UN forms independent body to find fate of missing people in Syria

Despite Damascus' objections, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, formed an independent panel on Thursday with the goal of "clarifying" the fate of thousands of people who have gone missing in Syria since the beginning of the conflict in the country in 2011.

Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, called for the formation of an independent panel for Syrians. 

According to non-governmental organizations, 100,000 individuals have gone missing since the beginning of a harsh crackdown on anti-government protests in the country. More than 500,000 people have also been killed due to the conflict.

Bassam Sabbagh, Syria's permanent representative to the United Nations in New York City, reportedly said, “After 12 years of conflict and violence in the Syrian Arab Republic, little progress has been achieved in alleviating the suffering of people by providing answers as to the fate and whereabouts of all missing persons in the country.”

During the meeting on Thursday, Syria, Russia, the People’s Republic of China and the Islamic Republic of Iran objected to the formation of a new body, saying it had not been consulted on the United Nations (UN) resolution.

During the meeting, UNGA adopted a resolution, which called for the United Nations Human Rights Office, commonly known as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, to work on the new organization's mandate in the next 80 days.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights wrote on Twitter, “A much-needed initiative! Families have the right to know the fate of loved ones, to help heal society as a whole.”

Louis Charbonneau, the United Nations director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said in a statement, “UN member nations should ensure that this new institution has the staff and resources necessary to determine what happened to thousands of people who vanished during the 12 years of conflict.”