Shortly after the fall of Bashar al-Assad in early December 2024, the international community began to ease sanctions against the country, with the aim of improving the humanitarian situation and reviving a battered economy.

The United States, the United Kingdom and Europe lifted punitive measures covering about $15 billion in restricted assets and trade measures in May.

Regional powers including Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar have backed a renewed commitment, offering to finance public salaries and energy infrastructure, and supporting Syria’s obligations to international financial institutions.

Bring Syria back into the fold

Steps to bring Syria back into the fold, however, were complicated by the fact that the group leading the offensive that ousted Assad from power – Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – had been proscribed as a terrorist organization by the United Nations since 2014.

The leader of HTS under his leadership nom de guerre Mohammed Al-Jolani was among those sanctioned, subject to an asset freeze and a travel ban – but he is now the civilian head of the Syrian government under his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The decision taken Thursday by the Security Council This was followed by unilateral measures by several Member States. In July, the United States revoked HTS’s designation as a foreign terrorist group, followed by the United Kingdom in October.

The Syrian president met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin the same month and is expected to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington next week.

The U.S.-sponsored resolution welcomes the interim government’s commitments to allowing unimpeded humanitarian access to the country, countering terrorism (including ISIL and Al-Qaeda), and protecting human rights. Fourteen Council members voted in favor and China abstained.

“A strong political signal”

Ambassador Mike Waltz of the United States described the resolution as a “strong political signal” that recognizes that Syria is in a new era.

The government, he said, is “working hard to fulfill its commitments to combat terrorism and narcotics, eliminate all remnants of chemical weapons, and promote regional security and stability as well as an inclusive, Syrian-led and owned political process.”

China abstains

China’s representative, Ambassador Fu Cong, explained his country’s abstention, saying that although the resolution reaffirms the Council’s “counterterrorism demands,” the United States “failed to fully consider the views of all members and forced the Council to take action even when there were huge differences among Council members in order to serve its own political agenda.”

“We welcome the delisting,” said James Kariuki, the UK’s charge d’affaires, citing progress made by the Syrian government to date, including on political transition and positive steps in the fight against terrorism and chemical weapons.

“We hope that this resolution will further encourage deeper engagement with the international community,” he added, “and support the Syrian people in their reconstruction and economic development efforts.”

Pushing Syria on the path to recovery, Russia says

Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s permanent representative, agreed on the need to facilitate Syria’s economic recovery and development during the transition period and said the resolution reflects the interests and aspirations of the Syrian people. Mr. Nebenzia cited Israel’s occupation of the Golan Heights and persistent terrorist threats as factors hindering the country’s long-term stability.

The terrorist risk was also highlighted by French Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont, who said that “the fight against Daesh (ISIL) in the Middle East is not over and the risks of a resurgence should not be underestimated.”

This adoption, he continued, is “an important step on the path to the reconstruction of a sovereign, united and reconciled Syria, living in peace and free from the scourge of terrorism.”

A “badge of honor”

Syria’s delegate, Ambassador Ibrahim Abdulmalik Olabi, welcomed the Council’s strong support and commitment to respecting his country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “We consider [this resolution] a sign of growing confidence in the new Syria, its people and its leaders,” he said, calling it a “badge of honor.”

Syria is turning the page on war and suffering, he stressed, by building a modern state based on the rule of law. “Damascus continues to reach out to all countries in the world,” the Permanent Representative said, adding that the government will strive to be a meeting point between East and West.

Filippo Grandi reported that for the first time in almost a decade, the number of refugees and others fleeing war, violence and persecution has decreased – from 123 million at the end of 2024 to around 117 million today.

“This may seem surprising. Because the world has not become more secure, quite the contrary,” he said, referring to conflicts in countries such as Sudan, Gaza, Ukraine and Myanmar.

Voluntary return is crucial

This “unexpected decrease” is largely due to returns to their places of origin, mainly Syria and Afghanistan. Most were volunteers, despite the persistent fragility of these localities.

“The voluntary nature of returns is an important distinction that statistics cannot always account for, as the decrease in the total number of forcibly displaced people unfortunately also explains returns that were not voluntary,” Mr. Grandi said.

The return of displaced Syrians “illustrates very clearly the dynamic of volunteerism,” he told the ambassadors.

More than a million refugees have returned since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, while around two million people in Syria have returned to their original communities.

Increased support for Syria

Mr. Grandi stressed the need to support Syria, where his refugee agency teams, UNHCRare on the ground providing cash assistance, shelter rehabilitation, materials and other services to meet immediate needs.

“But there is still a lot to do,” he said. “The international community, and in particular donors from the Gulf region and Europe, as well as international financial institutions, must step up their support for infrastructure construction, restoration of services, security sector reform and economic recovery. »

Forced returns to Afghanistan

The situation of Afghans, particularly those forced to return from Iran and Pakistan, is the other factor behind the decline in displacement figures.

Both countries have welcomed Afghan refugees for decades, who have access to services “virtually at the same level as those of nationals”. Additionally, generations of these refugees, particularly women, were educated in local schools.

“But recent waves of forced returns to Afghanistan are depriving many Afghan refugees of the protection they need, forcing them to return to an environment where human rights violations and discrimination are widespread – particularly against women,” he noted.

Protection and opportunities

Mr. Grandi explained that forced displacement is “a complex phenomenon” in that “people can flee a country at the same time as others return,” which is the case in Sudan and South Sudan.

The answer is also “a complex challenge,” but “the solution does not lie in restrictions, barriers and pushbacks.”

He suggested that “it is more strategic to look at entire travel routes and identify measures that provide protection and opportunities for people on the move and their hosts, as early as possible, before people cross multiple borders.”

Financial deficit

Mr. Grandi will leave UNHCR in the coming weeks “after 10 difficult but fascinating years”.

Before concluding his speech, he explained how the “drastic and sudden funding cuts” this year have impacted the agency and the entire humanitarian sector.

UNHCR faces a deficit of $1.3 billion and expects to receive less than $4 billion this year, out of a budget of $10.6 billion.

He urged donors to help “bridge the gap” and quickly make flexible commitments for 2026.

Kishan Khoday, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), told journalists at UN headquarters in New York by video conference that initial estimates of damage amounted to 30 percent of gross domestic product: “a figure that is expected to increase.”

The UNDP estimates that almost five million tonnes of debris were generated in western Jamaica following last week’s devastating Category 5 storm, the equivalent of around 500,000 standard trucks.

Number of deaths and destruction

Additionally, authorities confirmed 32 deaths, while nearly 36,000 people need emergency food aid and more than 100,000 housing structures have been affectedsaid UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq.

At least 30 communities are still isolated while electricity, telecommunications and even radio signals remain seriously disrupted in some parishes.

Mr. Khoday told the story of a man he met, Keith, of New Hope, in western Jamaica, who sought shelter in a nearby structure when Melissa made landfall, kneeling behind plywood for hours as the storm raged.

When he emerged, he found his home, his livelihood and part of his community in ruins. His experience highlights the harsh realities of the climate emergency, the senior UNDP official said – but also speaks to the resilience of Jamaicans as they work towards recovery and reconstruction.

UN mobilizes aid

More than 60 different organizations have joined the 16-member UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team – part of the UN Aid Coordination Office. OCHA – as the humanitarian operation continues under the direction of the Jamaican authorities.

To support response and recovery efforts, UNDP has allocated an initial amount of $400,000 to assist with baseline assessment work and provide early support to national partners.

Meanwhile, the United Nations World Food Program (PAM) is flying food from Barbados to support more than 6,000 households for a week, according to the UN.

Communities still isolated

In Cuba – although it was also devastated, like Haiti, by the hurricane – around 120,000 people remain in shelters due to ongoing flooding, overflowing rivers and landslides.

The UN reports that 29 communities remain isolated, with significant damage to housing, health facilities and education centers.

More than 45,000 housing structures, nearly 500 health facilities and more than 1,500 educational centers were also damaged, Haq said.

“We see massive violations of international human rights law, direct attacks against civilians, non-compliance with international humanitarian law, which regulates the conduct of hostilities, and that the attacks largely target civilians“, said Chaloka Beyani, who recently took office as Special Advisor to the Secretary-General on the Prevention of Genocide.

Mr. Beyani said UN News In an interview Thursday, he spoke with the resident coordinator in Sudan, Denise Brown, and plans to issue an advisory to Secretary-General António GuterresTHE Security Counciland the United Nations system as a whole.

Sound the alarm

“Once our office sounds the alarm, the alarm sounds beyond ordinary violations of human rights or international humanitarian law,” he said.

“This indicates that the threshold is about to be crossed and therefore action must be taken quickly.”

Graphical and video reports started circulating at the end of last month online of apparent war crimes committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia as its fighters finally took control of Darfur’s capital, El Fasher, from government troops after more than 500 days of siege.

Horror in Darfur

“We don’t hear the screams, but – as we sit here today – the horror continues,” said UN relief chief Tom Fletcher. make a presentation to the Security Council on October 31.

Mr. Beyani’s office said indicators of risk of atrocity crimes were present in Sudan, but stressed that only an international tribunal or other legal body can determine the existence of genocide.

UN support International Criminal Court (ICC) expressed deep concern in a statement on Monday over reports of massacres, rapes and other crimes in El Fasher, noting that its investigation into alleged war crimes committed since the outbreak of war in April 2023 is ongoing.

“As part of the ongoing investigation, the office is taking immediate action regarding the alleged crimes in El-Fasher in order to preserve and collect relevant evidence for use in future prosecutions,” the prosecutor’s office stressed.

RSF agrees to “humanitarian ceasefire”: reports

The RSF reportedly agreed to a “humanitarian ceasefire” on Thursday, following growing criticism of the actions of its fighters in and around El Fasher.

Militia leaders said they would accept the terms of the truce proposed by a mediation group consisting of the United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, according to media reports.

The agony continues for civilians

At the same time, the UN warns of a worsening of the humanitarian situation in North Darfur, where thousands of families displaced from El Fasher live in extremely difficult conditions.

“In and around Tawila, displaced people do not have adequate food, clean water, shelter or medical care.“, UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Thursday.

Humanitarian agencies are working with local partners to set up new camps, adding to the more than 650,000 people already in Tawila.

In Tawila Al Omda alone, more than 3,000 new arrivals are in urgent need of plastic sheeting, mats and blankets as temperatures drop.

Many, including the injured, disabled people and unaccompanied children, sleep in the open. Similar conditions affect more than 6,500 people in Daba Al Naira and Um Jangour camps.

“Our partners report that since the ceasefire, the Israeli authorities have rejected 107 requests for entry of relief materialsincluding blankets, winter clothing, as well as tools and equipment to maintain and operate water, sanitation and hygiene services,” UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters in New York.

He said almost 90 percent of rejected applications came from more than 30 local and international non-governmental organizations or NGOs.

“More than half of the requests were refused on the grounds that the organizations were not authorized to bring relief items to Gaza,” he added.

Mr. Haq stressed that these restrictions continue to hamper humanitarian effortseven as the UN and its partners work to provide aid under the current 60-day plan.

Severe restrictions

“The UN and our partners will be able to do more when other obstacles are removed,” he said, noting that some discarded materials have been classified by Israeli authorities as outside the scope of humanitarian assistance or as “dual-use” items, such as solar panels, generators and vehicle parts.

Despite the still fragile ceasefire between Hamas militants and Israeli forces – who reportedly continue to control just over half of the Gaza Strip – the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) continues to receive reports of military activities.

“Continuous detonations of residential buildings were reported daily in several areas where the Israeli army remains deployed,” Mr. Haq said, pointing to eastern Khan Younis, eastern Gaza City and Rafah on the southern border.

OCHA reminded the Israeli military of its obligation “to constantly ensure the sparing of civilians, including humanitarian workers, throughout its operations.”

Population movements across Gaza also remain fluid, with more than 680,000 people moving from south to north since the ceasefire began.

Stay in place

However, Mr Haq said that many displaced families “said they want to stay in their current locations, due to widespread destruction, lack of alternatives, and continued uncertainty about security and services in their areas of origin.”

Faced with these challenges, the UN and its partners have provided food, cash assistance and essential services to tens of thousands of households.

“The impact of scaling up humanitarian aid to Gaza is already clear,” Mr. Haq said, “but much more could be done if the remaining obstacles were removed.”

Impacts affect livelihoods and fuel displacement and continued instability. Additionally, they can persist even after fights have ended.

In Sierra Leone, for example, “When the guns fell silent in 2002 after a decade of conflict, our primary forests and savannahs also fell silent.“, declared Deputy Foreign Minister Francess Piagie Alghali at the UN. Security Council THURSDAY.

“We have witnessed the loss of biodiversity, the forced migration of wildlife and the abandonment of agricultural fields and wetlands, all direct consequences of the armed conflict. »

Long-term implications

Sierra Leone holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council this month and Alghali chaired a debate on the environmental impact of armed conflict and climate-related security risks.

This conference took place at a time when armed conflicts are raging across the planet unprecedented since the end of World War II and two billion people – a quarter of the world’s population – live in areas affected by conflict.

“Environmental damage caused by conflict continues to push people into hunger, disease and displacement, increasing insecurity,” said Inger Andersen, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

Conflict leads to pollution, waste and destruction of critical ecosystems, with long-term implications for food security, water security, the economy and health, she explained.

At the same time, climate change “exacerbates tensions” and can even contribute to conflicts – for example over water or land resources.

Crop loss, contamination and flooding

Ms. Andersen cited several examples, including the destruction of Gaza, where two years of war caused the loss of 97 percent of tree crops, 95 percent of scrub and more than 80 percent of annual crops.

“Freshwater and marine ecosystems are polluted by munitions, untreated sewage and other contaminants“, she said, while “more than 61 million tonnes of debris now need to be cleaned up, sensitively to avoid further contamination”.

In Ukraine, the destruction of the Kakhova Dam in June 2023 “resulted in the flooding of more than 600 km² of land, leading to severe loss of natural habitats, plant communities and species, due to prolonged flooding of ecosystems”, she added.

Legal offensive

The debate took place on International Day for the Prevention of Environmental Exploitation in War and Armed Conflict and against a backdrop of growing recognition of the need for global action.

“Significant efforts are being made to strengthen the international legal framework to protect the environment.“said law professor Charles C. Jalloh, a member of the International Law Commission (ILC), a United Nations agency.

While there is no universally binding treaty yet, he highlighted some of the “soft law instruments” that have made contributions to date, including the ILC’s set of 27 draft principles, adopted in 2022.

“These principles, anchored in the law of armed conflict, international environmental law and international human rights law, aimed to strengthen environmental protection before, during and after armed conflicts, including in situations of occupation,” he said.

Strengthen links

Maranatha Dinat of humanitarian organization World Relief delivered a message from Haiti, “where the combined impacts of environmental degradation, climate change and socio-political instability are mutually reinforcing, undermining peace, security and sustainable development.”

She stressed the need to “strengthen the links between humanitarian action, climate adaptation and peacebuilding” in order to strengthen resilience, promote social cohesion and ensure lasting stability.

Ms. Andersen explained how the international community can help countries affected by conflict, starting with rebuilding their environmental management capacity.

Such support “enables governments to manage natural resources for sustainable development, economic recovery and climate adaptation, thereby reducing poverty, hunger and aid dependency”.

Climate change adaptation and mitigation

She also called for increased investment in climate adaptation. UNEP has published its latest Emissions Gap Report This Weekwhich reveals that the world is struggling to limit the increase in global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

“As we head towards Belém, therefore, for COP30high ambition is needed on both adaptation and mitigation,” she said.

“Every fraction of a degree counts, and every fraction of a degree avoided means less loss to people and ecosystems – and greater opportunities for peace and prosperity. »

Speaking at the closing press conference, UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said the summit marked a “deliberate shift” from identifying gaps to acting on proven solutions.

“Copenhagen taught us 30 years ago that social development and inclusion are essential for strong societies,” she said. “We promised to leave no one behind. Social development is not a “pleasure” nor an act of charity. It is in the interest of each country.»

She warned that today’s hunger and poverty are not caused by scarcity, but by conflict, inequality and policy failures, emphasizing: “One of the biggest problems is not money per se. Rather, it’s how it’s invested. »

More than 40 heads of state and government, more than 230 ministers and senior officials and nearly 14,000 participants took part in the Summit.

Alongside formal plenary and roundtable discussions, more than 250 “solutions sessions” were held to exchange practical approaches to expanding social protection, improving access to healthcare and education, and supporting work that ensures dignity.

“People expect results”

Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohamed said the outcome reflects the urgency expressed by civil society, unions, community leaders, businesses and youth representatives throughout the week.

“The message is clear: people expect answers from us, not mere statements,” she said. “The Doha Political Declaration is not a document to be shelved. It is a commitment to putting people at the center of sustainable development.”

She stressed that implementation must now focus on accelerating poverty reduction, creating real jobs and ensuring that no one is left behind. “We opened the door to Doha. Now we have to go through it together.»

“Investing in people”

Ambassador Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani of Qatar said hosting the summit reflects her country’s belief that equality, dignity and inclusion are essential to peace and prosperity.

“Investing in human resources is the most sustainable investment a nation can make,” she said, highlighting Qatar’s social spending domestically and international development partnerships abroad.

She stressed that the priority now is to ensure that commitments move from page to policy, supported by international cooperation and innovative financing.

“The results of this Summit constitute a solid basis,” she said. “What matters most now is implementation.»

Regional UN agencies support monitoring

The regional economic commissions said they would help countries translate their commitments into practical measures.

The Economic Commission for Europe highlighted support for policies on ageing, affordable housing, just energy transitions and better data on poverty, helping governments design systems that benefit those most at risk.

The Economic Commission for Africa has highlighted the continent’s “youth potential”, calling for investments in education, skills, employment opportunities and entrepreneurship, in partnership with the African Union and regional institutions.

UN News was on the ground in Doha covering the Summit throughout the week. Follow our coverage here.