TANZANIA – The official who steered the U.N.’s diplomacy in Syria for nearly seven turbulent years announced Thursday that he is resigning.
Geir Pedersen, who has served in various diplomatic capacities for both the United Nations and his homeland of Norway for many years, announced to the U.N. Security Council, “I have informed the secretary-general of my decision to resign.”
Pedersen, aged 69, took on the role of the U.N.’s special envoy to Syria in 2018, seven years into the ongoing civil conflict in the country. During this turmoil, the Islamic State group managed to seize substantial territory within Syria. Although the group was driven out of their last territorial stronghold in 2019, dormant cells remain active.
Pedersen’s mandate involved the execution of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2254, which sought to facilitate a political resolution to the struggle between then-President Bashar Assad’s regime and his adversaries, yet efforts to reach an agreement continually stalled.
The civil strife ensued following widespread anti-government demonstrations in 2011 that were suppressed with harsh government force. This conflict resulted in nearly half a million casualties and forced half of Syria’s pre-war population of 23 million to flee.
For several years, the conflict was at a standoff, with different regions controlled by the government and various opposition factions, until December 2024 when Assad was removed through a rapid insurgent campaign spearheaded by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa of Syria.
The country has continued to grapple with deep political, ethnic and religious divides.
Pedersen reported to the Security Council on Thursday, “The new government and the Syrian population are endeavoring to navigate a transition amidst challenges and conditions as complex and tough as almost anywhere in the world.”
He called for international support for Syria and for its government to give all its people a voice in their nation’s next chapter.
Despite Syria’s difficulties, Pedersen said he believed that “with genuine negotiation and bold compromise, unity is within reach, and success against the odds is possible.”
Pedersen previously held various U.N. roles, including special coordinator for Lebanon in 2007-08. He was a member of Norway’s team that negotiated the 1993 Oslo accords, which resulted in mutual recognition between the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel, and he was Norway’s representative to the Palestinian Authority between 1998 and 2003.
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Sewell reported from Beirut.
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