Guterres visits Syria, urges global support as post-Assad recovery falters

Damascus,UPDATED: Jul 25, 2026 16:18 IST

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday urged the international community to do more to support Syrians as he began his first visit to the country as UN chief, nearly two years after the fall of Bashar Assad. The three-day visit comes as Syria tries to recover from years of conflict, widespread destruction and economic hardship.

Guterres said the United Nations stood with Syria at a "pivotal moment". In a post on X after arriving in Damascus, he wrote: "I have just arrived in Damascus for a visit of solidarity." He added: "I appeal to the international community to spare no effort to support the people of Syria as well."

Shortly after his arrival, Guterres held talks with Syria's interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa. He later toured the old quarter of Damascus and visited the Umayyad Mosque. The visit is the first by a UN secretary-general to the Syrian capital since 2009.

Syria has been trying to rebuild after the conflict that began in March 2011, which left nearly half a million people dead and caused destruction expected to cost tens of billions of dollars to repair. Since the five-decade Assad family rule ended in December 2024, when fighters led by gunmen loyal to al-Sharaa entered Damascus, the country has also been dealing with the impact of crippling Western sanctions. Although the United States and Europe have lifted many of the sanctions imposed during Assad's rule, the effect on the ground has so far been limited.

Cuts to international aid have further worsened living conditions. The United Nations estimates that 90 per cent of Syria's population lives in poverty. The World Bank said in an assessment released last year that rebuilding Syria after more than a decade of civil war is expected to cost about USD 216 billion.

During his stay, Guterres is also scheduled to visit the UN force deployed along the border with Israel. After taking power, al-Sharaa said he had no desire for a conflict with Israel. But Israel remained suspicious of the new Islamist-led leadership and quickly moved to take control of the buffer zone. It has since carried out hundreds of airstrikes on Syrian military facilities and periodic incursions into villages outside the buffer zone, which have at times led to violent confrontations with residents.

Guterres' visit underlines the scale of the challenge facing Syria as it seeks to recover from conflict, poverty and damage, while also dealing with tensions along its border with Israel.

With PTI Inputs

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