Amid crises, talks on Syrian constitution resumes on Jan 25

Years of civil war and conflict have to an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, economic collapse, and political chaos in Syria. In a meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday, the UN special envoy for Syria said that "a slow tsunami" is crashing across the country. 

In the aftermath of massive destruction and displacement, millions of Syrians are struggling with increasing food insecurity and lack of basic amenities such as water and adequate healthcare. Surging inflation and fuel shortages are likely to increase the plight of Syrians, noting that authorities are unable to provide basic goods and services to millions of underprivileged in the conflict-hit nation.

Speaking at the meeting, UN Humanitarian Coordinator Mark Lowcock stated that people's purchasing power has decreased drastically due to which more than 80 percent of households are reportedly depending on "negative coping mechanism" to survive. Amid these difficulties, the COVID-19 pandemic has also posed a dire challenge to the Syrian government and healthcare sector. 

The Special Envoy Geir Pedersen spoke out against further economic sanctions that could lead to an increase in suffering and instability. The United States and the European Union have imposed strict economic sanctions on Syria in recent months with the aim of limiting President Bashar al-Assad's government's foreign business activities and political engagements. However, these sanctions have caused grave humanitarian consequences for Syrian citizens. 

During the meeting, the Special envoy also announced that the next round of talks for Syria's new constitution, led by the UN-facilitated Constitutional Committee, will start on January 25 in Geneva. In this regard, Mr. Pedersen urged all relevant parties including the Syrian government, opposition parties, and civil society to move towards the actual drafting of the constitution in a bid to bring the war-battered country out of crises.

Syrian President Bashar Assad has been accused by the United States and other Western allies of delaying the drafting of a new constitution on purpose in order to avoid an UN-supervised election ahead of the 2021 presidential elections in the coming months. Syria is all set to witness its presidential elections between April 16 and May 16 - almost 90 days before the conclusion of Assad's seven-year term in office.

According to a council resolution adopted in December 2015, a new constitution will be drafted for the conflict-hit country under the ambit of UN-supervised voting. The resolution was approved by the five permanent members of the UNSC (US, China, Russia, France, and the UK), along with representatives of the United Nations, European Union, Arab League, and Turkey, in Geneva on June 30, 2012.