The Human Rights Situation in the Syrian Arab Republic

A/HRC/RES/31/17No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 4Human rights situations that require the Council's attention, published in 2016.

What else is in this group?

13 documents · 2011–2019

Newer documents in this group exist (latest: 2019).

2019A/HRC/RES/42/27The human rights situation in the Syrian Arab RepublicCompare with earlier document
2019A/HRC/RES/41/23The human rights situation in the Syrian Arab RepublicCompare with earlier document
2019A/HRC/RES/40/17The human rights situation in the Syrian Arab RepublicCompare with earlier document
2018A/HRC/RES/39/15The human rights situation in the Syrian Arab RepublicCompare with earlier document
2018A/HRC/RES/38/16The human rights situation in the Syrian Arab RepublicCompare with earlier document

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What subjects does this mandate have?

17 topics

Accountability Arbitrary Detention Ceasefires Chemical Weapons Civilian Persons Commissions of Inquiry Disappearance of Persons Financial Assistance Human Rights in Armed Conflicts Human Rights Violations Humanitarian Assistance Internal Security International Humanitarian Law Refugees Syrian Arab Republic Terrorism Torture and Other Cruel Treatment

What does this mandate say?

39 operative paragraphs

Welcomes the cessation of hostilities in the Syrian Arab Republic, demands that all parties to the cessation of hostilities in the Syrian Arab Republic fulfil their commitments, and urges all Member States, especially the members of the International Syria Support Group, to use their influence with the parties to the cessation of hostilities to ensure fulfilment of those commitments, to support efforts to create conditions for a durable and lasting ceasefire, which is essential to achieving a political solution to the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic and to bringing the systematic, widespread and gross violations and abuses of human rights and violations of humanitarian law to an end;

Also welcomes the work of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, and notes the importance of the work of the Commission of Inquiry and the information it has collected in support of future accountability efforts, in particular the information on those who have allegedly violated international law;

Demands that the Syrian authorities cooperate fully with the Human Rights Council and the Commission of Inquiry by granting it immediate, full and unfettered access throughout the Syrian Arab Republic;

Decides to extend for one year the mandate of the Commission of Inquiry, established by the Human Rights Council in its resolution S-17/1 of 23 August 2011, to investigate all alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law since March 2011 in the Syrian Arab Republic, to establish the facts and circumstances and to support efforts to ensure that perpetrators of abuses and violations, including those who may be responsible for crimes against humanity, are held accountable;

Requests the Commission of Inquiry to provide an oral update during an interactive dialogue at the thirty-second session of the Human Rights Council and to present a written updated report during the interactive dialogue at the thirty-third and thirty-fourth sessions;

Strongly condemns the continued systematic, widespread and gross violations and abuses of human rights and all violations of international humanitarian law by the Syrian authorities and affiliated militias, including foreign terrorist fighters and those foreign organizations fighting on behalf of the Syrian authorities, in particular Hizbullah, and expresses deep concern that their involvement further exacerbates the deteriorating situation in the Syrian Arab Republic, including the human rights and humanitarian situation, which has a serious negative impact on the region;

Stresses the importance of efforts to sustain the Cessation of Hostilities that came into force on 27 February 2016 and the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and of the full implementation of Security Council resolutions 2178 (2014) of 24 September 2014, 2199 (2015) of 12 February 2015, 2249 (2015) of 20 November 2015, 2253 (2015) of 17 December 2015, 2254 (2015) and 2268 (2016);

Strongly condemns the terrorist acts and violence committed against civilians by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Daesh), al-Nusrah Front or other terrorist organizations designated by the Security Council, and their continued gross, systematic and widespread abuses of international human rights law and violations of international humanitarian law, and reaffirms that terrorism, including the actions of the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Daesh), cannot and should not be associated with any religion, nationality or civilization;

Condemns in the strongest terms the gross and systematic abuse of women’s and children’s rights by the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Daesh), in particular the enslavement and sexual abuse of women and girls, enforced disappearances and the forced recruitment and abduction of children;

Condemns all violations and abuses of international human rights law and all violations of international humanitarian law, including against women and children, and persons with disabilities, and urges all parties to the conflict not to commit indiscriminate attacks against the civilian population and civilian objects, including against medical facilities and schools as such, to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and to respect international human rights law;

Strongly condemns the widespread practice of enforced disappearance and the use of sexual violence and torture, especially in detention centres, including those acts referenced in the reports of the Commission of Inquiry, as well as those depicted in the evidence presented by “Caesar” in January 2014, notes that such acts may constitute violations or abuses of international human rights law or violations of international humanitarian law, condemns the denial of medical services in all prisons and detention facilities, recognizes the permanent damage from torture to victims and their families, and calls for the appropriate international monitoring bodies to be granted immediate access without undue restriction to all detainees and for the Syrian authorities to publish a list of all detention facilities;

Also strongly condemns all enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention by the Syrian authorities and all parties to the conflict, and demands the immediate release of all persons arbitrarily detained, including women, children, human rights defenders, humanitarian aid providers, medical personnel and journalists;

Welcomes the fact that the Joint Investigative Mechanism, which was established by the Security Council in its resolution 2235 (2015) of 7 August 2015 to identify those involved in the use of any toxic chemical, such as chlorine or any other chemical, as a weapon in the Syrian Arab Republic, became fully operational in November 2015, and calls upon all parties in the Syrian Arab Republic to extend their full cooperation to the Joint Investigative Mechanism and the fact-finding mission and the declaration assessment team of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and underscores the importance of seeking accountability for those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law in this context;

Reiterates its condemnation in the strongest terms of any use of any toxic chemical, such as chlorine, as a weapon in the Syrian Arab Republic, and recalls the decision of the Security Council that the Syrian Arab Republic shall not use, develop, produce, otherwise acquire, stockpile or retain chemical weapons, or transfer, directly or indirectly, chemical weapons to other States or non-State actors;

Calls upon the Syrian authorities and all other parties to the conflict to ensure the effective implementation of Security Council resolutions 2139 (2014) of 22 February 2014 and 2254 (2015), in which the Council strongly condemned the arbitrary detention and torture of civilians in the Syrian Arab Republic, notably in prisons and detention facilities, as well as kidnappings, abductions and forced disappearances, and demanded the immediate end of these practices;

Strongly condemns all use of starvation of civilians as a method of combat, and all besiegement directed against civilian populations;

Condemns the destruction of the structures of civilian life as a result of the conflict, and calls upon all parties to comply fully with their obligations under international law, including the obligation to distinguish military from civilian objectives, and, accordingly, to refrain from deliberately targeting civilians and to put an end to all indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks;

Also condemns the Syrian authorities’ use of heavy weapons, cluster munitions and aerial bombardments, including any indiscriminate use of ballistic missiles and barrel bombs, and attacks against civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities;

Condemns in the strongest terms the increasing number of mass casualty incidents, including any which may constitute a war crime, taking place in the Syrian Arab Republic, and requests the Commission of Inquiry to continue to investigate all such acts;

Stresses the need to promote accountability for those responsible for the unlawful killings of civilians, and also stresses the importance of holding to account those responsible for all violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of international human rights law;

Strongly condemns violence against all persons based on their religious or ethnic affiliation;

Demands that all parties take all appropriate steps to protect civilians, including members of ethnic, religious and confessional communities, and stresses that, in this regard, the primary responsibility to protect the Syrian population lies with the Syrian authorities;

Strongly condemns the damage and destruction of the cultural heritage of the Syrian Arab Republic, and the organized looting and trafficking of its cultural property, as outlined by the Security Council in its resolution 2199 (2015);

Also strongly condemns the reported forced displacement of the population in the Syrian Arab Republic and the alarming impact on the demography of the country, and calls upon all parties concerned to cease immediately all activities related to these actions, including any activities that may amount to crimes against humanity;

Calls upon the international community to support the leadership and full participation of women in all efforts aimed at finding a political solution to the Syrian Arab Republic, as envisaged by the Security Council in its resolutions 1325 (2000) of 31 October 2000, 2122 (2013) of 18 October 2013 and 2254 (2015);

Recalls that the International Criminal Court was established to help to end impunity for such crimes where the State is unwilling or unable to genuinely carry out investigations or prosecutions;

Emphasizes the need to ensure that all those responsible for violations of international humanitarian law or violations and abuses of international human rights law are held to account through appropriate, fair and independent domestic or international criminal justice mechanisms, and stresses the need to pursue practical steps towards this goal, noting the important role that the International Criminal Court can play in this regard;

Reaffirms that, in the context of an inclusive and credible dialogue, the Syrian people should determine the appropriate process and mechanisms to achieve justice, reconciliation, truth and accountability for gross violations and abuses of international law, as well as reparations and effective remedies for victims;

Emphasizes that all efforts to bring a peaceful conclusion to the ongoing conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic must fully reflect the importance of ensuring accountability for the crimes committed in the country as a prerequisite to bring about reconciliation and sustainable peace;

Reaffirms its commitment to international efforts to find a political solution to the Syrian crisis that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people for a civil, democratic and pluralistic State, where all citizens are equal, regardless of gender, religion and ethnicity;

Expresses deep concern at the growing number of refugees and internally displaced persons fleeing the violence in the Syrian Arab Republic, welcomes the efforts by neighbouring countries to host Syrian refugees, and acknowledges the socioeconomic consequences of the presence of large-scale refugee populations in those countries;

Deplores the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Syrian Arab Republic, and urges the international community to provide urgent financial support to enable the host countries to respond to the growing humanitarian needs of Syrian refugees, while emphasizing the principle of burden-sharing;

Welcomes the initiative of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Germany, Norway and Kuwait to co-host the London conference on 4 February 2016, which raised new funding to meet the immediate and long-term needs of those affected by the Syrian crisis, and calls upon all members of the international community to respond expeditiously to the Syrian humanitarian appeals and to fulfil all previous pledges;

Demands that the Syrian authorities facilitate, and all other parties to the conflict do not hinder, the full, immediate and safe access of the United Nations and humanitarian actors, including to hard-to-reach and besieged areas, in accordance with Security Council resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014) of 14 July 2014, 2191 (2014) of 17 December 2014, 2254 (2015), 2258 (2015) of 22 December 2015 and 2268 (2016), and calls upon Member States to fund fully the United Nations appeals;

Takes note of those countries outside the region that have put in place measures and policies to assist and to host Syrian refugees, and encourages them to do more, and encourages other States outside the region to consider implementing similar measures and policies, also with a view to providing Syrian refugees with protection and humanitarian assistance;

Reaffirms that there can only be a political solution to the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic, and urges the parties to the conflict to abstain from actions that may contribute to the continuing deterioration of the human rights, security and humanitarian situation, in order to reach a genuine political transition, based on the Geneva communiqué, consistent with Security Council resolutions 2254 (2015) and 2268 (2016);

Demands that all parties work urgently towards the comprehensive implementation of the Geneva communiqué, including through the establishment of an inclusive transitional governing body with full executive powers, which shall be formed on the basis of mutual consent while ensuring the continuity of governmental institutions;

Decides to transmit all reports and oral updates of the Commission of Inquiry to all relevant bodies of the United Nations, recommends that the General Assembly submit the reports to the Security Council for appropriate action, expresses its appreciation to the Commission for its briefings to members of the Security Council, and recommends the continuation of future briefings;

Also decides to remain seized of the matter.

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