UN Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres makes historic visit to Damascus

United Nations Secretary‑General Antonio Guterres landed at Damascus International Airport on Saturday, marking the first visit by a serving UN chief since Ban Ki‑Moon’s 2009 trip. He is scheduled to stay for several days, meeting transitional President Ahmed al‑Sharaa – a former al‑Qaeda affiliate who was under UN sanctions until last year – and Foreign Minister Asaad al‑Shaibani, as well as representatives of Syrian civil society and women’s organisations. The delegation will inspect the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) on the occupied Golan Heights and Guterres is expected to address Syria’s new parliament.

The visit follows the end of a 14‑year civil war that began in 2011, claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions, and concluded with the ouster of Bashar al‑Assad in December 2024. The new Islamist‑led administration under al‑Sharaa is seeking to rebuild international ties, revive the economy and halt sectarian violence that has recently killed dozens of Alawites and Druze. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said the UN stands with the Syrian people and will help lay the foundations for a “more stable, more inclusive and more prosperous” future. About 15.6 million Syrians still rely on humanitarian aid, and the trip comes weeks after bombings near a hotel where French President Emmanuel Macron had stayed.