Syrians now have ‘historic opportunity’ to build a peaceful future, says Guterres

This article is published in association with United Nations.

After 14 years of brutal war and the fall of the dictatorial regime, today the people of Syria can seize an historic opportunity to build a stable and peaceful future, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Sunday.

As reports continued to emerge from the Syrian capital, Damascus, where opposition forces declared victory overnight on State television, the UN chief said in a statement: The future of Syria is a matter for the Syrians to determine.

There is much work to be done to ensure an orderly political transition to renewed institutions, Mr. Guterres, and noted that his Special Envoy, Geir Pedersen, will be working with all Syrians to this end.

Mr. Pedersen, who has been attending a high-level meeting of Arab States in Doha this weekend, has called for “urgent political talks” in Geneva to secure a peaceful future for Syria.

There was widespread backing for his appeal, he said on Saturday, from Iran, Russia and Türkiye along with the United States, France, Great Britain, Germany and the European Union.

Renewed call to avoid violence

In the meantime, the Secretary-General renewed his call for calm and avoiding violence at this sensitive time, while protecting the rights of all Syrians, without distinction. He also noted that the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises and personnel must be respected in all cases in accordance with international law.

“We will need the support of the international community to ensure that any political transition is inclusive and comprehensive and that it meets the legitimate aspirations of the people of Syria, in all their diversity,” Mr. Guterres said and underscored that: “Syria’s sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity must be restored.” 

The UN, he said, will honor the memory of those who have borne the brunt of the 14-year conflict.

“We remain committed to helping Syrians build a country where reconciliation, justice, freedom, and prosperity are shared realities for all. This is the path to sustainable peace in Syria,” concluded the Secretary-General.

UN will support all those in need

The dramatic development in the Syrian capital follows a lightning advance by armed opposition forces, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), on 27 November from their stronghold in the country’s northwest into Government-controlled areas, reportedly supported by rebel groups joining from the south.

“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 hostilities have uprooted more than 370,000 people inside Syria, according to OCHA, “with many seeking refuge in the northeast and others trapped in front-line areas, unable to escape”, the UN’s top aid official in Syria, Adam Abdelmoula, said on Saturday. 

“Civilian casualties, including women and children, continue to rise, underscoring the urgent need for coordinated humanitarian action,” he added.

After sweeping into Syria’s second city, Aleppo, Hama, Homs and now Damascus have fallen in quick succession, despite suggestions that the Security Council-designated terrorist group lacked the means to sustain their stunning gains.

On Sunday, Mr. Pedersen highlighted the “14 years of relentless suffering and unspeakable loss” that Syrians had suffered, as their country was torn apart in a conflict that began as a peaceful protest against the Government, only to draw in regional and international forces which have stymied the efforts of the Security Council to end the fighting.

“This dark chapter has left deep scars, but today we look forward with cautious hope to the opening of a new one – one of peace, reconciliation, dignity, and inclusion for all Syrians,” he said in a statement.

Transfer of power  

The UN negotiator also issued an appeal for the new rulers in Damascus to ensure a stable transfer of power and to maintain the country’s institutions.

This was the “clear desire” of millions of Syrians, Mr. Pedersen insisted, so that they can ultimately see their “legitimate aspirations” fulfilled “and restore a unified Syria, with its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, in a way that can receive the support and engagement of the entire international community”.

In the immediate aftermath of HTS’s reported victory and declaration to the millions of Syrians displaced by the conflict that “a free Syria awaits you”, news reports indicated that opposition forces met little resistance in taking Damascus, while President Bashar Al-Assad was believed to have flown out of the capital to an unknown destination.

Years of fighting between Government troops reinforced foreign State-backed fighters against opposition forces including ISIL extremists – now essentially pushed out of Syria – have devastated Syria, despite repeated calls for peace via several rounds of UN-led negotiations in Geneva.

Insisting that Sunday’s developments marked “a watershed moment in Syria’s history”, UN Special Envoy Mr. Pedersen stressed the need to “prioritize dialogue, unity and respect for international humanitarian law and human rights” as the Syrians “rebuild their society”.

Arab States, Russia urge end to fighting

On the sidelines of his official visit to the Doha Forum, Mr. Pedersen also spoke to the representatives of Turkey, Iran and Russia – the so-called Astana Group – who had gathered to discuss the opposition forces’ rapid gains in Syria.

In a joint statement issued ahead of the fall of Damascus by the Astana members and the Foreign Ministers of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan Egypt and Iraq, they urged an end to the fighting and expressed their support for UN-led efforts to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis, based on Security Council resolution 2254.

As events in Syria continued to unfold, the UN’s top aid official, Tom Fletcher, stressed the need to uphold international humanitarian law “to protect civilians, including aid workers”.

That appeal followed reports of a deadly airstrike at Syria’s Ad Dabousiyah border crossing with Lebanon on 27 November in which a Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) volunteer was killed, along with multiple civilians. The incident led to the suspension of all UN humanitarian convoys into Syria.

Although “essential” humanitarian operations have been maintained inside Syria, the UN has begun to relocate “non-critical staff” from the country as a precautionary step, the UN’s top aid official in the country has said.

“This is not an evacuation and our dedication to supporting the people of Syria remains unwavering,” and stressed that “rumours suggesting that the United Nations is evacuating all staff from Syria are false,” insisted Adam Abdelmoula.

Words must match deeds on human rights

Meanwhile, in the wake of reports that a coalition of forces has seized the Syrian capital and freed prisoners from Sednaya and other detention facilities, the UN human rights probe on the situation called today “a historic new beginning for the Syrian people who have suffered unspeakable violence and atrocities over the past 14 years.’

“It is time to finally put Syrians’ own aspirations first and place the country on a path toward a stable, prosperous and just future that guarantees the human rights and dignity its people have so long been denied,” said the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria said in a statement.

For decades, Sednaya and other infamous detention facilities have been synonymous with fear, loss, suffering and cruelty. The cells where detainees were ill-treated are now open, as are the interrogation chambers where they were tortured using cruel methods that the Commission has documented for years.

The Commission called on all parties in Syria to facilitate access for independent humanitarian and human rights actors, including the Commission, to the country, including detention facilities. It stresses the importance of ensuring that all evidence is protected.

Both opposition and Government leadership have made initial statements indicating their commitment to maintaining good conduct and protecting civilians, which is encouraging. Their deeds must now match their words, stated the Commission.