Syria – an opportunity that must be grasped

Last week, I was supposed to be in Syria. I had prepared for my visit by having conversations with over 100 civil society actors, individual human rights defenders and gender justice advocates as well as UN interlocutors. Unfortunately, the regional turmoil made the travel itself difficult, although Syria itself has been relatively safer than some of its neighbours.

I had identified three main priorities for my mission. Firstly, I wanted to discuss transitional justice and accountability. Since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2025, we have seen several flare-ups of violence, including in the coastal areas, Sweida, Aleppo and the northeast more recently. Last week’s report of the Commission of Inquiry is a clear demonstration that the documentation of such violations is a first step in ensuring justice for victims and survivors.

The social fabric in Syria remains fragile, and a solid framework to address both past and ongoing violations through a victim- and survivor centred and gender responsive approach is the only solution. While the transitional authorities have the primary responsibility to respect, protect and fulfil human rights, it is clear that continued support of UN justice and accountability mechanisms is essential. The goal is for national actors to eventually take over the work.

Civil society must play a central role, including in informing the work of the two national commissions on transitional justice and the missing and in the drafting of the laws that will develop the national frameworks to address these issues. Syria needs a vision on transitional justice, which also provides guarantees for non-repetition.

The second priority I identified was gender equality and women’s rights. The gender justice advocates that I met from Syria left a deep impact on me. They told me about continued daily abductions of women and other concerns to the protection and safety and security of women. Protection concerns were also cited as one of the reasons why few women made it to the new People’s Assembly, although I know that authorities are considering ways to advance women’s full, effective and meaningful participation. Online hate speech and funding cuts are also concerns of women activists.

A group of experts presented a report on gender responsive reconstruction, which is not limited to physical reconstruction, but also legal, political and social aspects. Gender equality is not only about ensuring equal representation around the decision-making table, but also about assessing the impact of the full range of policies on women and ensuring that they have a say on all aspects of Syria’s future. We also need to make sure we account for age, ability, and other intersectional factors.

My final priority identified for Syria is civic space and media freedom. Civil society organizations spoke about transparency in decision-making, legal reforms and the freedom to organize discussions on topics that relate to the future of Syria. NGOs working on press freedom emphasized the need for an impartial licensing system as well as the importance of policy and ethics frameworks being self-regulated by the media sector. They explained that laws are needed on the right to information and to decriminalize speech.

Syria is at a critical juncture. I firmly believe that a sustainable future is ahead of the country. Justice, accountability, gender equality and women’s rights as well as civic space and media freedom are key components of a successful transition, and I stand ready to support in my capacity. The message of the EU is one of support to both the authorities and civil society. I hope to be able to travel to Syria soon to explore how we can best achieve our common objectives of a Syrian led and owned transition which benefits all components of Syrian society.