UN Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres called on Sunday for the immediate lifting of all sanctions imposed on Syria during the rule of Bashar al‑Assad, after completing a two‑day visit to the country.
Syria’s newly established authorities, which assumed power in December 2024, aim to move beyond more than 13 years of conflict and to revitalize the economy, reconstruct infrastructure, and rebuild state institutions.
Western nations, including the United States, have begun easing sanctions on Syria, though investors remain cautious; the World Bank estimates that post‑war reconstruction will cost roughly $216 billion.
Guterres said at a Damascus press conference that, while he welcomed the recent sanction easing and the prospect for economic recovery, all sanctions must be lifted without delay, concluding a visit he described as “deeply meaningful and productive.”
The United Nations stands with the Syrian people at this pivotal moment, and I am delivering the strongest appeal to the international community to spare no effort in supporting both the Syrian people and their government, Guterres said.
Syria is at a crossroads today.
Guterres became the first UN secretary‑general to travel to Syria since his predecessor Ban Ki‑moon visited in 2009, two years before the war began and caused the deaths of more than half a million people.
Syria requires investment in its people, economy and institutions, and needs assistance to restore essential services, rebuild infrastructure, and revive livelihoods, he said.
It also requires support for the safe, voluntary, and dignified return of refugees and internally displaced persons, he added.
Since Assad’s ouster, about 1.7 million refugees have returned to Syria, according to the UN, while roughly 5.5 million remain displaced within the country and six million live abroad.
A Step in the Right Direction
During his visit, Guterres met with senior officials, including President Ahmed al‑Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad al‑Shaibani, and the speaker of the newly formed transitional parliament, which convened its inaugural session this month.
In Damascus, he also met members of the UN peacekeeping contingent stationed in the Israeli‑occupied Golan Heights, as well as representatives of Syrian civil society, various communities, women and youth.
He also visited Sednaya Prison near the capital, the country’s most notorious detention facility under Assad.
Since Sharaa assumed power, the international community has urged the new Islamist authorities to create a governance system that encompasses all components of Syria’s multi‑ethnic, multi‑confessional society.
I have no doubt that this transition is proceeding in the right direction, Guterres said.
He also reiterated that violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are unacceptable, hours after Syrian state media reported that Israeli forces had conducted an incursion and artillery shelling in southern Syria.
Following Assad’s overthrow, Israel deployed troops into the UN‑patrolled buffer zone that has separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the Israeli‑occupied Golan since 1974.
It has also conducted strikes and repeated incursions deeper into southern Syria, aiming to establish a broader demilitarised zone.
