Syria
Expected Council Action
In March, the Security Council is expected to hold two meetings on Syria: the monthly meeting on political and humanitarian developments in Syria, and another on the chemical weapons track. Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Claudio Cordone, and a representative from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) are expected to brief at the political and humanitarian meeting. The Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Adedeji Ebo is expected to brief at the chemical weapons meeting.
Key Recent Developments
In February, the Syrian interim government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) advanced steps to implement the 30 January US-brokered ceasefire and comprehensive agreement between the two parties. The agreement includes the phased integration of the SDF into government institutions and the Kurds relinquishing their control over vast swathes of resource-rich territory in northeast Syria.
In line with the framework of the agreement, on 3 February, Syrian government forces deployed into SDF-stronghold cities of al-Hasakah and Qamishli in al-Hasakah governorate, where Interior Ministry security units will reportedly take over control of state institutions, while Kurdish police will maintain security operations until they are fully merged with the Interior Ministry. Reportedly, some Arab Sunnis and Kurds living in these territories are welcoming the integration process; however, other Kurds are more apprehensive, fearing potential violence.
The agreement also includes provisions focusing on the return of displaced persons and on Kurdish civic and educational rights. Although these provisions and the 16 January Presidential Decree No. 13 recognising Syrian Kurdish identity are the first official steps recognising Kurdish rights and identity made by the Syrian government, neither the comprehensive agreement nor the decree mentions the constitutional enshrinement of Kurdish rights, which has been a strong demand from Kurdish political leaders.
On 12 February, the members of the Council issued a press statement on northeast Syria and counterterrorism, which was authored by the US. The statement welcomed the agreement between Damascus and the SDF and its ongoing implementation; stressed the need for the parties to protect civilians, ensure humanitarian access, and continue Syria’s recovery; encouraged progress on the integration of Kurdish representatives into the Syrian government; and reaffirmed the government’s duty to protect all citizens.
The statement further stressed intensified counterterrorism cooperation against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and al-Qaida. It called on parties to avoid any security vacuum surrounding the detention facilities housing thousands of ISIL fighters in northeast Syria, which the Syrian government took control of from the SDF in January. The statement also welcomed Iraq’s role in temporarily detaining ISIL detainees who were moved from Syrian to Iraqi facilities in a US-led operation undertaken by the Global Coalition Against Da’esh (the Coalition).
According to a 13 February statement by US Central Command (CENTCOM), the 23-day operation saw the transfer of 5,700 adult male ISIL fighters. Furthermore, al-Hol—one of Syria’s largest camps housing around 24,000 ISIL affiliates, most of whom are women and children—has reportedly experienced an exodus of thousands of its residents, raising security and human rights concerns. On 22 February, Syrian authorities reportedly said that the camp was fully evacuated and shut down.
The Secretary-General’s 2 February report on the threat posed by ISIL to international peace and security said that ISIL continues to maintain thousands of fighters in Syria and seeks to destabilise the country by carrying out attacks and inciting sectarian tensions. This included five foiled assassination attempts in 2025 on Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and on Syria’s interior and foreign ministers.
According to media reports, the US plans to fully withdraw from Syria in the next few weeks. In February, US forces reportedly pulled out of al-Tanf—a key military base in southern Syria used for Coalition operations—and al-Shaddadi and Qasrak bases in northeast Syria, handing over control to the Syrian authorities. On 14 February, CENTCOM issued a statement saying that US forces had killed or captured over 50 ISIL fighters and struck over 100 ISIL infrastructure targets in Syria over the course of two months.
Despite advancing steps to consolidate its control over the northeast, the Syrian government continues to face challenges to Syrian unity and territorial integrity, particularly in southern Syria. On 31 January, a large group of protestors in the southern Druze-majority governorate of Suwayda reportedly called for self-determination and accountability for crimes committed against Druze during clashes in the governorate in July 2025. The Israeli military also continues to maintain a presence in southern Syria and to conduct incursions into Syrian territory. (For more information, see the brief on the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan in our March 2026 Monthly Forecast.)
Damascus’ newly established control over the northeastern governorates of Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and al-Hasakah has renewed efforts to hold elections in these governorates, which had been postponed during the October 2025 indirect People’s Assembly elections due to security concerns. In the Council’s monthly meeting on Syria on 13 February, Syrian Permanent Representative to the UN Ibrahim Olabi said that parliamentary elections will soon be held in these governorates. In the same meeting, Cordone briefed the Council for the first time since he was appointed Deputy Special Envoy for Syria and stressed the importance of the People’s Assembly being fully inclusive of Syrian society.
On 19 February, Cordone commenced a multi-day visit to Syria in which he met with Syrian high-level officials, UN entities, and civil society to discuss how his office can further support the Syrian political transition.
Syrian authorities also continue to take steps aimed at rebuilding the country and its economy. On 7 February, Syria and Saudi Arabia reportedly signed a multi-billion-dollar investment package involving Saudi investors funding aviation, infrastructure, and telecommunications projects in the country. Additionally, on 11 February, Syrian senior officials held meetings with a World Bank delegation to look at potential financing for development projects geared towards Syria’s recovery.
The country continues to rely heavily on aid as it grapples with insecurity and chronic humanitarian needs. In her briefing to the Council on 13 February, OCHA Director of the Financing and Partnership Division Lisa Doughten said that in the aftermath of the clashes in the northeast, an estimated 130,000 people remain displaced and are particularly vulnerable, especially to inclement weather events. (There are some 5.5 million internally displaced people in Syria.) Doughten stressed that for Syria to decrease its reliance on aid, it will need support in preventing further violence, increased investment in recovery and development, and funding for humanitarian aid in the near term.
Between 17 and 19 February, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Children and Armed Conflict, Vanessa Frazier, visited Syria to discuss new ways to collaborate with and support the Syrian government on strengthening the protection of children. Frazier said that she witnessed a commitment to build a Syria where children are “central” to the government’s vision. The SRSG expressed concerns that challenges to the protection of children remain, including deprivation of liberty, unexploded ordnance, and mines.
Regarding the chemical weapons file, on 21 January, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) released its fifth report of its Investigation and Identification Team (IIT), which identified the Syrian Arab Air Forces as the perpetrators of a 2016 chemical weapons attack in Kafr Zeita. It also welcomed that—for the first time since the IIT’s creation—the Syrian authorities facilitated and cooperated with the team during its investigations. In his 8 January briefing to the Council, Ebo spoke of good coordination between the OPCW and Damascus, including on continued deployments by the OPCW’s Technical Secretariat to visit Syria and identify potential chemical weapons-related sites.
Human Rights-Related Developments
In a 29 January press release, UN experts called for the restoration of peace, human rights, and the security of detainees and prisoners in northeast Syria following military operations in the region. The experts noted that, since going into effect, there have been reports of breaches to the ceasefire agreement, and “condemned shocking alleged violations of international law, including summary executions, attacks on civilians, torture and the desecration of bodies and graves.” They urged all parties to peacefully resolve the conflict with full respect for international humanitarian law and international human rights law, including humanitarian assistance for the many displaced persons. Among other matters, the experts also called on the authorities to investigate allegations of violations by any actors and to ensure accountability. They further expressed concern at the US transferring “7,000 alleged ISIL prisoners to Iraq without any publicly known screening or legal process, oversight or protection for human rights”.
Women, Peace and Security
On 13 February, prior to the Council’s monthly briefing on Syria, the Council members which have signed on to the Shared Commitments on WPS—Colombia, Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia, Liberia, Panama, and the UK—delivered a WPS-focused statement to the press. The statement called for the “full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation of women in all political and decision-making processes in Syria”. The statement recognised recent steps taken by the Syrian government while also calling for further efforts towards an inclusive transition and to protect women’s rights. It expressed concern at reports indicating that women and girls have faced sexual and gender‑based violence and called for expanding efforts to strengthen prevention and protection measures.
The Co-Founder of the Syrian Women’s Political Movement, Muzna Dureid, briefed the Council during the 13 February meeting. Noting that Syrian authorities had not granted permission to her organisation to convene in Damascus and highlighting the near absence of women in cabinet and diplomatic posts, she questioned the Syrian government’s commitment to women’s participation. Dureid noted that Syrian women “continue to face security threats, including sectarian abduction, killing, and patriarchal mindsets in the system and society”. She underscored the importance of accountability, transitional justice, and investment in education. Dureid also linked national security to human security, stressing that “[n]o amount of military strength can stabilize a country if its people live in fear, poverty, and injustice”.
Key Issues and Options
A key issue for the Council is to ensure that Syria’s interim government pursues a credible, transparent, and inclusive political transition, while navigating a fraught security context compounded by intercommunal tensions, terrorism, and external interference. By sustaining a united position anchored in the principles of resolution 2254, Council members can condition increased support for the Syrian government on its progress on key issues, such as pursuing disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration (DDR) and fostering social cohesion and transitional justice, including through accountability and reconciliation processes.
Members are also likely to continue closely monitoring the government’s counterterrorism efforts, particularly given recent ISIL attacks, the security shifts in northeast Syria, and the evacuation of ISIL-linked affiliates from the al-Hol camp.
The UN’s future role in Syria is another key issue for the Council. Based on an integrated strategic assessment internal report prepared by the UN Secretariat in mid-2025, the Secretary-General has considered what types of UN presence in Syria would be most suitable to meet the country’s current needs. Efforts are also underway to move the Special Envoy’s office to Damascus and for a new representative to be appointed following the resignation of the former Special Envoy Geir O. Pedersen in October 2025. Council members could convene an Informal Interactive Dialogue with the participation of Syria and relevant UN entities to discuss the most viable options for future UN engagement in Syria (including by the Council) and how the UN can effectively support Syria’s transition.
Another issue is the need to raise funding for humanitarian aid in the near term and to support Syria’s transition into long-term recovery and development. Council members could consider holding a public briefing focused on the humanitarian situation and the country’s need for support in reconstruction and economic rehabilitation. Such a meeting could include briefings from OCHA and representatives of the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank and provide an opportunity to amplify calls for an international pledging conference to support Syria’s reconstruction.
Council members could also choose to request a closed briefing from SRSG Frazier following her recent visit to Syria to hear more on the humanitarian and socioeconomic challenges facing Syrian children.
Council and Wider Dynamics
Council members are aligned on the need for the Syrian authorities to advance an inclusive, Syrian-owned and Syrian-led political process based on the key principles of resolution 2254. They broadly agree that the threat of intercommunal violence cannot be addressed without advancing inclusive accountability measures, DDR, and security sector reform (SSR) efforts, together with a credible political process in the country.
The Council’s December 2025 visit to Damascus represented an important signal of unified support to Syria’s transition, following years of division on the Syria file. Earlier in 2025, the US and Russia worked together on the 14 March presidential statement following violence perpetrated in Latakia and Tartous, while Denmark authored the 10 August presidential statement in response to violence in Suwayda. Furthermore, the Council’s decision to delist Sharaa and his interior minister from the 1267/1989/2253 ISIL and al-Qaida sanctions list through the US-authored resolution 2799 of 6 November 2025 was a significant step towards legitimising the interim government.
The integration agreement on northeast Syria has been welcomed by Council members, with many viewing Damascus’ increased consolidation of control over Syrian territory as an integral step towards restoring Syrian unity and territorial integrity. Many Council members also agree on the need for the Syrian interim government to take decisive measures to address the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) and ISIL/Da’esh. China has been particularly vocal in calling on Damascus to take a stronger stance on FTFs in the country, some of whom have reportedly been integrated into the Syrian armed forces. Several FTFs constitute part of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, which China considers a terrorist organisation and is also listed under the ISIL/Da’esh and al-Qaida sanctions regime.
| Security Council Resolutions | |
| 6 November 2025S/RES/2799 | This resolution removed interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and interim Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab from the 1267/1989/2253 Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh) and Al-Qaida sanctions list. |
| Security Council Presidential Statements | |
| 10 August 2025S/PRST/2025/6 | This was a presidential statement condemning violence against civilians in Suweida in July 2025, calling for unhindered humanitarian access to the region, and calling on the Syrian interim authorities to ensure accountability. |
| 14 March 2025S/PRST/2025/4 | This was a presidential statement condemning sectarian violence perpetrated in Latakia and Tartous and calling for accountability and the protection of all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religion. |
| Security Council Press Statements | |
| 12 February 2026SC/16293 | This press statement welcomed the comprehensive agreement between Syria and the Syrian Democratic Forces regarding the integration of northeast Syria, and Syria’s commitment and actions to counter ISIL (Da’esh) and al-Qaeda. |
| Security Council Meeting Records | |
| 13 February 2026S/PV.10106 | This was a Security Council meeting on political and humanitarian developments in Syria. |
