Briefing by Geir Pedersen, Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Syria, on the political situation in Syria.
UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen told the Security Council, “I strongly believe that Syria needs a ceasefire arrangement that results in sustained calm and is nationwide in scope – one that does not see new assaults across lines of contact, and enables Syrians to access equipment and resources necessary to combat COVID-19.”
Briefing the Council today (29 Apr) via video link, Pedersen welcomed the fact that there has been significant calm in many areas of Syria – especially relative to the apexes of violence of previous years.
He noted that there have not been all-out offensives nor further displacements since early March, adding that the Russian-Turkish arrangements have taken hold in the north-west, and he saw a positive difference on the ground, including compared with previous arrangements. The level of incidents is low.
The Special Envoy also commended the Syrian Government for its effort in taking increasingly significant steps to combat COVID-19. While testing remains limited, the officially reported COVID-19 caseload in Syria is comparatively low: 42 reported cases in areas controlled by the Syrian Government; 1 reported case in the north-east; and no reported cases in the north-west.
Pedersen said, “we all hope that these low numbers will continue – but as in all countries, the risk of a major COVID-19 outbreak in Syria is there. The trend lines in the coming weeks will be very important. So will a ramping up of testing and treatment capacity in all parts of Syria, along with information sharing between all parties.”
Turning to the economic situation, the Special Envoy noted, “after nine years of conflict and a wide range of factors and measures, Syria faces extremely grave economic conditions.”
He continued, “we have recently seen price increases and shortages among other further worsening trends. The measures rightly taken by the authorities to combat COVID-19 in Syria have – as in all countries – also had an economic impact too.”
Pedersen also stated that the country also faces many challenges that can hamstring a response to the pandemic, such as lack of sufficient health professionals, medical equipment and supplies. The healthcare system is degraded in some areas and destroyed in others, following nine years of armed conflict.
