John, In case you missed it, this is what our panelists from the UN Constitutional Committee's civil society block had to say about the most recent round of negotiations in Geneva: - U.S. pressure is working. International sanctions, diplomatic isolation, and denial of reconstruction funds have brought the regime to the table. Sanctions must not be lifted as a precondition of any deal, and the United States should prioritize other tools—including the Caesar bill—to drive meaningful reforms.
- The United States must deny Russian and regime attempts to co-opt the committee for Assad’s legitimization. The United States must use the international platform the the UN is providing to exact concessions from Assad and his patron, Russia, which cares deeply about international legitimacy, respect, and funding.
- Participants are there with eyes wide open. It is clear that Assad does not follow the current constitution. Any constitution agreed to through this process demands international and local support to ensure that it is carried out to the letter of the law.
- This is not a silver bullet. It’s one moment in time to influence the peace process.
- Who’s sitting at the table matters in determining what the final product is. Studies show that constitutions formed in crisis face challenges in attracting buy-in for implementation. A cross-section of Syria's population, including women, should have a seat at the table.
- The Assad regime does not have the votes locked up to ram through its vision for Syria. We have an opportunity to create allies and promote real reforms.
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Fast Facts - The Committee requires a consensus of 75 percent to approve a constitution, which will challenge the body's 150 members to move beyond their block's core asks and make concessions.
- Syria's Constitutional Committee set a record high—30 percent—for women's inclusion in a constitutional process.
- Women's rights were raised 18 times in last week's talks, notably only by the opposition and civil society blocks.
- A group of 45 remains in Geneva this week to continue technical discussions about the agreement.
- The UN Constitutional Committee will continue meeting for 2 weeks each month as it continues its work.
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