Source: United Nations (video statements)
Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Claudio Cordone said that there has been progress towards accountability and sustained international and regional engagement, while unresolved tensions, economic hardship, and repeated violations of Syria’s sovereignty persist.
The Deputy Special Envoy briefed the Council today (15 May) on the situation in Syria via video link.
He started by highlighting the developments in the fight against impunity. On 10 May, Atef Najib appeared in court on trial for crimes committed at the outset of the revolution in Daraa in 2011. Bashar al-Assad, Maher al-Assad and others are being tried in absentia in the same case.
Cordone explained, “the charges include the violent repression of peaceful demonstrations, arbitrary detention, torture, including of children, and killings in custody. The indictment invokes both Syrian and international law, as incorporated into the Syrian legal system by the Constitutional Declaration.”
“It is a commendable effort to situate accountability within a broader legal framework which reflects Syria’s international human rights commitments,” the Deputy Special Envoy added.
Cordone also emphasized that how Syria addresses these crimes “will serve as a key test of the country’s commitment to justice and the rule of law,” adding that “ensuring due process will be essential to building public trust, holding individual perpetrators to account, not their community. Suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty, and any confessions should be delivered in court.”
He expressed the UN’s support efforts to “ensure that all judicial proceedings are conducted in line with fair trial standards, including the fundamental right to legal representation,” adding “we also trust that these proceedings can disclose the full truth surrounding the crimes – one of the central demands of survivors.”
The Deputy Special Envoy pointed out that Suweida faces persistent political and security instability, with weekly demonstrations over demands for the release of detainees, the return of displaced persons, and greater local autonomy.
“Rivalries among Druze factions inside Suweida continue. While around 20,000 displaced persons have returned, more than 150,000 remain displaced. Efforts are ongoing to address key rehabilitation and educational challenges,” he said.
Cordone also stated that the UN remains “deeply” concerned by ongoing presence and military activities of the Israel Defense Forces east of the ceasefire line, in violation of the 1974 Disengagement of Forces Agreement.
He reiterated the call on Israel to “cease violations and adhere to the 1974 agreement,” and called on Israel to “clarify the fate of detained Syrians and release all those held in breach of international law.”
For his part, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, told the Council that humanitarian needs remain enormous in the country. About two-thirds of the population – 15.6 million people – most of them women, girls and children, will require help this year.
However, the OCHA chief said, “current funding levels mean we will reach only about half of them. Large-scale returns are a sign of positive change, but they are also increasing pressure on already limited services, housing, livelihoods and infrastructure.”
Fletcher also said, “the prolonged closure of the Straits of Hormuz means that the cost of food and fuel is rising, with immediate consequences for communities already on the edge.”
He said, “diesel is up around 17 percent, the cost of electricity by several hundred percent in some areas. Subsidized bread prices remain unchanged – but loaves are 12 percent smaller.”
The Under-Secretary-General thanked all those donors who are stepping up to support the hyperprioritised Syrian appeal, led by the US (with $160m), the EU (63m) and Japan (42m), reiterating that his Office is ready to receive support from other countries in the world.
Fletcher concluded by presenting three asks to the Council, “Back the mission: fund the prioritised plan to remove remaining humanitarian needs. Two: back the transition by rebuilding infrastructure, economic opportunity, and hope. And three: stay the course.”
For his role, Syrian Ambassador Ibrahim Olabi criticized Israel, “every time you talk about recovery, Israel launches a new attack. Every time we talk about the protection of civilians, Isreal attacks Syrians and their livelihoods. Every time we talk about stability, Israel through its acts of aggression against Syria, proves that it is the biggest hurdle in front of achieving stability in Syria. Every time we reaffirm our commitment to diplomacy brokered by the US, and we thank them for their efforts, we see that Israel continues with its attacks. Every time we commit to international law and to 1974 agreement, Israel violated it.”