Guterres arrives in Damascus, first visit by a UN chief since 2009

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Syria on Saturday to demonstrate the United Nations’ support for the country’s political transition after more than 13 years of civil war, the state-run SANA news agency reported.

The visit is the first by a U.N. secretary-general to Syria since Ban Ki-moon traveled to the country in 2009. It comes more than a year and a half after President Bashar Assad was overthrown in late 2024 by a coalition of Islamist rebels.

Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shaibani welcomed Guterres and a U.N. delegation at Damascus International Airport, SANA reported.

’’The opportunity presented today is not limited to recovering from the conflict, but also includes laying the foundations for a future for Syria marked by greater stability, inclusivity and prosperity for all Syrians,’’ U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said.

He added that ‘’the role of the United Nations is to accompany and support the Syrian people on this journey.’’

During his visit, which is scheduled to last through Monday, Guterres is expected to meet with President Ahmad al-Sharaa, as well as representatives of civil society, women’s organizations and various communities across the country.

‘Key period’

Since taking power, al-Sharaa has distanced himself from his jihadist past. In September, he became the first Syrian president since Noureddine al-Atassi in 1967 to address the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

The international community has repeatedly urged Syria’s new Islamist authorities to build effective state institutions and establish inclusive, pluralistic governance.

The country witnessed massacres targeting members of the Alawite minority, from which Assad hails, in March 2025, as well as deadly clashes with Druze fighters later that year.

U.N. Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Claudio Cordone said Tuesday that Guterres would ‘’reaffirm the United Nations’ commitment to supporting the Syrian government and the Syrian people during this key period in Syria’s history.’’

The U.N. chief is also expected to visit the U.N. peacekeeping force stationed in the buffer zone on the Golan Heights since 1974.

Following Assad’s ouster, Israel deployed troops into the area. Since then, it has carried out repeated incursions and airstrikes in Syria, saying it seeks to establish a demilitarized zone in the country’s south.

Syria’s infrastructure was devastated by the civil war, which lasted from 2011 to 2024. The World Bank has estimated reconstruction costs at more than $216 billion.

Several senior U.N. officials have visited Syria since Assad’s fall, including U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk. A delegation of U.N. Security Council ambassadors also visited the country last December.