The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Forty-eight hours before a 150-member Constitutional Committee for Syria meets for the first time in Geneva to try to agree on a new foundational text for the war-ravaged country, UN Special Envoy Geir O. Pedersen on Monday repeated his call for a nationwide ceasefire and the release of prisoners to build trust between belligerents.
“We are strongly appealing for, you know, for the ceasefires to be respected and that we have also been appealing for a nationwide ceasefire to come into effect,” the Special Envoy said, his comments coming two weeks after a Turkish military incursion into north-east Syria that followed the withdrawal of U.S. troops there.
Speaking to journalists in the Swiss city, Mr. Pedersen underscored the significance of the fact that the upcoming meeting marks the first time that representatives from the Government of Syria and opposition groups had “ownership” of a political process that could end more than eight years of brutal conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions inside the country and abroad.
No-one apart from Syrians and the UN would be present for Wednesday’s meeting, he said, before expressing hope of seeing “tangible progress” from the open-ended process.
“The two parties have agreed to work expeditiously and continuously,” he said, referring to Government and opposition delegations that are made up of 50 members each.
A third group of 50 is also slated take part, representing Syrian civil society, with a smaller, 45-person body consisting of 15 Government, 15 opposition and 15 civil society members due to meet subsequently, in order to prepare and draft proposals in line with the UN Charter, Security Council resolutions, Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
The Special Envoy added that while it was “impossible to say how long it will take for them to conclude its work”, as long as it was done “with serious intentions and we see progress - and as you know I will be reporting to the Security Council - I’m optimistic that we will within the not-too-distant future, that we see a tangible progress in the discussions”.
Such progress should include the release of tens of thousands of Syrians who remain “detained, abducted or missing”, Mr. Pedersen maintained, adding that he had made a special appeal for the early release of women and children.
“I believe that if this would happen, it would send a very powerful signal that we are indeed serious about making a new beginning for Syria,” he insisted.
Describing the Constitutional Committee as “remarkably representative” of Syrian society, Mr. Pedersen confirmed that while there was Kurdish representation, there were no SDF representatives on the Committee, in reference to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces that have agreed to pull back from the north-east Syria-Turkey border.
And while the UN negotiator reiterated his belief that the “Constitutional Committee alone cannot and will not resolve the Syrian conflict”, he highlighted widespread international support for a UN-led political solution to end it.
“I think actually this is the first time since the adoption of Security Council resolution 2254 in December 2015 that we have all the key international actors agreeing on an important step forward within the Syrian crisis,” he said. “That goes both for the so-called Astana Three (Iran, Russia, Turkey) it goes for the so-called Small Group (Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UK and U.S.) and of course, as you will have noticed, the Security Council unanimously expressed its support to this process.”
Asked to assess the challenges the Committee faced, given the requirement under the rules of procedure that decisions should be based on consensus or by a 75 per cent majority, Mr. Pedersen explained that he hoped all sides would “try to understand the other side of the argument and then move forward. Hopefully it will take time before it will be necessary to have voting in the process.”.
- Wide shot, exterior, Palais des Nations, Geneva.
- Wide shot, journalists and podium with Geir O. Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria, and spokesperson Jenifer Fenton, Room III.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Geir O. Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria: “The two parties have agreed to work expeditiously and continuously. It is impossible to say how long it will take for them to conclude its work, but as long as it is done with serious intentions, and we see progress and as you know I will be reporting to the Security Council, I’m optimistic that we will within the not-too-distant future, that we see a tangible progress in the discussions.”
- Medium shot, journalists writing on laptop, TV crews, profile, Room III.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Geir O. Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria: “We are strongly appealing for, you know, for the ceasefires to be respected and that we have also been appealing for a nationwide ceasefire to come into effect.”
- Medium shot, journalists, TV crews, Room III.
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Geir O. Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria: “It is a remarkable I think within the Syrian historical context, a remarkably representative committee. We have obviously also Kurds in the Committee, but you are absolutely right, there are no SDF representatives on the Committee.”
- Medium shot, journalists, Room III.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Geir O. Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria: “I think actually this is the first time since the adoption of Security Council resolution 2254 in December 2015 that we have all the key international actors agreeing on an important step forward within the Syrian crisis; that goes both for the so-called Astana Three, it goes for the so-called Small Group and of course, as you will have noticed, the Security Council unanimously expressed its support to this process.”
- Medium shot, journalists listening and typing on laptops, profile, Room III.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Geir O. Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria: “Of course we are very much aware of the fact that the Constitutional Committee alone cannot and will not resolve the Syrian conflict.”
- Wide shot, TV cameras, journalists, Room III.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Geir O. Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria: “Tens of thousands of Syrians remain detained, abducted or missing and I have appealed in particular for the early release of women and children. I believe that if this would happen, it would send a very powerful signal that we are indeed serious about making a new beginning for Syria.”
- Medium shot, journalists, Room III.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — Geir O. Pedersen, UN Special Envoy for Syria: “My hope is that we can see that the parties in the Committee will reach out to each other, that they will try to understand the other side of the argument and then move forward. And hopefully it will take time before it will be necessary to have voting in the process.”
- Medium shot, photographers, profile, Room III.
- Close up, journalists writing on laptops, Room III.
- Medium shot, journalists, TV crews, Room III.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | WMO , WHO
LA wildfires: Climate change made the disaster worse says WMO
The powerful dry winds and tinderbox conditions that have been fuelling the continuing Los Angeles wildfire tragedy have been made worse by climate change, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif on Wednesday updated the Human Rights Council on the human rights situation in Ukraine, outlining the findings of OHCHR’s latest periodic report covering 1st September to 30th November 2024.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
“We are deeply troubled by the marked increase in executions in Iran last year. At least 901 people were reportedly executed in 2024, including some 40 in one week alone in December. At least 853 people were executed in 2023,” Liz Throssell, a spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the UN bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Avian flu risk still ‘low’ after first US patient dies – WHO
A day after the United States reported its first human death from avian flu, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) insisted that the risk to the general population remains “low”.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The appointment on Thursday of Karla Quintana as head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic is a key development after nearly a year and a half of work by the UN Human Rights Office supporting the institution’s launch.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , UNICEF , UNRWA , WHO
The head of the UN migration agency stressed on Friday that Syria is in no position to take back millions of Syrians following the fall of the Assad regime, while there is an urgent need to “re-evaluate” sanctions impacting the war-ravaged country.
1
1
1
Edited News | IIIM , UNHCR
Syria: ‘Key priority’ is to preserve evidence of crimes – UN investigators
In Syria, new access to evidence of horrific human rights violations means that accountability may be closer than ever – if only proof can be preserved, a top UN investigator said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OSE , ICRC , UNHCR
Syria: UN and partners urge action to preserve evidence of prison atrocities, stabilize country
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria five days ago, hundreds of people have rushed to Saydnaya prison, desperate to find loved ones. Disturbing images from the prison and other detention centers have since surfaced, exposing the “unimaginable barbarity Syrians have endured for years,” said Jenifer Fenton, spokesperson for the UN special envoy for Syria, on Friday.
1
1
2
Edited News | UNRWA
Gaza: “Sickening normalisation” of suffering, amid attacks on people and aid convoys
Ongoing military operations by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in Gaza continue to devastate Palestinian children and families, with mounting casualties and a critical lack of humanitarian aid for the desperate population.
“Local media reporting here that last night, 30 people were killed in this area in strikes” said a senior emergency officer with the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Louise Wateridge, speaking to reporters in Geneva from central Gaza.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | OHCHR
Rights experts call for end to impunity for Israel’s violations of international law
Four independent human rights experts have jointly called for the international community to sanction Israel’s conduct of hostilities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as well as in the wider Middle East region - including in Syria, Lebanon and Iran. They also called for the restoration of trust in the international justice system through the abandonment of “extreme interpretations” and “double standards” in the application of the universal norms regulating the conduct of war.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNHCR
Syria: needs continue to grow amid highly uncertain situation, say aid teams
The historic power shift in Syria and the still volatile situation two days after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime have increased humanitarian needs in a country where nearly 17 million people, including millions of internally displaced, already depended on humanitarian aid before the recent events, UN aid teams said on Tuesday.
2
1
3
Edited News , Press Conferences | OSES
Barely 48 hours since opposition forces including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) swept into Damascus and forced out President Bashar al-Assad, the top UN negotiator tasked with helping Syrians’ create a peaceful and democratic future insisted that nothing could be taken for granted.