Pedersen Announces Date of Session Eight of Constitutional Committee Meetings

Mr. Geir O. Pedersen, the UN Special Envoy for Syria, during his briefing to the Security Council on Tuesday, 26 April 2022, announced that Session Eight of the Constitutional Committee meetings, facilitated by the United Nations would be convene from May, 28 to June,3 2022, in Geneva, Switzerland.

“I have today issued invitations for the eighth session from 28^th May to 3^rd June here in Geneva.” Pedersen said. “In doing so, I have affirmed the methodology, including the expectation to submit revisions on the 5^th day to reflect the content of the discussion. And I stress the importance of this expectation being fulfilled. I am also appealing to both Co-Chairs and their delegations and the Middle Third to submit any new titles to my office as early as possible before the next session, and to make a good faith effort to identify titles – and prepare texts for them for discussion during the session and revision on the 5^th day – that focus on matters on which most Syrians could agree. This spirit would make meaningful the commitment, stated in the Terms of Reference, that both the Government of Syria and the SNC Opposition has agreed to, that the Constitutional Committee’s work shall be governed by a sense of compromise and constructive engagement aimed at reaching general agreement of its members. Madam President, only with this positive intent will the process move forward.”

The Special Envoy pointed out that his deputy Ms. Khawla Matar has conducted further consultations with the Co-Chairs of the Constitutional Committee.

In his briefing, Mr. Pedersen highlighted the importance of the constitutional track within a vision for an integrated political solution. He called on the member states of the Security Council to focus on Syria, reiterating that the “current strategic stalemate on the ground and Syria’s absence from the headlines should not mislead anyone into thinking that the conflict needs less attention or fewer resources, or that a political solution is not urgent. A conflict of this scale requires a comprehensive political solution in line with Security Council Resolution 2254.” He added that “a constitutional track could contribute to such a solution – but to do so, it must build trust and confidence.”

He demanded that the Security Council member state should not limit their role to only face the suffering, because “many of the things that Syrians suffer from most are inherently political in nature. They require difficult steps by political actors, involving negotiations and give-and-take. They ultimately require a comprehensive implementation of all aspects of UNSCR 2254.” According to Pedersen.

Pedersen spoke about the Seventh Session that concluded its work last March. “On 25^th March, we conclude the 7^th Session of the Syrian Constitutional Committee. The Session was underway when I briefed you last time – by that stage, the Committee had spent four days discussing constitutional texts presented by delegations on four basic constitutional principles.” He said. “The expectation was that, on the 5^th and final day, delegations would submit revisions to the texts they submitted to reflect the content of those discussions and these revisions would then be discussed by the Committee members. I can report that delegations offered at least some revisions to some of the texts presented. Some of these embodied amendments indicating an attempt to reflect the content of the discussions and narrow differences. Still, others contained no changes.” He added.

Finally, the Special Envoy reiterated the importance to remain focused on “achieving a comprehensive political resolution to the conflict, in line with resolution 2254, respecting the sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of Syria, and enabling the Syrian people to realize their legitimate aspirations.”

The Seventh Session of the Constitutional Committee was concluded on 25 March 2022 in Geneva, in the presence of delegations representing the three parties to the Constitutional Committee. The delegations discussed in four days proposed language for four constitutional principles: “Basics of Governance” which was proposed by the SNC delegation; “State Identity”, presented by several members of the civil society delegation; “State Symbols”, presented by the regime delegation; and finally, “the Structure and Functions of Public Authorities”, presented by the SNC delegation.

The Constitutional Committee comprises fifty members from each of the three parties, whereas the Small Body comprises 45 men and women, 15 members from each party. The Small Body convenes in Switzerland, where it held its first meetings in October 2019, facilitated by the United Nations.