MESOPOTAMIA NEWS : UN holds a meeting with SDF, Autonomous Administration (PKK/PYD) of Northern and Eastern Syria

The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict held a televised meeting with the leadership of the Syrian Democratic Forces and the co-chair of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria, which dealt with the joint work plan with the United Nations and the steps taken in the explicit commitment.

NEWS 15 Sep 2020, On Monday, Mrs. Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, held a televised meeting with the leadership of the Syrian Democratic Forces and the co-chair of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria.

The meeting held with the United Nations was attended by the Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, as well as Abd al-Mahbash, the co-chair of the Executive Council of the Autonomous Administration of Northern and Eastern Syria, in addition to the leadership in the Women Protection Units, Newruz Ahmed, and Nasrin Abdullah and Ridor Khalil from the Syrian Democratic Forces’ Relations Office and the Military Contact Point.

While participation of the UN side included Ms. Gamba, Florence Gaspar, Special Assistant, Nicholas Gerrard, Head – Monitoring, Reporting and Regional Partnerships, and Nelly Sabarthes, Head of Political Affairs.

From the UNICEF office, Sanjay Wijisekera, Program Director, Catherine Coco, Child Protection Specialist, Child Protection Department, Caitlin Brash, Humanitarian Policy Specialist and the Office of the Emergency Program, as well as Laurent Detouroir, Regional Coordinator for Children and Armed Conflict, Child Protection Department, and Hussein Al-Attar, Protection Officer Child, Kevin Kennedy (Regional Humanitarian Coordinator) and Paul Handley (Director of the All Syria Team at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs).

The meeting dealt with the joint action plan with the United Nations signed on June 29, 2019 and the steps taken by the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Autonomous Administration in their explicit commitment to it. Mrs. Gamba praised the great progress and successful implementation and commitment made by the SDF and the Autonomous Administration.

The meeting also discussed the conditions of children of non-Syrian ISIS families residing in northern and eastern Syria, the possibility of their return to their countries of origin, and the need to establish rehabilitation centers in the short and medium term in order to find a radical solution to their case of returning them to their countries.

The two parties emphasized that detention centers are not the appropriate place to place children as victims of armed conflict, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces welcomed the United Nations, through its international partners, to conduct visits to detention centers for children of ISIS families to assess their needs.

The meeting also discussed the situation of non-Syrian foreign women and children in both Al-Hol camp and Roj camp and the need to find a comprehensive solution for them by urging countries that have nationals in northern and eastern Syria to respond quickly to return them to their countries and to provide the necessary and necessary support for that.

During the past year, the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria had established the agreement with the United Nations on many activities and updated laws.

J.O

ANHA