Syria Archives - Page 5 of 8

UN Special Envoy continues shuttle diplomacy on Syria

·December 14, 2024·2 min read

Geir Pedersen is due to confer with Arab foreign ministers, the Foreign Minister of Türkiye, US Secretary of State and other senior officials who will be present at a meeting in Aqaba, said UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, briefing reporters in New York. Mr. Pedersen has held “numerous phone consultations”, including...

Syria: UN chief calls for urgent de-escalation by Israeli forces, withdrawal from Golan buffer zone

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·December 13, 2024·1 min read

In a note to correspondents issued on Thursday, António Guterres said he was “deeply concerned by the recent and extensive violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” Airstrikes, incursions Since the de facto authorities of the HTS armed group took control of Damascus on Sunday, Israeli forces reportedly took over...

Syria: Prioritise search for the missing, justice for victims

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·December 12, 2024·4 min read

Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen is engaging with all parties who have a stake in the political future of the country “on the way forward” towards a peaceful and Syrian-led transition, the UN chief António Guterres said on Wednesday. The Secretary-General stressed there were clear “signs of hope” for the...

Guterres upholds UN commitment to a smooth and inclusive transition in Syria

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·December 12, 2024·2 min read

Mr. Guterres was speaking on Wednesday to reporters in Pretoria, South Africa, where he met with Government officials in connection with the country’s presidency of the G20 group of industrial nations. ‘Signs of hope’ “As we speak, we are witnessing the reshaping of the Middle East, with the changes in...

Forging Peace in Syria: Great opportunities, grave risks

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·December 11, 2024·6 min read

As the fighting intensified, the UN never stopped working behind the scenes to bring about a political solution that would deliver dignity, freedom and justice for the Syrian people. Here are some of the key developments where the UN has played a significant role towards a just peace in Syria....

Syria crisis: Nothing must stop peaceful transition, says UN Special Envoy

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·December 10, 2024·3 min read

“Syria is now at a crossroads with great opportunities for us, but also with grave risks. And we need really to look at both,” said Geir Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria. “We know that, of course, HTS is now the dominant group in control of Damascus, but it’s important...

Middle East: Live updates from Syria and the wider region for 9 December

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·December 9, 2024·1 min read

The historic shift of power in Syria at the weekend has added yet another layer of complexity to the Middle East crisis, with hostilities ongoing in Gaza, violence undiminished in the occupied West Bank and a fragile ceasefire underway in Lebanon. A Security Council meeting is expected on the crisis...

Syria: We will continue to respond wherever we can, says UN aid chief

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·December 8, 2024·3 min read

“We will respond wherever, whenever, however we can to support people in need, including reception centres – food, water, fuel, tents, blankets,” said Tom Fletcher, Emergency Relief Coordinator and head of the UN aid coordination office, OCHA. The dramatic development in the Syrian capital follows a lightning advance by armed...

Syria crisis: UN delivering life-saving assistance; relocates non-critical staff

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·December 7, 2024·2 min read

“The UN is strategically reducing its footprint by relocating non-critical staff outside the country… amid the evolving circumstances,” Adam Abdelmoula said in a statement issued by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, known as OCHA. At the same time, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator stressed that...

Syria crisis: More than 280,000 uprooted in northwest escalation

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·December 6, 2024·3 min read

Aid has continued to flow from Türkiye across three border crossings into the embattled northwest and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that it had opened community kitchens in Aleppo and Hama – cities now reportedly occupied by HTS fighters. In neighbouring Lebanon, meanwhile, senior UN aid official Edem...

Syria escalation: Deadly attacks continue, healthcare and access compromised

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·December 3, 2024·3 min read

Renewed fighting last week led by the terrorist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other armed factions has engulfed parts of Aleppo, Idlib and Hama, destabilising frontlines that had remained unchanged since 2020. UN human rights office (OHCHR) spokesperson Jeremy Laurence told reporters in Geneva of “a number of extremely...

UN officials raise alarm over escalating violence in northwest Syria

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·December 1, 2024·2 min read

The alarm comes amid a sharp escalation in fighting in the Aleppo Governorate, spreading to parts of Idleb and Hama governorates and leaving the situation volatile and unpredictable. In a statement on Sunday, UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen expressed grave concerns over the dramatic shift in frontlines,...