14.03.2025 Presidential Statement on Syria

● The Security Council strongly condemns the widespread violence perpetrated in the provinces of Latakia and Tartus, Syria, since 6 March, which has included mass killings of civilians, particularly among the Alawite community. The Security Council also strongly condemns the attacks targeting civilian infrastructure, including hospitals.  The Security Council expresses its grave concern over the impact of this violence on escalating tensions among communities in Syria and calls on all parties to immediately cease all violence and inflammatory activities and to ensure that all civilians, civilian infrastructure and humanitarian operations are protected.

● The Security Council reiterates the obligation to respect human rights and international humanitarian law in all circumstances and urges all parties, and States, to ensure full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to those affected and to ensure the humane treatment of all persons, including any person who has surrendered or otherwise laid down their arms.  The Security Council urges additional international support for the efforts of the United Nations and humanitarian organizations to rapidly increase humanitarian support for civilians in need across Syria.

● The Security Council calls on the interim authorities to protect all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religion.

● The Security Council recalls resolution 2254 (2015) and its Press Statement of 17 December 2024 and reaffirms its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria and calls on all States to respect these principles and to refrain from any action or interference that may further destabilize Syria.

● The Security Council underscores the importance of countering terrorism in Syria and express grave concern over the acute threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters, noting that the threat may affect all regions and Member States. The Security Council urges Syria to take decisive measures to address the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters, and underscores Syria’s obligations under relevant Security Council resolutions related to countering terrorism, in particular resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011), 2178 (2014), 2253 (2015), and 2396 (2017) and related to the situation in Syria.

● The Security Council takes note of the announcement of the Syrian interim authorities that they have established an independent committee to investigate the violence against civilians and to identify those responsible, and calls for swift, transparent, independent, impartial and comprehensive investigations, in line with international standards, to ensure accountability and to bring all perpetrators to justice. Syria’s interim authorities must hold the perpetrators of these mass killings accountable. The Security Council also notes the Syrian interim authorities’ decision to establish a committee for civil peace.

● The Security Council welcomes the Syrian interim authorities’ public condemnation of instances of violence and calls for further measures to prevent its recurrence, including violence against persons on the grounds of ethnicity, religion or belief, and to protect all civilians in Syria without distinction.

● The Security Council further underlines the importance and urgency of inclusive and transparent justice and reconciliation processes for sustainable peace in Syria.

● The Security Council calls for the implementation of an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process, facilitated by the United Nations and based on the key principles listed in resolution 2254 (2015). This includes safeguarding the rights of all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity and religion. This political process should meet the legitimate aspirations of all Syrians, protect all of them and enable them to peacefully, independently and democratically determine their futures.

● The Security Council reaffirms the importance of the UN’s role in supporting a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political transition and reiterates its support for the efforts of the United Nations Special Envoy in this regard.