The Syrian Constitutional Committee held its first meeting under UN auspices on 30 October in Geneva. The 150 delegates representing the Syrian regime, the opposition and civil society –equally split among the three groups – have the mandate to come up with a new constitution, although it is not clear to what extent previous texts will serve as a reference. A smaller tripartite group of 45 delegates will be in charge of the detailed drafting of the text. However, the Committee faces a number of challenges, including decision making rules that make the adoption of resolutions difficult (resolutions must be adopted by unanimity or a 75% majority), a contested representation (including by the political wing of the Kurdish Syrian democratic forces that has been excluded) and the absence of a clear calendar and deadline to come up with a final outcome. Furthermore, the process is perceived as largely Russian-driven. However, Geir Pedersen, UN Special envoy for Syria, stressed that this meeting was a positive development. The European Union also reacted positively to the celebration of the meeting, hailing it as “an important and long-awaited moment”, although it acknowledges that the “Committee alone will not resolve the Syrian conflict”.