Syria’s Foreign Ministry said on 25 August that President Ahmad al-Sharaa will deliver the country’s address to the United Nations General Assembly in New York next month, marking his first appearance at the annual gathering since taking office after Bashar al-Assad’s ouster in December 2024. The announcement came a day after Sharaa met survivors of the 2013 sarin attack on Eastern Ghouta, an assault that killed 1,119 civilians according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights. During the meeting, the president pledged to pursue accountability for those responsible. Observers expect Sharaa to use the UN rostrum to outline plans for post-war reconstruction and to press for international support in dismantling remaining stockpiles of chemical weapons.