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Syria constitutional talks reconvene after COVID-19 suspension
UN-facilitated talks to discuss a schedule and process for drafting a new constitution for war-torn Syria reconvened at UN Geneva on Thursday after being suspended three days earlier when four participants tested positive for COVID-19.
Speaking to journalists, UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, stressed the desire among participants to continue with the work of the Third Session of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, after a nine-month break.
He envisaged this happening into Saturday “with all necessary precautionary strict measures strictly observed”.
The UN negotiator also explained that those individuals who had tested positive for the new coronavirus would not be taking part in proceedings “out of an abundance of caution”, even though secondary testing had shown that they no longer posed any risk.
“We have a clear agenda for this session and the Small Body had a constructive first meeting on the agenda when they met on Monday,” Mr. Pedersen said, highlighting that these had resulted in “useful points” being raised and some good “interactions”.
“Key international players” following the Syrian-led and Syrian-owned process had also expressed their keen interest in the discussions resuming, Mr. Pedersen continued.
In an earlier Press conference ahead of the latest discussions, he noted his intention to meet representatives from Russia, Iran and Turkey and the United States in Geneva, while stressing the “completely independent” work of the Constitutional Committee.
The convening on Monday of the Small Group of the Syrian Constitutional Committee brings together 15 representatives from Syria’s Government, 15 from the Syrian Negotiations Commission (SNC) and 15 more civil society participants, known as the “middle third”.
A larger group of 150 delegates is also part of the process, but only the smaller group is meeting in Geneva.
Both bodies are meeting on the basis of an agreement between the Government of Syria and the opposition to implement a key part of Security Council resolution 2254 (from 2015), which called for setting a schedule and process for drafting a new constitution.
The latest round of discussions represents the first time that delegates have met after a hiatus of nine months, caused by differences over the agenda which were resolved by March – and then by COVID restrictions.
- Wide shot: exterior, flag alley, Palais des Nations, United Nations Geneva.
- Medium-wide shot, showing a seated and masked UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, sitting at the podium in Press Room III, UN Geneva, with spokesperson Jenifer Fenton seated apart from him. Photographers take pictures of the Special Envoy.
- SOUNDBITE (EN) - UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen: “Thank you so much Jenifer and thanks to all of you for your understanding. Obviously, the safety for all of us here in the Palais has been our major concern and our top priority. That is why we took no chances and immediately suspended the meeting on the Constitutional Committee of the Small Body on Monday. I’m extremely grateful for the professionalism of the medical advice and the support that we are receiving from the Swiss authorities and from the United Nations Office in Geneva and its medical services. In light of that advice, we are resuming, today, the Third Session of the Constitutional Committee Small Body, with all necessary precautionary strict measures strictly observed, as they were observed in the initial meeting. And thank you for your support, from your side, in observing those strict measures as well. I should add that, while the secondary testing done in recent days indicates that the earlier positive cases do not pose any risk, we are at this stage proceeding here in the Palais des Nations only with those who have tested negative. This is out of an abundance of caution and based on the advice of the United Nations medical authorities. I thank the two co-chairs and indeed the Constitutional Committee Small Body members for their cooperation during this temporary, but necessary, delay, while we addressed the immediate health issues. I equally appreciate their strong desire to resume the work of the Constitutional Committee and I think that is a signal of the importance of this process. I have also received a strong signal of support from key international players for the United Nations’ facilitation of this Syrian-led and Syrian-owned process, and this is indeed very much appreciated. We have a clear agenda for this session and the Small Body had a constructive first meeting on the agenda when they met on Monday. There were some useful points raised and some good interactions. I believe all members are keen to resume the work and have substantive discussions during the remainder of this session. And so, with full safety precautions in place, after extensive medical advice, we are getting back to work now, today, actually in five minutes. And after consultations with the two co-chairs just now, I believe we most probably will be doing sessions today, tomorrow and on Saturday. I hope to get back to you soon when these things are finalised. But as I said, thank you for your cooperation and I hope to talk to you soon.”
- Medium shot: journalist wearing facemask, seated, works on laptop, Press Room III, UN Geneva.
- Medium shot: journalist wearing facemask, seated, works on laptop, Press Room III, UN Geneva.
- Medium shot: journalist with facemask pulled down, seated, works on laptop, Press Room III, UN Geneva.
- Medium shot: journalist with facemask hanging from one ear, seated, works on laptop, Press Room III, UN Geneva.
- Medium-wide shot: journalists wearing facemasks, seated apart from each other, working on laptops, Press Room III, UN Geneva.
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As world’s water reserves change, countries must prepare for a new reality: WMO
New data showing that rivers were at their lowest level for decades last year provides further evidence that the climate crisis is real and countries must act immediately to protect themselves from the increasing threat to communities and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
The key findings from WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2025 report covering the hydrological cycle and extreme events in the five-year period to last year:
- 2025 was one of driest years for river discharge in 35 years
- Past seven years have seen abnorfmal river flows
- Water storage on Earth’s land surface has decreased in past decade
- Widespread glacier loss across all regions for fourth consecutive year
- Asia and Africa are regions most affected by water-related disasters
- Water data availability has improved, but gaps remain in hard-hit areas
Highlighting the long-term decline in the Earth’s freshwater storage and glacier melt, WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo explained that the planet’s water reserves used to act as a planetary “savings account” that absorbed the occasional dry season, avoiding a water crisis. “One of the central stories of the 2025 report is what is happening to that savings account? And the simple answer is that we are depleting it,” she told journalists in Geneva.
Groundwater reserves are equally stretched and have been in decline since 2014, WMO’s report states, with nearly two-thirds of monitored wells worldwide showing levels lower than the historical norm and indicating a shift “further toward deficit…not recovery”.
“At the same time, we are seeing more water-related disasters,” Ms. Saulo said, while also stressing that the currently strengthening El Niño “will increase the risk of drought in some areas, and flooding in others”.
Glaciers disappearing
In 2025, for the fourth consecutive year, every major glaciated region on Earth lost ice mass, leading to short-term hazards including floods and long-term water insecurity, according to WMO.
Responding to a question about whether the changing global water cycle might have contributed to the deadly Nepal-China flooding disaster, Ms. Saulo explained that melting ice and rock was just one factor in the chain of events that ultimately sent a massive and deadly wall of water and debris downstream on 26 August, killing at least 1,367 people.
“You asked if it could happen again? Absolutely; the problem in this region is that there’s 63,700 glaciers at the last count,” she told a Press Conference in Geneva. “Even if you’re looking with remote sensing with satellites at these glaciers, you might see some faults, you might see some slight shifting, that does not mean necessarily catastrophic collapse. So, in order to plan for this, it’s very, very difficult. But the international community is looking very hard at ways in which we can bring people together to solve some of these monitoring issues.”
Data indicates that glaciers shrank between 2023 and 2025 with cumulative losses of 1,400 gigatonnes of water – or about one third of annual fresh water needs.
Every major glacier region on Earth lost ice for the fourth consecutive year.
“All 19 glacier regions around the globe lost ice; in Central Asia, Iceland, the Russian Arctic and western Canada and the United States, it was among the three worst years on record,” said Wayne Jenkinson, WMO’s Director of Hydrology and Cryosphere.
Some regions with smaller glaciers such as Central Europe, the Caucasus, the western Canada and the United States may already have reached “peak water”, Mr. Jenkinson warned.
“After this point, the glacier gives less meltwater each year simply because there is less ice left to melt. That matters for every community downstream that relies on water during hot, dry summers,” he explained.
Narelle van der Wel, WMO’s Head of Cryosphere Monitoring, Predictions and Services, stressed that while some further glacier loss is unavoidable, the eventual scale of the decline is not predetermined.
“Some glacier loss is inevitable, but total loss of glaciers is not yet inevitable,” she said, pointing to emissions reductions as central to limiting future losses.
Preparing for moving baselines
The report does not attribute every observed change to climate change alone. WMO says pressure on water resources and natural variability also contribute.
Mr. Jenkinson said governments need to prepare for “moving baselines” as historical patterns become less reliable.
“The situation 30 years ago is not where we are today,” he said. Countries, he added, need to prepare “for those changes that have really already arrived”.
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