UN officials call for nations to support Syria amid Middle East conflict News
Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
UN officials call for nations to support Syria amid Middle East conflict

UN officials spoke at a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday, calling for the international community to increase support for Syrian social and political progress amid war in the Middle East.

Deputy special envoy for Syria, Claudio Cordone, UN humanitarian affairs official, Joyce Msuya, and good-will ambassador and Syrian Olympic athlete, Yusra Mardini, warned how current violence in the Middle East threatens humanitarian progress in Syria following the end of the nation’s 14-year civil war and the collapse of former leader Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Regional tension caused by clashing US, Israeli, and Iranian forces has forced over 140,000 people to seek safety in Syria. Many have fled to avoid crashing debris following interception of Iranian missiles in Syrian airspace.

“Let us redouble efforts to support Syria in shielding itself from this conflict, and let us refocus on helping Syria continue, and even accelerate, its path towards recovery, reconstruction and stability,” Cordone said.

Following the overthrow of Assad in December 2024, the country entered a fragile state of social and political recovery. The Center for Strategic & International Studies has reported that since then Syrians have been struck by an “overwhelming freedom of expression, without fear of repercussion.” The nation has also undertaken diplomatic outreach efforts to form ties with regional and international powers.

“Syrians are also demonstrating their resilience and determination to rebuild their lives. Those with the financial means to do so have begun to rebuild their homes, even amid total devastation and absent basic public services,” the center reported.

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