{"id":173020,"date":"2025-12-07T22:42:04","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T22:42:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/173020\/"},"modified":"2025-12-07T22:42:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T22:42:04","slug":"one-year-after-assads-fall-syrias-future-must-be-free-sovereign-and-united","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/173020\/","title":{"rendered":"One year after Assad\u2019s fall, Syria\u2019s future must be \u2018free, sovereign and united\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a statement<\/a> on Sunday, Ant\u00f3nio Guterres paid tribute to the \u201cresilience and courage of the Syrian people, who never stopped nurturing hope despite enduring unimaginable hardship.\u201d He described the past year as proof that \u201cmeaningful change is possible when Syrians are empowered and supported in driving their own transition.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat lies ahead is far more than a political transition; it is the chance to rebuild shattered communities and heal deep divisions,\u201d the UN chief said. \u201cIt is an opportunity to forge a nation where every Syrian \u2013 regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or political affiliation \u2013 can live securely, equally, and with dignity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

A year of fragile progress<\/p>\n

Since Assad fled Damascus last December, the UN has worked closely with Syrian authorities and civil society to stabilize the country and lay the groundwork for inclusive governance. Efforts have focused on restoring essential services, expanding humanitarian access, and creating pathways for refugees and displaced persons to return.<\/p>\n

In another sign of progress and hope, the UN refugee agency reports that more than one million refugees have returned since December 2024, alongside some two million people inside Syria who have gone back to their communities of origin.<\/p>\n

Transitional justice initiatives have begun to take shape, while Syrian women have emerged as key voices in shaping new institutions and demanding equality.<\/p>\n

Humanitarian needs remain immense, but the past year has seen progress in rebuilding local governance structures and broadening civic participation \u2013 steps the UN says are vital for an \u201cinclusive and accountable Syria.\u201d<\/p>\n

The UN Independent Commission of Inquiry welcomed these steps, noting that access long denied has finally been granted, and engagement on human rights is underway. It praised the creation of national bodies on transitional justice and the missing, while cautioning that Syria\u2019s transition remains fragile amid continuing insecurity and sporadic violence in several governorates.<\/p>\n

The Commission, which was established by the UN Human Rights Council<\/a> in August 2011 to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law since March 2011 in Syria, underscored the enduring pain of thousands still forcibly disappeared and warned that cycles of reprisal must end for peace to take root.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoving beyond the legacies of 14 years of war will take strength, patience and support,\u201d it said, urging Syrians and the international community to work together so that rights long denied become a reality for all.<\/p>\n

Go here for more of our Syria coverage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Call for global support\u00a0<\/p>\n

In is message, Mr. Guterres urged the international community to \u201cstand firmly behind this Syrian-led, Syrian-owned transition,\u201d stressing that success depends on sustained funding for humanitarian appeals, removing barriers to reconstruction, and promoting economic development.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOn this anniversary, we stand united in purpose \u2013 to build a foundation of peace and prosperity and renew our pledge to a free, sovereign, united, and inclusive Syria,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In a statement on Sunday, Ant\u00f3nio Guterres paid tribute to the \u201cresilience and courage of the Syrian people,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":173021,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-173020","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173020","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173020"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173020\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}