Statement by the Delegation of Ukraine at the UNGA informal meeting to hear the briefing by the UN Secretary-General on the situation in Syria

Mr. President,

We would like to make the following remarks in our national capacity.

Recently, we have marked the 10th anniversary of the Syrian conflict. The Syrian regime’s actions against its own people led to one of the most brutal armed conflicts in the 21st century.

Throughout these ten years hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed, the humanitarian situation remains extremely dire and the economy of the country is devastated. Countless violations of human rights remain unaddressed.

Ukraine condemns the Syrian regime and its allies for massive, systematic and grave violations and abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law. Tens of thousands of people are missing, disappeared, detained and subjected to torture. There is no place for impunity for the perpetrators of such heinous crimes. They must be held fully accountable for their actions.

Ukraine joins the international condemnation of the recent attack committed by the Syrian armed forces against a medical facility in Northern Aleppo.

We are shocked by recent reports of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria on the murders, torture and inhuman treatment of people in Syria, including women and children.

In this regard, we welcome the activities of the Commission of Inquiry and the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to contribute to the conduct of transparent and impartial investigation and prosecution of persons responsible for the most serious crimes committed in the Suria since the beginning of the conflict.

However, despite the numerous calls of the international community, the Syrian regime continues to disregard its obligations towards protection of the civilian population. We urge the Syrian regime to cease immediately attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure, to allow safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance to all those in need.

The armed conflict has caused a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale in the recent history. Millions of civilians continue to be at risk, over half the population has been forced to flee their homes, while others continue to live under severe conditions and require urgent humanitarian assistance.

Syria’s economy has experienced an unprecedented fall exacerbated by many years of conflict. COVID-19 has been a further aggravating factor.

Ukraine supports a sustainable political solution of the conflict in Syria and recalls that the political transition should be implemented in line with the UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and the 2012 Geneva communiqué.

Thank you, Mr. President