Overview

• Pedersen told the UN Security Council he will leave in the near future and said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has accepted his resignation.
• The veteran diplomat served more than six years as special envoy, leading efforts tied to Security Council Resolution 2254 that struggled to gain traction.
• Syria’s new authorities have kept UN mediation at a distance, arguing there is little need for an internationally negotiated political transition.
• Syria’s UN ambassador, Ibrahim Olabi, praised Pedersen’s tenure and said Damascus is ready to work with a successor in a way that preserves Syrian sovereignty.
• Assad was ousted in December after 14 years of war; an interim government led by Ahmad al-Sharaa is preparing elections during a five-year transition as authorities confront sectarian violence, including in Sweida.