Paulo Pinheiro, the head of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria under the United Nations, urged members of the UN General Assembly to "establish a mechanism to uncover the missing persons in this country," estimating their number to be "around 100,000." Pinheiro stated that "there are many things that can be done to support the victims and survivors in the search process, as families have waited a long time." He emphasized that "this issue seriously affects people from all political and geographic backgrounds in Syria, and the upcoming report from the UN Secretary-General should lead to immediate concrete action regarding the fate of these civilians and their families."
The UN commission expressed its "full readiness to support the work of this international mechanism through the vast amount of information it has gathered since 2011 in this regard," affirming that it "welcomes all contributions that human rights and humanitarian organizations may launch to uncover the fate of detainees and missing persons in Syria."
The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, is expected to soon release the results of a study requested by the General Assembly on how to enhance efforts to clarify the fate of missing persons in Syria, their locations and endeavors, identify human remains, and provide support to families.
