Syria and the United Nations

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Syrian Arab Republic
United Nations membership
Represented by
MembershipFull member
Since24 October 1945 (1945-10-24)
UNSC seatNon-permanent
Permanent RepresentativeIbrahim Olabi

Syria–United Nations relations refer to the international relations between the United Nations (UN) and Syria. Syria, under the First Syrian Republic, was one of the 51 founding members of the UN, having signed the United Nations Conference on International Organization in 1945.

History

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President Nureddin Al-Atassi of Syria at the United Nations, New York

On 17 February 1945, Syrian President Shukri al-Quwatli met British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Cairo to request Syria’s invitation to the soon-to-be-launched United Nations.[1] At the time, Syria was under French rule and barred from the League of Nations. Since Churchill required war contributions for membership, Syria declared war on Nazi Germany on 27 February 1946, shortly before receiving an official UN invitation.[1]

Prime Minister Fares al-Khoury led the Syrian delegation, signing the UN Charter alongside his fellow AUB alumni and joining the legal committee that approved the UN flag.[1]

While al-Khoury was at the UN, French forces attacked Damascus on 29 May 1945, giving him the chance to denounce France and highlight its occupation of Syria since 1920.[1] Churchill intervened on 1 June, summoning the French Foreign Minister to negotiate a withdrawal from Syria and Lebanon, though France wanted to keep troops in Lebanon under the Anglo-French London Agreement.[2] Al-Quwatli and Lebanese President Bechara El Khoury rejected the agreement, insisting both countries were now sovereign, and France blocked their proposal to address the UN.[1] The issue reached the Security Council on 14 February 1946, where Syrian and Lebanese delegations demanded unconditional French withdrawal.[1] Britain agreed to oversee the evacuation, which ended by mid-April 1946, allowing Syria to celebrate its first Independence Day on 17 April.[1]

After their union in 1958 formed the United Arab Republic, they continued as a single UN Member until Syria regained its independence and separate membership on 13 October 1961. The United Arab Republic later adopted the name Arab Republic of Egypt on 2 September 1971.[3]

Syrian President Nureddin al-Atassi was the first Syrian president to address the United Nations General Assembly after the June 1967 War,[4] a precedent that lasted until President Ahmed al-Sharaa did so in September 2025.[5] On 4 December 2025, al-Sharaa met with the UN Security Council delegation and several UN officials at the People’s Palace in Damascus, joined by a number of Syrian ministers.[6] It marked the delegation’s first-ever visit to Syria since the Council was established in 1945.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Syria's history in the United Nations". en.majalla.com. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  2. ^ "Syria And Lebanon (British Intervention) - Hansard - UK Parliament". hansard.parliament.uk. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  3. ^ Nations, United. "Syrian Arab Republic". United Nations. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  4. ^ "Syrian President Dr. Ahmed Nour al-Din bin Muhammad Ali bin Fouad bin Ahmed bin Muhammad Saeed al-Atassi". Atassi Family Website.
  5. ^ Peltz, Jennifer; Mroue, Bassem (24 September 2025). "For the first time in nearly six decades, a Syrian president steps up to speak at the UN". AP News. Retrieved 24 September 2025.
  6. ^ "President al-Sharaa receives UN Security Council delegation in Damascus". 4 December 2025. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  7. ^ "Security Council visits Syria for first time since 1945". 4 December 2025. Retrieved 5 December 2025.