According to UN News, the UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen spoke about the sixth session of the Syrian Constitutional Committee. He argued that, although the meeting was “a disappointment”, members of the Committee “must continue their vital work”, in order to achieve communal points.

Syrian Constitutional Committee, meeting for the first time nearly two years ago, is a 150-member body which comprises 50 representatives of the Syrian Government, 50 from the opposition and 50 from civil society. Fifteen members of each bloc represent the Small Drafting Body, which met last 18 October and was led by Mr. Pedersen. The aim was to produce a text that would help support a peaceful future for the country, after more than a decade of war. Eventually, these days of discussion resulted in a big disappointment: they were unable to move from submitting and discussing initial drafts to developing a productive textual drafting process. On this occasion, Mr. Pedersen added that he “could see possibilities, but as long as the parties have not concluded this, [he’s] not the one to conclude this on their behalf”.

However, according to the words of Mr. Pedersen to UN News, it is important the Committee’s work continues “with urgency and purpose”. In parallel with the Constitutional Committee meeting, Mr. Pedersen also convened a meeting of the Syrian Women’s Advisory Board (WAB) at a location near Geneva. The WAB, established five years ago by the Office of the UN Special Envoy, ensures diverse women’s perspectives, as well as gender equality, are reflected throughout the Syrian political process and in peace talks.  Although members come from different backgrounds and affiliations, their discussions revealed a sense of common purpose and urgency around getting the political process to move, and could inspire the political will of the ‘Small Body’’s representatives to get a common ground.

To read more, visit:

https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1104192

https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1103822

https://specialenvoysyria.unmissions.org/women%E2%80%99s-advisory-board

Author: Jasmina Saric