YouSaid · the spoken record

Geir Pedersen

lines on the record: 181
first: 2020-03-30
most recent: 2021-05-26
sittings or episodes: 12
sources: un-security-council

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Syrian women — the primary breadwinners in many families — are disproportionately affected, forced to shoulder caretaking responsibilities while financially supporting the household. Many women, including those in refugee communities, are facing higher risks of exploitation and abuse as they struggle to provide for the day-to-day needs of their families. In recent weeks, we have seen many Syrians begin to express new fears, even panic in some quarters. We have heard of shops and pharmacies forced to close, unable to cope with the recent volatility, of jobs being lost, of remittances drying up. In some areas of north-western Syria, reports have emerged of locals increasingly using foreign currencies.”
2020-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/551 (2020) · source
“The purchasing power of ordinary Syrians has seriously diminished as wages — in both the private and public sectors — are vastly inadequate to meet the demands of the day. Before this recent deterioration, over 80 per cent of Syrians were estimated to be living below the poverty line. The situation is undoubtedly more severe today, and the intensity of that poverty is likely more acute. The World Food Programme (WFP) now estimates that some 9.3 million people are food insecure, with over 2 million more at risk, a rise of some 42 per cent in the past year. As WFP Executive Director David Beasley recently warned: if this situation deteriorates, “famine could well be knocking on [the] door”.”
2020-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/551 (2020) · source
“I heard a new level of alarm at the dramatic collapse in economic conditions throughout the country. It is easy to understand why. In the course of just one week during the reporting period, the Syrian lira’s market rate depreciated more than in the entire nine years prior, before rallying somewhat. But currency and price volatility remain acute, and the inflation rate has hit peak levels in the past six months. The economic crisis is hitting every part of Syria, regardless of territorial control: from Damascus and the south-west to Aleppo, the north-west and the north-east. Medicine is scarce and more expensive. Food prices have skyrocketed and supply chains have been disrupted.”
2020-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/551 (2020) · source
“Last month, I told the Council how struck I was by the depth of concern among ordinary Syrians at the current state and future of their beloved country (see S/2020/420). A month on, I have heard those messages even louder, including in continued consultations with Syrians participating in the Civil Society Support Room and with the Syrian Women’s Advisory Board. I have heard many of the appeals the Council members are familiar with — a thirst for progress on the political process pursuant to resolution 2254 (2015), for an end to all violence and terrorism, for a nationwide ceasefire, for action on detainees, abductees and missing persons and for progress in creating conditions for Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons to return to their homes in a safe, voluntary and dignified manner.”
2020-06-16 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/551 (2020) · source
“We must act on the basis of our common humanity, help build trust and confidence — including via reciprocal measures — and begin to move towards a political settlement that can meet the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and fully restore Syria’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/353 (2020) · source
“I reiterate my appeal for a nationwide ceasefire and an all-out effort to ensure that Syrians across the country will have access to the equipment and resources needed to combat and treat COVID-19. I stand ready to work with the Government, the opposition and all relevant players on the ground, as well as with key countries with weight and influence. I urge all relevant players to come together in a joint effort to support sustained calm and to help scale up the response to the pandemic. That is the only responsible path and the only one that can pave the way for progress on the broader political process to implement resolution 2254 (2015). There is no military solution to the Syria crisis.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/353 (2020) · source
“In that regard, I briefed the Council last month that the agenda for the next session of the Constitutional Committee had been agreed between the co-Chairs. It will be important to build on that with a substantive discussion during the next round. The Committee was clear in its dealings with me that reaching an agreement during that session on national foundations and principles is not a precondition to moving to other items in subsequent sessions. I remain in regular contact with the Committee on how to resume the meetings in Geneva as soon as the situation allows. I have also been in touch with the civil society members of the Committee and will continue to do so. We are still exploring whether any preparatory work can take place in the meantime. I urge all members to be diligently preparing for renewed work.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/353 (2020) · source
“They expressed support for a sustained ceasefire throughout the country, and the wish that access be granted for medical staff and the provision of food, medicine, medical supplies and equipment to all regions of Syria without delay or impediment. They emphasized that women are at the forefront of community-based initiatives to raise awareness and prevent the spread of COVID-19, and explained how they are taking on additional caregiving responsibilities at home due to the movement restrictions. They also noted a heightened risk of domestic violence in isolation settings and a fear of the potential marginalization of women as the COVID-19 response gradually pushes some to assume more traditional roles. They stressed that nothing should obstruct the advancement of the political process, in accordance with resolution 2254 (2015).”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/353 (2020) · source
“We really need to see this happening as part of all the efforts to stem the spread of the virus in Syria. The need for an all-out effort to combat COVID-19 in Syria was conveyed to me on Monday in consultations with civil society actors in all different parts of Syria via our Civil Society Support Room, which included many medical non- governmental organizations and other grass-roots organizations. They are doing all they can to raise awareness and support local communities. They reflected the diversity of the challenges facing the various parts of the country and a common belief that more can and needs to be done to support the efforts under way. The Syrian Women’s Advisory Board has been convening virtually every week since the risk of a COVID-19 crisis emerged. I spoke with its members yesterday.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/353 (2020) · source
“I note the positive response of different countries to the United Nations in this respect. Turning to the economic situation, after nine years of conflict and a wide range of factors and measures, Syria faces extremely grave economic conditions. 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. I have long urged the parties to move to large-scale and unilateral releases of detainees and abductees and more meaningful actions on missing persons. The pandemic makes this humanitarian imperative more urgent than ever. I continue to urge the Syrian Government and all other Syrian parties to follow the lead of other Governments around the world in releasing detainees.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/353 (2020) · source
“We all saw the recent findings of the Secretary- General’s Board of Inquiry, a terrible reminder of what has happened in this conflict. Let me reiterate the need for full, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access, using all modalities, including scaled-up cross-line and cross-border access. As part of the global efforts, the Secretary-General has appealed for the waiver of sanctions that may undermine the capacity of the country to ensure access to food, essential health supplies and COVID-19 medical support to respond to the pandemic. This has been affirmed to the Syrian Government. The United Nations and I, personally, have directly engaged concerned States so that all humanitarian exemptions to sanctions remain available and are fully utilized to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/353 (2020) · source
“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. We all hope that these low numbers will continue, but in Syria as in all countries there is the risk of a major COVID-19 outbreak. The trend lines in the coming weeks will be very important, as will a ramping up of testing and treatment capacity in all parts of Syria, along with information sharing among all parties. Syria faces many challenges that can hamstring a response to the pandemic. Syria also lacks sufficient health professionals and medical equipment and supplies. The health-care system is degraded in some areas and destroyed in others, following nine years of armed conflict.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/353 (2020) · source
“A worrying resurgence by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in desert areas in central and eastern Syria has continued. I am also concerned about reports of Israeli airstrikes in rural Homs and Damascus, the most recent of which was reported this past Monday. The Syrian Government has continued to take increasingly significant steps to combat COVID-19, as have, in areas outside Government control, the Syrian Opposition Coalition and other de facto authorities. International donors have pledged and provided financial and material support. Under-Secretary-General Lowcock will brief the Council this afternoon on the United Nations family’s efforts to help build capacity to test and treat COVID-19 in Syria.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/353 (2020) · source
“I appeal to all relevant parties to address internationally proscribed terrorist groups in a cooperative and targeted manner so as not to compromise the existing calm and the COVID-19 response, and so as to ensure full respect for international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians. I also note that the different ceasefire arrangements between Russia, Turkey and the United States in the north-east also broadly continue to hold. But this is an uneasy and fragile calm in both north-western and north-eastern Syria, and there is the constant risk of escalation in Syria. Just yesterday, a bomb in a market in Afrin reportedly killed more than 40 people. Security conditions in southern Syria are concerning.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/353 (2020) · source
“I will be continuing active engagement with these and other interlocutors in the days and weeks ahead. I welcome the fact that there has been significant calm in many areas of Syria, especially relative to the apexes of violence of previous years. We have not witnessed all-out offensives or further displacements since early March. Russian-Turkish arrangements have taken hold in the north-west and I do see a positive difference on the ground, including compared with previous arrangements. The level of incidents is low. Six Russian-Turkish joint patrols have taken place. They have been challenged, but there have been responses to those challenges, too.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/353 (2020) · source
“We cannot afford hostilities, which would undoubtedly lead to another surge in displaced vulnerable communities — something that we witnessed in horror only two months ago. We cannot afford such a scenario before the pandemic; the price now would only rise ever higher. Over the past month, I have maintained active channels with the Syrian parties. I have also spoken with foreign ministers and senior officials from a range of key players, including Russia, Turkey and Iran, whose Foreign Ministers recently conferred virtually; the United States; the European Union and many European States; and the League of Arab States and several Arab countries. I have appreciated the engagement of all with my efforts to facilitate progress on the political track and to sustain ceasefire arrangements.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/353 (2020) · source
“Last month, the members of the Security Council called on all parties to ensure a sustained period of calm throughout the country and reaffirmed the need for the full implementation of resolution 2254 (2015). That signal from the Council was timely, following the Secretary-General’s call for an immediate global ceasefire and my appeal for a nationwide ceasefire in Syria and all-out effort to combat the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Let me appeal to the Council to preserve this common purpose. 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 that enables Syrians to access the equipment and resources necessary to combat COVID-19.”
2020-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/353 (2020) · source
“I have appreciated the initial engagement from the Syrian parties and key international players. It will not be easy, and there are no guarantees. But the Syrian people desperately need everyone to focus on their welfare now. If key players come in and can engage with the Secretary-General’s and my appeals, I think we can work urgently in a common effort. And this, in turn, would definitely help in the effort on the political track to implement Security Council resolution 2254 (2015). I am convinced this is the only way forward.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“For many Syrians, now in their tenth year of a conflict that still defies comprehension in the scale of suffering, brutality and devastation, it may seem hard, even slightly abstract, to focus on a global virus pandemic. But make no mistake: COVID-19 is an enormous threat to Syrians, and it demands a complete shift in mind-set from all, now. This common threat must now focus all with new consciousness and new determination on a common agenda to save the Syrian people from a new calamity. To implement a nationwide ceasefire and help Syrians respond to COVID-19, I am ready to work with the Government of Syria and the opposition and all relevant players on the ground, as well as key countries with weight and influence who can support a scaling-up of action and ensure that the ceasefire holds.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“I have also reminded both Co-Chairs to use agreed language when referring to the delegations, and to observe the agreed code of conduct when it comes to public statements, some of which have not been helpful recently. Meanwhile, we are continuing to engage, often virtually, with a wide range of Syrians, men and women, including the Women’s Advisory Board and a broad spectrum of Syrian civil society inside and outside Syria. I have long spoken of the need to build trust and confidence, of the Constitutional Committee as a door opener, and of the need for a wider process with a dialogue on mutually reciprocal and mutually reinforcing actions by the Syrian parties and by international partners. Now we face a new element in an already grave crisis: COVID-19.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“We will consult with the parties to see if useful preparations can begin for future sessions while we wait to see when a new meeting will be possible. Let me note here that, as has been clear with both Co-Chairs throughout, agreement during a next session of the Constitutional Committee on national foundations and principles is not a precondition to moving to other items. All three components can, during the next session, suggest national foundations and principles. And the discussion will move in subsequent sessions to other items of the Constitution, consistent with the mandate and the Terms of Reference and Core Rules of Procedure.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“Plainly, COVID-19 makes it impossible to convene Syrians in Geneva at present. But this has not deterred us when it comes to the political track. Today, I am able to inform the Security Council that, after prolonged consultations with my active facilitation, the Co-Chair nominated by the Syrian Government and the Co-Chair nominated by the Syrian Negotiations Commission have agreed that the next session of the Constitutional Committee shall have the following agenda: “In line with the mandate, the Terms of Reference and Core Rules of Procedure of the Constitutional Committee, discussing the national foundations and principles.” It is a good step, particularly at this time, that agreement on an agenda for a next session has been reached.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“I have made a special appeal for the large-scale release of detainees and abductees. This is not a new call from me. But given the risk of COVID-19 racing through detainee populations, action is urgent. Other Governments have already carried out releases on an exceptional basis due to this risk. Surely this can and should happen in Syria. I am engaging the Syrian Government specifically on this matter, including in the light of President Assad’s 22 March decree outlining amnesties and sentence reductions for certain types of detainees, as well as specific exemptions. Beyond releases, there must also be immediate access for relevant humanitarian organizations to all detention facilities. Adequate medical care and protective measures must also be ensured in all places of detention.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“I welcome the initial engagement by the United States with us in this regard and stress the need for utmost urgency. We will engage all others as required. In addition to traditional donor countries, we are also engaging countrie s such as China and Cuba to see what they can do to render direct assistance in Syria. And we are urging all donors and partners, as well as Syrian stakeholders, to ensure that no obstacles prevent assistance reaching Syrians across all parts of the countr y. Let me equally stress that full, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access to all parts of the country will be key. And that all modalities, including cross-border, as Mark just mentioned, will be needed to deliver humanitarian assistance and scale up prevention and protection.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“And, as I stressed in my appeal, I hope that international donors will do whatever must be done so that Syrians in all parts of the country have access to the equipment and resources needed to combat the virus and treat patients. Nothing should impede this. You will have seen the Secretary-General’s global appeal last Friday, which Mark also referred to, and I quote: “for the waiving of sanctions that can undermine countries’ capacity to respond to the pandemic”. Within the framework of the Humanitarian Task Force, we are directly engaging concerned States so that all necessary humanitarian exemptions are available and fully utilized and that all hurdles are put to one side to urgently move the most critical items into Syria to combat COVID-19.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“Large parts of the country are now under varying degrees of curfew, with public spaces closed and health-care systems preparing to the extent possible. Meanwhile, the Syrian Opposition Coalition and other de facto authorities in areas outside Government control have also taken steps. Syrian civil society, including women-led organizations, are also mobilizing against this threat. I note these efforts and urge the Syrian Government and all de facto authorities to be transparent in their reporting on how COVID-19 is affecting all Syrians. The Under-Secretary-General, Mr. Lowcock, just briefed you on the United Nations humanitarian response.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“All of us have a responsibility to avoid this scenario, by cementing existing arrangements into a comprehensive nationwide ceasefire. And I believe it is possible and necessary, in that context, to discuss a more effective cooperative targeted counter-terrorism effort too, one that respects international humanitarian law and saves civilians from further all-out assaults. I note in this regard that the recent de-escalation agreement for Idlib includes specific language that “the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure cannot be justified under any pretext”. A nationwide ceasefire is what this Council mandated in resolution 2254 (2015), and an effective nationwide response to COVID-19 demands it. But it will not be sufficient. Much more is needed. The Syrian Government has taken increasingly significant steps to counter COVID-19.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“But I appeal to all involved to not make the cessation of military activities in the north-west contingent on this aspect of the agreement. I appreciate the welcome change brought about by the Russia-Turkey agreement and actions. I also appreciate the fact that arrangements between key stakeholders in the north-east, including Russia, Turkey and the United States, as well as Syrian parties, also continue to broadly hold. But in both the north-east and north-west, there is a real risk of hostilities resuming. If that happened, the pre-existing dangers to civilians would be multiplied by the pandemic and the virus would spread like wildfire, with devastating effects for the Syrian people – humanitarian, societal and economic. It could rebound across international borders.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“Let me remind you that, when it comes to the north-west, on 5 March, Presidents Erdogan and Putin agreed an additional protocol to the Memorandum on the Stabilization of the Situation in the Idlib De-escalation Area. They agreed that all military actions along the contact lines would cease. Since then, there has been a significant decrease in violence, especially in aerial attacks and ground operations. Sporadic incidents continue, involving all sides. The two Presidents also agreed to establish a security corridor along the M-4 highway, with joint Turkish-Russian patrolling. The first patrols took place on 15 and 23 March – however, not on the entire stretch envisaged under the agreement. There have obviously been challenges to creating this corridor.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“Governance is weak or even absent in some areas. Years of conflict have left the health-care system degraded or destroyed. Health professionals, medical equipment and supplies are desperately lacking. I am also acutely conscious of the risk of exposure and impact on Syrian women, who are at the forefront of health and community support systems. This virus does not care if you live in Government-controlled areas or outside. It does not discriminate. It endangers all Syrians. We need the kind of sustained period of calm that a nationwide ceasefire would ensure because we need cooperation to take place across the front lines that riddle Syria’s territory – and this is needed not tomorrow, but now.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source
“We have arrived at another critical point in the Syrian conflict. After terrible violence, an uneasy calm prevails on the ground – and now, Syrians face a new potentially devastating threat in COVID-19. The Secretary-General appealed to warring parties throughout the world for an immediate ceasefire to enable the human family to tackle COVID-19. Further to this, I have made a specific appeal for a complete, immediate nationwide ceasefire throughout Syria to enable an all-out-effort to counter COVID-19, which is a grave danger to all Syrians. This is both a humanitarian and a political imperative. Syria is at high risk of being unable to contain the pandemic, given large-scale population movements, dangerously cramped conditions in multiple internally displaced persons camps, settlements and places of detention.”
2020-03-30 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/2020/254 (2020) · source