Syria: Prioritise search for the missing, justice for victims

This article is published in association with United Nations.

The international community owes it to the Syrian people “to listen, to act and to work tirelessly” so the crimes of the deposed Assad regime can never happen again, the top UN envoy for the country said on Thursday.

Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen is engaging with all parties who have a stake in the political future of the country “on the way forward” towards a peaceful and Syrian-led transition, the UN chief António Guterres said on Wednesday.

The Secretary-General stressed there were clear “signs of hope” for the future.

The world owes it to the Syrian people to listen, to act and to work tirelessly toward a future where such horrors can never recur

In his statement, Mr. Pedersen focused on the extraordinary images and stories emerging from the newly liberated prisons of the former regime.

“Despite extensive documentation and testimonies, they only scratch the surface of the carceral system’s horrors,” he said.

‘Decisive, compassionate action’

“These images are a profound testament to unspeakable suffering and pain beyond comprehension endured by those detained, their families, and their loved ones.

Now is the time for “decisive, compassionate action”, he continued, urging the international community and all concerned parties to provide support to families of those missing and detained.

This includes medical care, psychological support, legal assistance, and safe shelter.

Meanwhile, all evidence of the crimes committed in Syria’s detention centres must be secured “to aid families in their search for justice and accountability.”

“We must prioritise accounting for the missing, ensuring that families receive the clarity and recognition they desperately need…Justice for the victims and their families is not only a right but also essential for healing and for preventing further violations.”

Combined effort

Mr. Pedersen also called for the humanitarian needs of those freed to be prioritised with “countless” Syrians still being held arbitrarily within the country’s borders by various groups across the war-shattered country.

“They must be immediately released,” he said, calling for all parties to cooperate with specialised UN bodies such as the Independent Institution on Missing Persons (IIMP), the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) and the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria (CoI), together with relevant international and national bodies.

“The world owes it to the Syrian people to listen, to act, and to work tirelessly toward a future where such horrors can never recur,” he concluded.

Chemical weapons watchdog preparing mission to Syria

The UN-backed Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is preparing to send a team of experts to Syria “as soon as the security situation allows it,” the weapons watchdog said on Thursday.

That’s one of the conclusions from an emergency meeting held following a request from OPCW Director-General, Ambassador Fernando Arias.

In his opening remarks, he reminded the Council that Syria under the Assad regime has never declared its full weapons programme despite their use on multiple occasions during the long civil conflict.

“In the past days, the Secretariat has been closely monitoring the situation in Syria,” said Director-General Arias.

Still volatile

“The political and security situation in the country remains volatile…The ultimate goal is to achieve the complete elimination of Syria’s chemical weapons programme, and to take part in the process of the international accountability of the former Syrian government and any other identified perpetrators.” 

The process began 11 years ago when Syria first acceded to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).

The OPCW Technical Secretariat, through its Declaration Assessment Team (DAT), has been working over the years to address gaps, discrepancies, and inconsistencies in Syria’s initial declaration and the issue has been regularly addressed in the UN Security Council.

Mr. Arias said Syria now needs “to come into full compliance and, at last, fulfil all its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention, relinquishing what is left of its chemical weapons programme.”

OPCW

Following the decision by the Security Council to mandate Syrian chemical weapons inspections, an OPCW team prepared to leave for Syria on Monday 30 September 2013 (file photo).

WFP scaling up aid

Meanwhile on the humanitarian front, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is scaling up food assistance programmes across Syria to reach an estimated 2.8 million displaced and food-insecure people, the emergency food agency announced on Thursday.

The spillover from years of civil conflict and months of fighting in neighbouring Lebanon and Israel – stemming in turn from the Israel-Hamas war – meant the country was already deeply destabilised before the regime was deposed by the de facto authorities in Damascus.

“During this critical time for Syria, WFP teams are on-the-ground ensuring that the country’s most vulnerable people receive the urgent food assistance they need,” said Country Director in Syria Kenn Crossley.

Faltering economy

“Right now, commercial supply routes are compromised, food prices are soaring, and the Syrian currency is depreciating. Essential items such as rice, sugar and oil are in short supply and bread prices have spiked, making it critically important that we scale-up our efforts to assist during this winter season.”

WFP urgently needs $250 million in the next six months to buy and deliver food assistance for up to 2.8 million displaced and vulnerable.

The agency has one of its largest country operations already in place across Syria, spanning seven offices. This presence has enabled WFP to quickly scale-up over the past two weeks, providing daily ready-to-eat rations, food baskets, fresh and hot meals, to nearly 70,000 displaced people in hard-hit areas.

Food distributions and hot meal services provided by WFP pre-crisis have already resumed for displaced people in Homs, Aleppo, Raqqa and Al-Hasakah, after days of instability and unrest.

Nearly 14 years of war have left many Syrians in a vulnerable state; some 12.9 million people were food insecure at the start of 2024, including three million severely food insecure.

“Food aid is not only a lifeline for ensuring nutritional needs are met during a crisis,” stressed Mr. Crossley, “it’s a reassuring presence that lets communities know they are not alone in what can feel like a very vulnerable, and isolating moment in their lives.”