UN adopts post-Assad Syria resolution recognizing women searching for missing family

The United Nations General Assembly has designated December 19 as an international day recognizing women who search for missing family members, in the first resolution Damascus has submitted to the body since Bashar al-Assad’s government fell in December 2024.

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the worst missing persons crisis in modern history

The Syrian-sponsored resolution draws attention to women searching for relatives missing after years of war, detention, enforced disappearances and displacement. It calls on member states and other relevant actors to mark the day with events recognizing the women’s efforts and the consequences they have faced.

The resolution also encourages governments and the UN system to take concrete measures against discrimination and violence targeting women searchers. It urges them to protect their rights and include them in discussions and decisions concerning their missing loved ones.

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from a dark period in which this pain was denied, and the suffering of its victims was concealed

Ibrahim Olabi, Syria’s permanent representative to the UN, told the General Assembly that Syrian women had faced “the worst missing persons crisis in modern history.” He said Syria had moved from “a dark period in which this pain was denied, and the suffering of its victims was concealed” toward acknowledgment of the tragedy, transparent efforts to address it and international support for those affected.

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despite the Damascus regime

Olabi also emphasized the political shift behind the initiative. The missing persons issue had previously reached the General Assembly despite Damascus, he said. This time, the initiative came from Damascus itself, as Syria’s new authorities seek to reshape their approach to the issue.

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from Damascus itself