"I am pleased to announce the agreement of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic and the Syrian Negotiations Commission for a credible, balanced and inclusive constitutional committee that will be facilitated by the United Nations in Geneva," Guterres told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York.

The constitutional committee is to be tasked with rewriting a constitution for the war-torn country.

The Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen will convene the constitutional committee in the coming weeks.

"I strongly believe that the launch of the Syrian-owned and Syrian-led constitutional committee can and must be the beginning of the political path out of the tragedy toward a solution in line with (UN Security Council) Resolution 2254 (2015) that meets the legitimate aspirations of all Syrians and is based on a strong commitment to the country's sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity."

The constitutional committee's launch and work must be accompanied by concrete actions to build trust and confidence as Pedersen discharges his mandate to facilitate a broader political process forward, said the UN chief.