UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen described the humanitarian and economic situation in Syria as a "real disaster" for those affected by the years-long conflict.
Pedersen said – in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera to be broadcast next Thursday within a program from Washington – that 9 out of 10 Syrians live below the poverty line, stressing that there is no solution without discussing the political problem of the Syrian conflict.
The UN envoy acknowledged the faltering efforts to resolve the situation, saying, "We must be honest that over 12 years of war and conflict, we have not succeeded in addressing political issues," pointing out that "in order to make progress we need the cooperation of the major powers."
Earlier, Pedersen spoke about the deterioration of the situation in Syria and the devaluation of the lira there, and the suffering of Syrians inside and outside their homeland due to the conflict and the stalemate of the political process, calling for funding the Humanitarian Response Plan for Syria, which received only 25% of the amount required for relief during 2023.
The UN envoy said in a video briefing to the UN Security Council last August that "moving on the path of implementing Security Council resolution 2254 on Syria is the only way to start addressing the many crises that Syria is experiencing."
The majority of Syrians live below the poverty line, while more than 12 million of them are food insecure, according to the United Nations.