Secretary-General Announces Appointments to Independent Senior Advisory Panel on Syria Humanitarian Deconfliction System
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
On 6 April 2020, the Secretary-General submitted a letter to the President of the Security Council (document S/2020/278) transmitting a summary of a report by a United Nations Headquarters Board of Inquiry to investigate certain incidents that had occurred in north-west Syria since 17 September 2017, in which facilities on the United Nations deconfliction list or supported by the United Nations were destroyed or damaged as a result of military operations.
In his letter to the Council President, the Secretary-General wrote: “The Board has made a series of recommendations, which I am considering carefully. Some of the issues raised are complex, including the question of which parties to a conflict should be given information intended to support deconfliction. In order to help to determine how best to address the recommendations of the Board, I am planning to appoint a senior independent adviser with expertise and experience in this area. I will also be open to receiving views from Member States on this matter.”
Following consultations, the Secretary-General decided to appoint a three‑person Independent Senior Advisory Panel on humanitarian deconfliction in the Syrian Arab Republic composed of the following members:
- Jan Egeland (Norway) (Chair);
- Erika Feller (Australia); and
- Radhouane Noucier (Tunisia).
The Panel will conduct its work independently and will provide the Secretary-General with advice on how to strengthen the deconfliction mechanism operated by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Syria, on the recommendations related to the deconfliction mechanism presented by the Board of Inquiry and on lessons that can be learned for the future. The Panel commenced its work on 11 January 2021 and is expected to submit a final report to the Secretary-General by 10 May 2021.