Syria’s chance for a peaceful, inclusive future must not be wasted

Syria will undergo its next UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in January.

For those unfamiliar with the process, the UPR is a mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council through which every UN Member State undergoes a peer review of its human rights record every four and a half years. During this process, other states make recommendations on how the country under review can strengthen its human rights protections and practices.

The UPR is widely valued because it applies equally to all countries. Every state, regardless of its political influence or global standing, is subject to the same scrutiny and can both review and be reviewed by others.

A crucial stage of Syria’s UPR process is already underway. This involves civil society organisations (CSOs) which have the opportunity to submit reports to the UN highlighting human rights concerns that may not otherwise receive sufficient attention. The role of CSOs is critical. The state under review submits its own report outlining progress on human rights, which inevitably presents its actions in the most favourable light. Civil society helps provide balance by drawing attention to issues that may be overlooked, underreported or inadequately addressed.

These independent perspectives are essential in helping UN Member States determine where to focus their recommendations. Effective civil society advocacy before the review is key to ensuring that recommending states have a complete and accurate understanding of the situation on the ground.

Documenting human rights concerns within Syria

Working alongside faith-based partners in Syria, Embrace the Middle East has submitted a UPR report highlighting several issues of concern and providing recommendations for the attention of the UK government.

Following the fall of the Assad government in December 2024, Syria entered a period of transition marked by diplomatic engagement, economic change and continuing violence. It is only natural that a country devastated by 14 years of conflict will require time, commitment and resources to heal. Recovery must extend beyond physical reconstruction to address the invisible wounds left behind: trauma, social division between Syria’s diverse ethnic and religious communities, and profound loss.

Through listening sessions and semi-structured interviews with Embrace, partners in Syria shared their concerns about the current situation and reflected on how the transition is affecting their daily lives and the communities they have faithfully served for many years.

A common theme emerged from these conversations: a deep desire for a Syria founded on fairness and justice, where all ethnic and religious communities can live together in peace and dignity.

Embrace’s report addresses a wide range of issues. I will briefly highlight two of them.

The need for a fair constitutional and legislative framework

In March 2025, Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa adopted a Constitutional Declaration establishing a transitional framework intended to remain in force for five years, pending future elections.

While transitional authorities have taken steps to engage representatives from Syria’s diverse ethnic and religious communities, many partners described these consultations as largely top-down and rushed, allowing limited opportunity for meaningful civil society participation. One respondent who attended the one-day Conference of National Dialogue in Damascus reported that the process felt hurried and that the conference’s final declaration appeared to have been already written, with little reflection of participants’ contributions.

Several provisions of the Constitutional Declaration raise significant concerns. For example, the requirement that the president must be Muslim excludes non-Muslims from holding the country’s highest office. There is also concern about the concentration of power within the executive branch, with the president retaining considerable authority over both the legislative and judicial branches.

The Constitutional Declaration also established a Transitional Justice Commission, a welcome step towards ensuring justice and accountability for those affected by human rights violations during the conflict. However, the Commission’s mandate is limited to crimes committed by the former Syrian government, restricting its ability to deliver accountability for victims and survivors of violations committed by all parties to the conflict.

At the same time, reform of the Transitional Justice Commission cannot wait. Its mandate should be urgently expanded to ensure that all perpetrators of serious violations committed during the conflict can be held accountable.

Embrace’s report therefore emphasises the need for a different approach when drafting and adopting Syria’s permanent constitution at the end of the transitional period. We call for an inclusive, transparent and participatory process that meaningfully involves civil society and Syria’s diverse ethnic and religious communities.

Effective measures must be in place to protect religious minorities

Since the beginning of the transitional period, CSOs have documented multiple incidents of violence affecting minority communities, including Alawites, Druze and Christians.

Throughout 2025, reports have emerged from the coastal regions, Homs and elsewhere of targeted and retaliatory violence, sectarian tensions and terrorist attacks affecting the Alawite community.

In Suwayda governorate, escalating violence involving government forces and Druze militias resulted in more than 1,700 deaths and the displacement of nearly 200,000 people in and around July 2025.

Meanwhile, a suicide attack on a church in Damascus, alongside other violent incidents across the country, has contributed to growing insecurity among Syria’s Christian population, which is dispersed across different regions.

These incidents, together with many others that may have gone unreported, have intensified sectarian tensions and deepened social fragmentation. They have undermined trust in public institutions and fuelled calls from some communities for greater decentralisation or autonomy.

If Syria’s transitional authorities are serious about building a brighter future for all of the country’s ethnic and religious minorities, they must take effective measures to protect these communities. This includes preventing violence, responding rapidly when incidents occur and ensuring accountability for those responsible.

An opportunity that must not be missed

These issues are only part of a broader set of concerns addressed in Embrace’s UPR report, which also examines the need to ensure an adequate standard of living for the Syrian people, uphold the rule of law and protect women’s rights in practice.

The UK government has moved quickly to re-engage diplomatically with Syria, including through high-level visits and meetings in London with the interim president. While the UK has condemned incidents of violence against minority communities, it must also ensure that Syria’s transitional authorities fulfil their stated commitment to building an inclusive and fair Syria for all, according to international human rights standards.

This is the purpose of Embrace the Middle East’s recommendations. We hope they will help inform the UK’s engagement with Syria and strengthen efforts to ensure that the rights and dignity of all people in Syria are protected as the country navigates this critical transition.