UN welcomes SDF position in support of the cease-fire in Syria

The United Nations welcomed the statement issued by the Syrian Democratic Forces on 24 March, in which it expressed support for the Secretary-General’s call for an immediate global ceasefire to facilitate the global response to Covid-19.

This came in a statement issued on Thursday evening, New York time, by the spokesman for the Secretary-General, Stephen Dujarric, in which he referred to the statement of the Syrian Democratic Forces and its declaration to committing to avoid engaging in military action.

In this context, the Secretary-General called on other parties in the Syrian conflict to support his appeal.

The spokesman for the Secretary-General had stated yesterday at the daily press conference held via video technology, that the United Nations is deeply concerned about the potential impact of the Corona Virus on millions of people across Syria, especially on more than 900,000 people who are still displaced by hostilities that have broken out since 1 December in the northwest of the country.

According to the World Health Organization, IDPs live in conditions that make them more vulnerable to respiratory infections. In addition to overcrowding, IDPs also face physical and mental stress and deprivation due to the lack of housing, food and clean water.

According to United Nations statistics, there are currently more than six million internally displaced people across the country.

The United Nations, in its statement issued yesterday evening – and as the Special Envoy to Syria, Geir Pederson, announced on Tuesday – calling for “a full and immediate ceasefire throughout Syria, in line with Resolution 2254, to enable comprehensive efforts to suppress the Covid-19 pandemic.”

In his statement on Tuesday, Geir Pederson stated that all Syrians are equal in the threat posed by the spread of the global pandemic, regardless of whether they live in “areas controlled by the Syrian government or in other regions.”

Pederson said the long-suffering Syrian people urgently need “a sustainable period of calm throughout the country, respected by all parties.

He also warned of the disastrous effects on Syria, and on the global response to Covid-19 in general, saying this is the reason now “more than ever before for a ceasefire at the national level.”