Advocacy at the 2022 PC(USA) General Assembly

RESPONDING TO THE HUMAN NEEDS in Syria

The 225th General Assembly of the PC(USA) considered and approved by consensus vote Overture INT-11, On Responding to the Human Needs of Those Affected by the Crisis in Syria. The Overture was written by several members of the SLPN Advocacy Committee with input from our partners in the region, most notably the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon (NESSL). Their counselor lies at the heart of this Overture.

The Syrian people have been battered by many forces which have combined to create a catastrophic situation for the country.  Ten years of conflict have led to over 500,000 deaths and have displaced some 60% of the population from their homes.  The fighting has also led to widespread destruction of physical infrastructure (schools, hospitals, factories, homes, office buildings and places of worship).  Over the past two year, the Covid-19 virus has added a challenge to a weakened health system, with a limited supply of vaccines and other medical supplies to combat the disease. 

Alongside these issues, the U.S. government-led sanctions have created a shortage of a wide variety of essential goods, resulting in skyrocketing prices and a great erosion of purchasing power, as well as widespread unemployment. The value of the Syrian pound has fallen sharply, which has drastically increased the domestic price of all goods, those imported from abroad as well as those locally available. The tragedy of Syria is mind-numbing. 

Since the 2011 peaceful protests turned into violent struggle and proxy wars, 1 in 10 Syrians has been killed or wounded; half the population has been made homeless; millions have fled their homeland, becoming refugees in surrounding countries; and over a million have made the perilous trip to Europe seeking asylum.  Christian and Muslim citizens suffer together, and amid the suffering our Presbyterian partners of the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon continue their witness and work for peace. 

The text of the Overture is below.

CLICK HERE TO download a copy of the Overture, including the Rationale and comments provided to the Commissioners.

See our Advocacy Action page.

225th General Assembly:  Overture INT-11

On Responding to the Human Needs of Those Affected by the Crisis in Syria

Recalling the admonitions of Matthew 25:31–40 to respond to the suffering of the Syrian people and hardships endured by those in neighboring countries after eight years of conflict in Syria by:

 1.        Working to End Sanctions—Urge an immediate end to sanctions against Syria and the threat of sanctions against Lebanon, Jordan, and their nationals; and that human rights and humanitarian principles be placed at the center of U.S. policies on Syria by

 a.        directing the Stated Clerk of the PC(USA) to send a message to the U.S. President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, and to each U.S. Senator and Representative to support these principles and goals and

 b.       directing the Presbyterian Mission Agency, through the Office of Public Witness in Washington, D.C. and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, to support this witness in their work.

 2.       Promoting Reconstruction in Syria—Direct the Stated Clerk of the PC(USA) to send a message to the U.S. President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, and to each U.S. Senator and Representative urging the U.S. government to

 a.       support UN agencies and provide full cooperation with their humanitarian and reconstruction efforts in Syria;

 b.       contribute generously to international agencies, particularly those of the United Nations, to help fund the post-war reconstruction of Syria, materially, socially, and educationally, with special attention to the education and wellbeing of children and youth.

 3.       Direct the Presbyterian Mission Agency, through the Office of Public Witness in Washington, D.C. and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, to support this witness in their work.

 4.       Promoting an Enabling Environment of Peace—Direct the Stated Clerk of the PC(USA), the Presbyterian Mission Agency, through the Office of Public Witness and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, to urge the U.S. government and other member states of the United Nations to build on the broadly supported principles of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, especially by working to fulfill their common commitment to

 a.       the rights of the Syrian people to self-determination;

 b.       “Syria’s unity, independence, territorial integrity, and non-sectarian character, to ensuring continuity of governmental institutions, to protecting the rights of all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religious denomination, and to ensuring humanitarian access throughout the country and to the territorial integrity of Syria;”(UN Security Council Resolution 2254).

 5.       Direct the Stated Clerk of the PC(USA) and the Presbyterian Mission Agency, through the Office of Public Witness, to urge the U.S. government to

 a.       in joint action with other foreign nations involved on the ground, withdraw the U.S. military engagement in Syria and work through diplomatic channels to ensure the safety of the Kurds and other vulnerable populations;

b.       urge the government of Israel to return to negotiating with the government of Syria for the full return of the Golan Heights as part of territorial Syria; and

 c.       work to ensure that only UN peacekeeping forces operate in Syria and that all foreign combatants depart.

 6.       Working for the Safe Return of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons—Direct the Presbyterian Mission Agency, through the Ministry at the United Nations, to call on member states to build on the broadly supported principles of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which “underscores the critical need to build conditions for the safe and voluntary return of refugees and internally displaced persons to their home areas and the rehabilitation of affected areas, in accordance with international law” by working with the Syrian government to

 a.       declare a general amnesty and repatriate all refugees desiring return while facilitating the return home of all displaced persons in ways that assure their safety, including freedom from torture, arbitrary detention, and other gross violations of human rights;

 b.       facilitate the repossession of property and the rebuilding of neighborhoods by extending the claim process to absentee property to a three-year period, easing the documentation process with alternative substantiation measures, and acknowledging the rights of squatters whose property was connected to utilities and government services;

 c.        use the opportunity of redevelopment in the service of national reconciliation as a priority by rebuilding communities and neighborhoods without favoring those with particular sectarian, religious, or political affiliations.

The Overture was referred to General Assembly by the Cascades Presbytery.

Presbyteries in concurrence:

Chicago

de Cristo

Huntingdon

New York City

Providence 

The Syria Lebanon Partnership Network (SLPN) brings together Presbyterians from around the United States to facilitate partnerships with the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon and church-related ministries in Syria and Lebanon. SLPN is a 501c3 nonprofit organization under the PC(USA).