A rare opportunity has emerged for Syria—but lasting recovery will depend on more than rebuilding what was lost.
At the UN Security Council, senior UN officials outline why this moment matters, what has changed on the ground, and why recovery must create the conditions for Syrians not only to return home—but to stay, rebuild, and thrive.
Speakers:
• Claudio Cordone, Deputy Special Envoy for Syria
• Edem Wosornu, Director, Operations and Advocacy Division, OCHA
Open debate of the Security Council under the agenda item "Maintenance of international peace and security" .
Natural resource governance lies today at the heart of the challenges of peace, security and prosperity. The central question is whether minerals intensify conflicts or, conversely, can become instruments for ending them when they are effectively governed.
Objectives of the debate:
– To recognize the link between natural resource governance, conflict prevention and sustainable peace, and to affirm the relevance of a more coherent and universal approach.
– Mapping the volume and types of conflict-affected natural resources.
– Formulating conclusions and recommendations on the prevention and management of natural resource-related conflicts.
– To move beyond the fragmented and largely national responses currently in place by laying the foundations for a common framework of resource governance and traceability as instruments for conflict prevention and resolution.
– To mobilize the United Nations system, regional organizations and relevant partners around a shared vision in which natural resources and ecological capital become drivers of peace and shared prosperity.
– The meeting will be presided over by the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Secretary-General will arrive in Syria later this week at the invitation of the Government of Syria. In Damascus, he is scheduled to meet with President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, as well as other government officials including the Foreign Minister, Asaad Al-Shaibani.
This will be António Guterres’ first visit to Syria as Secretary-General of the United Nations. Throughout his stay in Syria, he will reaffirm the United Nations’ commitment to supporting the Syrian Government and the Syrian people at this defining period in the country’s history. He will also underscore the importance of respecting Syria’s sovereignty, its unity, and its territorial integrity.
The visit will offer the Secretary-General an opportunity to witness both the hope and the challenges of the political transition and recovery, as well as the impact of the enduring of years of conflict. During the visit, he will hear first-hand from representatives of Syrian civil society, women’s organizations and diverse communities.
While in Syria, the Secretary-General also plans to visit our colleagues from the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, otherwise known as UNDOF.
We will continue to keep you informed with details of the visit as it happens.
SECURITY COUNCIL
This morning, the Security Council also met to discuss Syria. Claudio Cordone, the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Envoy for Syria, briefed from Damascus and told council members that despite the challenges, the opportunities for Syria are indeed real.
He said the past month has demonstrated both the opportunities and the fragility of Syria’s transition. He told council members that important institutional milestones have been reached, but building confidence will require an effective and balanced system of governance, with the meaningful participation by women and all components of Syrian society, continued progress on accountability and transitional justice, and tangible improvements in the daily lives of the Syrian people.
Mr. Cordone also reiterated our support for a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition, adding that sustained commitment from the international community, including the Security Council, remains critical.
Also briefing was our colleague Edem Wosornu, who, as you know, is OCHA’s Director of the Crisis Response Division. She also briefed on the humanitarian situation in the country.
Since December 2024, she said, some 1.7 million refugees and 1.9 million internally displaced people have returned to their communities, but recovery is not measured only by how many people return. It is measured by whether they can stay, whether they can rebuild and whether they can survive.
For many families in the country, she said daily life continues to be defined by difficult choices and uncertainty.
She asked council members for sustained and predictable humanitarian funding, investments in the foundations of recovery and finally, she called on them to prevent further instability, protect civilians and preserve humanitarian access.
Those remarks have been shared with you.
SYRIA/TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE
Also staying on Syria, there will be an Arria-formula meeting of the Security Council on transitional justice and the issue of missing people in Syria. Our friend the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, will be briefing.
He will stress that justice and inclusivity, centred on victims, survivors, and the families of the missing, are essential to rebuilding trust and securing a more peaceful future for all Syrians.
His remarks will be shared with you and posted online.
Full Highlights: https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/noon-briefing-highlight?date=2026-07-21
Open debate of the Security Council under the agenda item "Maintenance of international peace and security" .
Natural resource governance lies today at the heart of the challenges of peace, security and prosperity. The central question is whether minerals intensify conflicts or, conversely, can become instruments for ending them when they are effectively governed.
Objectives of the debate
To recognize the link between natural resource governance, conflict prevention and sustainable peace, and to affirm the relevance of a more coherent and universal approach.
Mapping the volume and types of conflict-affected natural resources.
Formulating conclusions and recommendations on the prevention and management of natural resource-related conflicts.
To move beyond the fragmented and largely national responses currently in place by laying the foundations for a common framework of resource governance and traceability as instruments for conflict prevention and resolution.
To mobilize the United Nations system, regional organizations and relevant partners around a shared vision in which natural resources and ecological capital become drivers of peace and shared prosperity.
The meeting will be presided over by the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Following an open briefing of the Security Council on the situation in Haiti, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti, Carlos Ruiz Massieu told reporters in New York that the political process and security improvements need to move “simultaneously, so we can have further stability in the country on the security front, on the humanitarian side, but also on the political side.”
Ruiz Massieu said it was “still early in terms of coming back to democratic rule” in Haiti because of the transition nature of the government but added that “we have a chance to contribute to the improvements and the discussions that are taking place these days” so as “to make those gains more sustainable so we don’t go back after getting some positive results.”
He said some of the gangs in Haiti are listed in the Secretary General’s Report on Children in Armed Conflict “as utilizing children, recruiting children” and stressed that “we need to establish now a system by which there will be engagement with those gangs in order to request and to demand the release of the children.”
Born to Italian parents in Venezuela, Allegra Baiocchi has been on the move ever since and has lived in more than 25 countries around the world. Now UN Resident Coordinator in Mexico, she believes in the power of the United Nations to improve the well-being of all people, wherever they are.
“I am truly an optimist. I do think we can turn this around, but it does need a lot of people taking action, and so I stay awake at night trying to figure out how to get people to act.”
Formerly the UN’s chief humanitarian coordinator for western and central Africa, Allegra Baiocchi faced down overlapping deadly crises, from Ebola and war, to drought, famine and displacement. In this episode, she reflects on the highs and lows of her long and varied career, and shares how she brought up children who are as much citizens of the globe as she is.
Source: United States Department of Justice (video statements)
The U.S. Department of Justice Museum opened its doors on July 20, 2026, as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebration. This milestone represented years of careful planning, research, and dedication to preserving and sharing the remarkable history of justice in America. Watch this timelapse video for a first look at the Museum’s fabrication, construction, and installation!
Source: United Kingdom UK House of Lords (video statements)
Members will quiz the government in an urgent question on the abolition of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the merging of its functions with other departments today. Members will press government on the implications of this on the future operation of the AI Safety Institute, the Sovereign AI Fund, the Government Digital Service and UK Research and Innovation.
Private notice questions are urgent questions granted by the Lord Speaker. Find out more https://www.parliament.uk/site-information/glossary/private-notice-question/
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