UN

UN General Assembly in session. (Basil D Soufi, Wikimedia Commons)

Syria rejoins world body after six decades

26 August 2025. President Ahmad al-Sharaa will be the first Syrian head of state in nearly 60 years to speak to the world assembly, marking Syria’s historic re-entry into global diplomacy. The Foreign Ministry called the UN’s invitation a major sign of the readjustment of positions on Syria, an acknowledgment of the transformation taking place. The president is expected to address Israel’s military incursions in Syria and call upon the world body to support a political solution.Read more at: LEVANT24

President Al-Sharaa holds August dialogue in Idlib, emphasising the importance of maintaining unity. (video still, Qusay Noor YouTube channel)

President declares Syria unbreakable

23 August 2025. President Ahmad al-Sharaa declared in a recent speech in Idlib, that Syria’s unity is non-negotiable, that partition is not an option and that attempts to form internal cantons within the country are “impossible.” He also stated that international efforts to weaken Syria internally were “unrealistic.” The president underscored the importance of reconciliation efforts in Suwayda and Daraa and affirmed that possession of arms would be limited to state institutions.Read more at: LEVANT24

UN Special Envoy, Geir Pedersen, addresses extended Security Council session on Syria. (SANA)

UN leaders rally behind Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and stability

21 August 2025. The UN Special Envoy to Syria told the Security Council that Syria is “witnessing a state of calm.” He affirmed the importance of efforts to monitor the ceasefire in Sweida, asserting the necessity for the country’s peaceful transition. UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs called on the UN to shift from humanitarian aid to long-term support for Syria’s development and reconstruction. Security Council members condemned Israeli strikes and praised the new government’s policies and progress.Read more at: SANA

Assad loyalists attacked coastal government forces in March, sparking four days of sectarian violence. (L24)

UN absolves Syrian government in March coastal massacres

15 August 2025. The 66-page report of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which investigated the violence of March, praised Syria’s dedication to justice, accountability, and transparency, and called the report a milestone in cooperation between Syria and the UN. The report’s conclusions mirrored many findings of Syria’s Independent National Inquiry, and affirms Syria’s path to accountability. Having free access to the affected regions, the UN determined that individuals within interim security forces were culpable for violence, but there was no evidence that the state directed those crimes.Read more at: LEVANT 24

Syria’s Foreign Minister, Asaad al-Shaibani. (L24:Social Media)

Syria welcomes UN report and opens new chapter of accountability and international trust

14 August 2025. In a landmark letter, Syrian Foreign Minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, commended Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, Chair of the UN Commission of Inquiry, for the report on March coastal events. In his open letter, al-Shaibani welcomed the UN Commission’s findings and affirmed Syria’s commitment to reform, transparency, and justice. The letter marks an historic shift toward international cooperation and accountability, and underscores Syria’s resolve to heal, rebuild, and honor victims of violence.Read more at: LEVANT 24

UK organizes emergency medical teams for Southern Syria with UN help. (Suwayda Governorate - Telegram)

British Government provides urgently needed aid for Suwayda victims

6 August 2025. The UK pledged £1.7 million ($2.2 million) in emergency aid for over 85,000 Syrians displaced by violence in Suwayda. Mobile medical teams will be deployed to affected towns and remote villages, through UK partnerships with humanitarian organizations, including the UN, which will supply medicines, food, and clean water. With the official resumption of UK-Syria diplomatic ties in July, the UK committed large sums to Syria’s recovery.Read more at: ENAB BALADI

Joint UN Mission arrives in Suwayda along with 40 truckloads of aid. (ENAB BALADI)

Desperately needed humanitarian support for Suwayda organized by UN

1 August 2025. UN agencies arrived in Suwayda to provide aid and assess the humanitarian needs of masses of people displaced in the recent conflicts. In partnership with local and international humanitarian organizations, the aid convoy brought 40 truckloads of food, fuel, shelter materials, medical, hygiene and other critical supplies. Syria’s Justice Ministry formed a committee to investigate the unrest and move toward accountability.Read more at: ENAB BALADI

Syria’s search for missing persons is one of its most urgent humanitarian concerns. (IIMP Syria on UN News)

UN praises Syria’s moves to reveal the fate of missing persons and tackle human rights violations of previous regime

27 June 2025. Syria’s interim authorities have formed two national bodies to trace over 100,000 individuals who went missing under Assad and to address systemic abuse. UN Commission Chair Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro observed that recent attacks, since March 2025, were “in part a response to five decades of systematic crimes…” He praised President al-Sharaa’s commitment to hold accountable all those responsible and to restore confidence in state institutions. Read more at: UN NEWS

Syria’s government applauds Dutch and Canadian efforts at ICJ to hold accountable perpetrators of torture under the former regime. (SANA)

Torture and related crimes under Assad are pursued at the International Court of Justice

27 June 2025. On the UN Day for the Convention Against Torture, Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed vigorous legal proceedings by the Netherlands and Canada, at the ICJ, targeting systematic torture and other crimes committed by the Assad regime. The Syrian government is committed to a victim-centered approach to uncovering the crimes. Its newly formed Transitional Justice Commission has guaranteed the non-recurrence of such transgressions against its citizens. Read more at: SANA

UN’s Najat Rochdi hails Syria’s move to hold parliamentary elections in briefing to Security Council. (UN TV video still on SANA website)

UN welcomes Syria’s plans for People’s Assembly elections

18 June 2025. Syria’s formation of a Supreme Electoral Committee—announced by President Ahmad Al-Sharaa—was welcomed by UN Deputy Special Envoy Najat Rochdi who called it “the next vital step in the political transition.” She and other UN officials called for international support of the new government, coping with vast humanitarian and other challenges in this fragile but pivotal phase of recovery. Read more at: SANA

France’s UN ambassador calls for cooperative global efforts to safeguard Syria’s progress. (Photo: SANA)

France urges immediate, coordinated global action to support Syria’s transition

18 June 2025. Jérôme Bonnafont, France’s Permanent Representative to the UN, called for urgent global action to safeguard Syria’s fragile transition and to “offer the country a chance to become a hub of regional stability.” In a June 12th statement to the UN’s General Assembly, he wrote: “France stands alongside the Syrian people to ensure that the immense hopes raised since December 2024 are not disappointed.” Read more at: SANA

A wide view of the Security Council meeting on chemical weapons in Syria. (UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe on UN website 7 March 2025)

UN disarmament chief praises Syria’s cooperation as chemical weapons inspections move forward, amid ongoing concerns

5 June 2025. Addressing the Security Council, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, commended the commitment of the new Syrian authorities “to fully and transparently cooperate” with UN inspections. She also noted many unresolved issues remaining from the Assad regime’s stockpiling of chemical weapons and urged additional UN support to help rid the country of chemical weapons.Read more at: UN News

President Al Sharaa to make landmark visit to New York this September. (Getty on The New Arab website 3 June 2025)

Syrian President expected to address the UN and meet with US officials in September

4 June 2025. Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa is set to visit the US in September, delivering a speech at the UN General Assembly—the first by a Syrian leader in six decades. He will also hold discussions with US officials. A State Department spokesman said the US intends to “begin a new era” in its relations with Syria. Read more at: The Syrian Observer

Trucks loaded with belongings of residents from the Areesha refugee camp who are returning home. (Photo © UNHCR/Hameed Maarouf on UN News website 27 May 2025)

Belongings of internally displaced Syrians returning home

27 May 2025. Sanctions relief for Syria offers ‘powerful message of hope,’ says UN migration agency. The easing of sanctions sends “a powerful message of hope,” says UN agency. Since Assad’s overthrow, 500,000 refugees and 1.5 million internally displaced Syrians have returned home. In a reel, a woman reflects: “We were displaced for 13 years… now we feel like we’ve come out of a grave.” Read more at: UN News

New Face of Syria