New UK Special Representative to Syria appointed

Ann Snow MBE has been appointed UK Special Representative to Syria

Ms Snow was appointed UK Special Representative to Syria in May 2023. She has taken up the role in succession to Jonathan Hargreaves

Ms Snow joined the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) in 2009. She has served in Malaysia and worked on Iran, China and Counter Terrorism. She takes up the role after 15 months of full-time Arabic-language training

Before joining the FCDO, she worked for an international human rights organisation, the UK Parliament and as a Middle East analyst in the private sector

The UK Special Representative’s role is to lead the UK response to domestic and international activity on Syria and the region, engaging with key actors and partners in particular the Syrian opposition

After starting her work, the UK Syria representative said

“I am delighted to take up this role at a vital, albeit difficult time for Syria, which has now entered its 13^th year of conflict. Syria continues to face a humanitarian catastrophe as injustice and instability ravage the country

The UK will not give up on Syria. Our aid and other assistance to the Syrian people now tops well over £3.8 billion to date, making the UK the third largest bilateral donor to the Syria crisis; our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. We will stay active in our support of UN efforts, as well as in pushing to hold the regime and its backers accountable for the crimes they have committed against the Syrian people. I look forward to working with Syrians and all our partners in the region and internationally on all of these issues

Syria entered its 13^th year of conflict this March, only one month after devastating earthquakes struck the region, exacerbating an already devastated county.M