in the launch of the sixth round of the work of the Constitutional Committee, he expressed hope that its work will be productive. However, he noted, the Syrian political process cannot operate in a vacuum, and trust between the different parties will be low while schemes of regime change are still in place. International foreign forces without authorization of the Syrian Government should withdraw immediately, he said, also calling for the lifting of the illegal unilateral sanctions. “Opposing the Syrian Government cannot justify punishing the Syrian people,” he underscored, noting that the international community must respect their right to choose their own development path.
MONA JUUL (Norway) urged the parties to contribute concretely to the drafting of a new constitution and said that progress on that process can increase confidence and pave the way for advancement in other parts of Council resolution 2254 (2015). She then reiterated the importance of consulting with the Syrian Women’s Advisory Board, and Civil Society Support Room in these efforts. Credible progress on the political track is key to development, stability, the return of refugees and ultimately peace, she stressed, expressing Norway’s support for the Special Envoy’s call to the Syrian parties to move forward in their dialogue and his call for international actors to come together and identify concrete steps that can move the political process forward.
Statement by France to come.
Statement by India to come.
Statement by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to come.
Statement by Viet Nam to come.
Statement by Mexico to come.
Statement by the United Kingdom to come.
Statement by Tunisia to come.
Statement by Niger to come.
Statement by Estonia to come.
Statement by Kenya to come.
Statement by Ireland to come.
Statement by Syria to come.
Statement by Turkey to come.
Statement by Iran to come.
