Increased humanitarian aid is needed in Syria amid ‘immense’ changes that offer hope to a nation emerging from a 13-year-long war, the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said upon his arrival on his first visit to the capital, Damascus, after the fall of the Assad regime.’That change in itself creates great hopes, but we all know that many challenges still lie ahead. So we have to get it right from the beginning,’ Pedersen told reporters.He considered it necessary to launch a political process that is inclusive of all Syrians and which ‘must obviously be led by the Syrians themselves.’The second challenge is to ensure that state institutions are operational, Pedersen said, with service delivery, public order and security being ‘extremely important’.On the humanitarian crisis, the UN envoy said it was necessary to ensure that Syria receives ‘immediate increased humanitarian assistance’ for the population and for all refugees who want to return. ‘This is extremely important,’ he stressed.As for the issue of economic recovery, he said ‘we need to make sure that this is resolved quickly.”We hope to see a quick end to sanctions, so that we can really see a rallying around the reconstruction of Syria,’ Pedersen added.During his briefing, the UN envoy pointed to ongoing contacts with a wide range of Syrians from across Syria and abroad, and from the international community all expressing willingness to help and support Syria, citing positive momentum from recent discussions in the Jordanian province of Aqaba.
