HE the Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani underlined that Qatar will continue to work diligently in co-operation with international partners to explore possible ways to contribute constructively to ending the Syrian crisis.
This came during a virtual side event organised by the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces in New York to mark the 10th anniversary of the Syrian revolution, in partnership with the permanent mission of Qatar to the United Nations, and the permanent missions of the US, Britain, France, Germany, Turkey and Estonia.
HE Sheikha Alya said that the 10th anniversary of the Syrian revolution reminds the world of the ongoing violence for a decade, the untold atrocities committed by the Syrian regime, and the consequences of the horrific human toll.
She reviewed the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Syria, where there is a generation of children who knew nothing but the conflict, and those who survived the ravages of war face constant violations, adding that the country is now ranked lowest in the poverty index.
HE Sheikha Alya said that Qatar is among the pioneering countries in providing humanitarian aid to the brotherly Syrian people.
She renewed Qatar's commitment to the legal and moral responsibility to hold accountable those involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity, and said that ensuring accountability and confronting impunity is a moral obligation and a condition for reconciliation, lasting peace and preventing the recurrence of crimes.
She said that the atrocities committed in Syria are the most documented of any conflict, including the worst use of chemical weapons.
In this context, she highlighted the role carried out by Qatar and the Principality of Liechtenstein to pass the UN General Assembly resolution to establish the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to Assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of Persons Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law Committed in Syria.
She underlined that the crisis cannot be resolved through violence, but only through a political process led by the UN, which would achieve the legitimate rights of the Syrian people and preserve the unity and independence of Syria.
HE Sheikha Alya stressed the need to support the Constitutional Committee to fulfil its mandate, adding that confidence-building measures are needed, including the protection of human rights, and urgently address the issue of detainees.
She referred to the recent joint ministerial statement of Qatar, Turkey and Russia, issued on March 11 in Doha, which emphasised on confidence-building measures, among other elements, to solve the Syrian crisis.
Participants in the event emphasised that the only way forward to end the biggest humanitarian disaster in the modern era is through a real political solution in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254.
They stressed that this solution can only be reached through a concerted international effort that reflects the demands of the Syrian people of freedom and democracy.
They reviewed the devastation and human suffering left by a decade-long conflict where there are more than 6mn Syrians suffering from food insecurity before the coronavirus pandemic, and 90% of Syrians live below the poverty line.
After 10 years of the devastating conflict, Syria, which was once a fertile country, is on the brink of famine with nearly 12mn forcibly displaced Syrians.
They expressed the hope that the event would be an appropriate opportunity to push towards a specific political process that would ensure freedom and democracy for the Syrian people, while emphasising the vital and necessary role of the UN in delivering humanitarian aid across borders to meet the urgent needs on the ground.
