Syria: Statement on the Political and Humanitarian Situation

I thank Special Envoy Geir Pedersen, USG Martin Griffiths and Ms. Mounerfah Albarouki for their briefings on the political and humanitarian situation in Syria. I welcome the participation of the Representatives from Syria, Iran and Turkey at this meeting.

My statement will focus first on the political, security and humanitarian issues.

We are pleased that the Sixth Session of the Constitutional Committee meeting convened this month and held substantive discussions on the text for the proposed constitutional principles. We call on all members of the Committee to remain focused and dedicated to the process.

We further encourage the convening of further rounds of the Constitutional Committee meetings to maintain momentum of the discussions and to expedite the political resolution of the conflict as this is where the hope and future of Syria lies.

We cannot overemphasise the imperative for the voices of the widest spectrum of Syrians including the civil society, the diverse group of women represented by the Women's Advisory Board, the youth and minority groups being heard for a meaningful political transformation.

The unresolved issue of the plight of detainees and missing persons also needs to be addressed as a confidence and trust building measure which is vital to the success of the political process.

The persistent insecurity characterized by aerial airstrikes, indiscriminate shelling and IED attacks across Syria continues to be of concern. Kenya in particular condemns the recent heinous attacks in Damascus and Ariha, Idlib that claimed many innocent lives. The concerned must understand that there is no military or violent solution to the situation and that it is their responsibility to the Syrian people to de-escalate hostilities and uphold the nationwide ceasefire.

This Council must renew its efforts to combat Security Council listed terrorist groups such as ISIL and the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) including holding accountable those responsible for heinous crimes.

Turning to the humanitarian issues, Kenya is concerned that even as COVID-19 cases continue to rise, only 1.6 percent of the population is fully vaccinated – exposing the glaring weaknesses of the multilateral system. The international community must do much more to ensure the equitable distribution of vaccines to all people across Syria.

Kenya commends the United Nations' humanitarian response through the Early Recovery and Livelihoods (ERL) activities which represents a promise of hope for recovery towards normalcy. We encourage the expansion of such activities especially those aimed at restoring schools and hospitals.

We further continue to encourage the cross-border aid mechanism which remains a crucial avenue for humanitarian assistance while supporting the continued crossline deliveries and encouraging further agreements with partners to ensure consistent deliveries to the Northwest.

In closing, I reaffirm Kenya's solidarity with the people of Syria in their quest for lasting peace through a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political dialogue.

I thank you.