Introduction:
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres entered Damascus on July 26, 2026, marking the first visit by a UN Secretary-General since 2009. This visit was not merely a protocol stop on a busy diplomatic schedule; it implicitly acknowledged the radical transformation that has taken place in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024. It also offered a glimmer of hope for Syria to regain its place in the international community after more than a decade of isolation and war.
However, an objective reading of this visit requires setting aside media hype and preconceived skepticism. The path Syria has traversed during the nineteen months of its transitional phase is replete with genuine achievements, but it is also fraught with structural challenges that test the new state’s ability to translate its promises into institutions capable of embracing Syria’s diversity and guaranteeing the rights of all its components.
In this context, Guterres’ visit presents a golden opportunity to accelerate recovery, provided it is interpreted strategically, linking international support with internal reform, and openness to the outside world with nation-building from within.
Historical Context:
While Syria has occupied a permanent place on the Security Council’s list of priorities for over a decade as a crisis state, Guterres’s visit represents a shift in this relationship.
After years of condemning human rights violations, the international organization is now sending its highest-ranking official to affirm its “support for Syria at this pivotal moment.” Guterres described the visit as a “visit of solidarity,” calling on the international community to “exert every effort to support the Syrian people.”
But this shift didn’t happen in a vacuum. The new Syria has made significant strides in rebuilding its international relations, starting with President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s participation in the UN General Assembly last year—the first time a Syrian president had addressed the organization in decades—and continuing with a series of high-level visits preceding Guterres’s, including those by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.
However, these openings remain fragile unless accompanied by profound institutional reforms that ensure their sustainability and build trust, both domestically and internationally, and establish a relationship based on mutual interests and respect for international law.
The Transition from Relief to Development:
The transition from humanitarian aid to development assistance was a key focus of Guterres’s discussions with President al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.
After years of relying on emergency humanitarian aid, Syria is now at a stage that necessitates sustainable development investments to rebuild what the war has destroyed.
Guterres stated that “no country emerges from a major conflict and rebuilds itself on its own,” adding, “We must support Syria in its determination and resolve to achieve this.”
This statement reflects a growing international recognition that relief efforts alone are no longer sufficient.
According to the latest UN figures, approximately 1.9 million internally displaced persons and 1.7 million refugees have returned to Syria since the fall of the regime. However, some 5.5 million people remain displaced within the country, and another 6 million are refugees abroad, while 15.6 million Syrians require some form of humanitarian assistance.
These figures present the UN and the Syrian government with a real test: transforming the momentum of returns into lasting stability requires providing housing, services, and employment opportunities. Discussions focused on the government’s plan to close the displacement camps that house some 700,000 people—an ambitious plan that cannot succeed without logistical and financial support from the international community.
Furthermore, the success of this phase requires a shift from a relief economy to a production economy, so that reconstruction and sustainable development projects become a catalyst for job creation and economic growth, rather than continued reliance on emergency aid.
Economic Sanctions and Reconstruction:
Economic recovery cannot be discussed in isolation from the economic sanctions imposed during the years of conflict.
While some of these sanctions targeted the former regime, their continued existence could directly impact reconstruction efforts and the improvement of living conditions for Syrians.
Therefore, the success of any economic recovery plan necessitates an objective review of these sanctions, distinguishing between measures targeting those who committed violations and those that hinder the new state’s ability to rebuild infrastructure, attract investment, and improve basic services.
Refugees and Safe Return:
Despite the large numbers of returnees, the refugee issue remains one of the greatest national challenges.
The return of millions of Syrians should not be measured solely by the number of returnees, but rather by the availability of a legal, security, and economic environment that makes return a permanent option, not a temporary necessity.
Sustainable return requires protecting property rights, restoring official documents, securing basic services, providing job opportunities, and reintegrating returnees into society in a way that preserves their dignity and prevents future waves of displacement.
The UN’s Role in the Next Phase:
While the UN has primarily played a humanitarian and relief role during the years of war, the next phase necessitates its shift to a partner role in institution-building, supporting administrative reform, promoting good governance, building national capacities, and transferring expertise. This will consolidate the independence of the Syrian state and enhance its ability to manage its own affairs.
The UN’s success in Syria will not be measured by the volume of aid it provides, but rather by its contribution to empowering Syrians to sustainably build their national institutions.
National Sovereignty and Israeli Violations:
The issue of national sovereignty was not absent from the visit’s agenda; in fact, it featured prominently in Guterres’s statements.
The Secretary-General stressed that “any violation of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is unacceptable,” describing the occupied Syrian Golan Heights as…
He affirmed that the Golan Heights are Syrian territory, emphasizing that what is happening in the area surrounding the Golan Heights is completely unacceptable.
These statements are particularly significant in light of the ongoing Israeli escalation in southern Syria, including incursions into the buffer zone monitored by the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF).
Guterres visited UNDOF forces during his visit to Syria, sending a message that underscores the UN’s commitment to its role in monitoring the border.
For his part, Minister Al-Shaibani stressed that Israeli violations in southern Syria constitute a direct threat to the region’s security.
However, the greatest challenge remains the international community’s ability to translate these positions into practical steps that halt the attacks, preserve Syrian sovereignty, and restore respect for international law.
Investment and Economic Openness:
Furthermore, international openness should not be limited to humanitarian aid. It must also pave the way for responsible investments that contribute to rebuilding the Syrian economy, creating job opportunities, and transferring expertise and technology, within a transparent legal environment that protects investors, safeguards the rights of the state, and preserves the interests of its citizens.
Investment is not merely a flow of capital; it is a partner in rebuilding trust between Syria and the world, provided it is managed according to the principles of good governance and the rule of law.
The Regional Dimension of the Visit:
The importance of Guterres’ visit is not limited to its internal Syrian dimension. It also reflects a growing international awareness that the stability of Syria has become an integral part of the stability of the entire Levant.
The issues of migration, combating terrorism, border security, energy, and regional trade are all directly linked to the future of the Syrian state.
Therefore, supporting the stability of Syria is no longer simply an act of solidarity, but has become a shared regional and international interest, requiring all parties to invest in the success of the transitional phase.
The Challenges Testing the Transition:
Guterres’ visit cannot be viewed in isolation from the formidable challenges that Syria continues to face during its transition.
It comes weeks after two bombings near a hotel in Damascus where French President Emmanuel Macron was staying, and amidst sectarian violence that has shaken several regions.
Reports indicate that approximately 1,500 members of the Alawite community were killed in the coastal region last year. The Syrian government acknowledged the violations and sought to prosecute those responsible. Hundreds of Druze were also killed in southern Syria, prompting Guterres to call for accountability, which the Syrian government is striving to establish in accordance with the transitional phase.
These incidents raise fundamental questions about the new state’s ability to extend its control over all armed factions, protect the rights of all Syrian communities, and ensure that the tragedies of the past are not repeated.
Guterres’ spokesperson noted that the opportunity today lies in “laying the foundations for a more stable, inclusive, and prosperous future for all Syrians.”
Transitional justice remains a cornerstone for the success of the next phase. While Syrians demand that perpetrators of violations from all sides be brought to justice, the government faces the challenge of striking a balance between justice and national reconciliation, preventing revenge, achieving redress, and establishing lasting social peace.
The Syrian Future Movement’s Vision:
We in the Syrian Future Movement view Guterres’s visit as a strategic opportunity to advance the state-building process, provided it is viewed critically, acknowledging both achievements and shortcomings.
The reintegration of Syria into the international community is not an end in itself, but rather a means to strengthen the state’s ability to fulfill its obligations to its citizens.
In this context, we see a number of priorities:
First: Supporting institution-building, not individual development. Partnerships with the United Nations should focus on supporting the judiciary, public administration, financial oversight, and essential services, moving away from the personalization that has weakened the Syrian state for decades.
Second: Linking international support to internal reform. External support should incentivize the development of public administration, the consolidation of transparency, and the strengthening of accountability, thereby preserving national sovereignty and serving the interests of the Syrian people.
Third: Transitional justice as a prerequisite for stability, through cooperation with national and international mechanisms to document violations and hold perpetrators accountable, according to fair standards that guarantee the rights of all victims without selectivity.
Fourth: A comprehensive national dialogue, involving all Syrian components, civil society organizations, women, youth, and intellectual elites, in shaping the country’s future, recognizing Syrian diversity as a source of strength, not division.
Conclusion:
Guterres’ visit to Damascus represents a test of Syria’s ability to translate international support into tangible achievements on the ground.
Statements supporting Syrian sovereignty, calls for reconstruction aid, and emphasis on transitioning from relief to development are all positive indicators, but they still require practical implementation through genuine investments, development partnerships, and guarantees of respect for Syrian state sovereignty.
Conversely, international engagement is not a gift, but a shared responsibility based on respect for national sovereignty, accelerating reforms, strengthening the rule of law, consolidating state institutions, and guaranteeing the rights of all Syrians without discrimination.
Returning to the international system does not mean returning to the pre-2011 era, but rather building a new Syria based on equal citizenship, transparency, participation, and respect for the law.
What is happening today in Syria is more than just a political transition; it is an attempt to rebuild the state after years of collapse.
Guterres’ visit is not the end of the road, but rather the beginning of a new phase that requires Syrians, and the international community, to adopt a strategic vision that combines realism and ambition, support for the state and the building of its institutions, and openness to the outside world with internal reform.
The Syrian Future Movement believes that the success of this phase will not be measured by the number of international visits, nor by the size of the delegation.
The key lies not in supporting data, but in the Syrian state’s ability to build strong constitutional institutions, a productive economy, an independent judiciary, and a cohesive society where every citizen feels like a full partner in their homeland. International relations can open doors, but they cannot build a state unless the Syrians themselves build it.
Only then can it be said that Syria has truly entered the path of sustainable recovery.
