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The United Nations General Assembly has approved a resolution to establish an independent body tasked with determining the fate of over 130,000 people who went missing during the prolonged conflict in Syria.
The resolution, adopted on Thursday with 83 votes in favor, 11 opposed, and 62 abstentions among the 193-member world body, represents a significant response to the appeals made by the families and loved ones of the missing individuals. Notably, Syria, along with Russia, China, Belarus, North Korea, Cuba, and Iran, opposed the resolution and expressed their unwillingness to cooperate with the new institution.
Luxembourg played a leading role in spearheading the resolution, which highlights the lack of progress in alleviating the suffering of families who have been left without answers regarding the fate and whereabouts of their missing loved ones after 12 years of conflict in Syria. The resolution authorizes the establishment of an Independent Institution of Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic, operating under the auspices of the United Nations. Its primary objective is to uncover the truth about the missing persons and provide support to the victims, survivors, and their families.
The resolution emphasizes the inclusion of victims, survivors, and families in the new institution, which will be guided by principles such as “do no harm,” impartiality, transparency, and the confidentiality of sources and information. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is now tasked with presenting the terms of reference for the institution within 80 working days and taking swift action to establish and operationalize the body.
Human Rights Watch, based in New York, has stressed the importance of providing the new organization with the necessary resources and tools to fulfill its mandate effectively. Louis Charbonneau, the UN director of Human Rights Watch, emphasized that member countries should ensure that the institution is adequately staffed and equipped to determine the fate of the thousands of missing individuals during Syria’s 12-year-long conflict. Charbonneau affirmed that the people of Syria deserve nothing less.
In contrast, Syrian Ambassador Bassam Sabbagh dismissed the resolution as “politicized” and criticized it as an interference in Syria’s internal affairs. Sabbagh characterized the resolution as further evidence of the “hostile approach” of the United States and Western nations towards his country. He asserted that Syria has already addressed the issue of missing persons, processed disappearance claims submitted to law enforcement authorities, and conducted independent investigations based on available information and resources.
The conflict in Syria, now in its 13th year, has resulted in the deaths of nearly half a million people and the displacement of half of the country’s pre-war population of 23 million. The International Commission on Missing Persons has cited UN estimates indicating that over 130,000 Syrians went missing as a result of the conflict in 2021 alone.
Reporting from the UN headquarters in New York, Al Jazeera’s diplomatic editor James Bays noted that the resolution stood out due to the significant number of Arab countries abstaining from the vote. Bays highlighted that the majority of Arab countries that had previously supported the Syrian opposition chose to abstain, with only Kuwait and Qatar in favor. He also raised concerns about the potential challenges of gaining cooperation from the Syrian government, as it has not collaborated with any existing international bodies investigating missing persons during the 12-year-long Syrian war.