A/RES/77/230 GA
Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly
77
Session
92
Yes
14
No
71
Abstentions
| Draft symbol | A/C.3/77/L.36/Rev.1 |
|---|---|
| Adopted symbol | A/RES/77/230 |
| Category | SOCIAL CONDITIONS AND EQUITY |
| P5 Positions |
|
| UN Document | A/RES/77/230 ↗ |
Vote Recorded Vote — A/77/PV.54
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Angola
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Antigua and Barbuda
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Armenia
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Azerbaijan
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Bahrain
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Bangladesh
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Belize
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Bhutan
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Brunei Darussalam
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Burundi
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Cameroon
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Central African Republic
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Chad
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Congo
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Djibouti
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Egypt
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Equatorial Guinea
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Eswatini
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Fiji
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Gabon
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Gambia
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Ghana
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Grenada
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Guinea
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Guinea-Bissau
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Guyana
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Haiti
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India
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Indonesia
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Iraq
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Kazakhstan
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Kenya
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Kyrgyzstan
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Lao People's Democratic Republic
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Lebanon
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Libya
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Madagascar
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Malaysia
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Mali
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Mauritania
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Mauritius
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Mongolia
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Mozambique
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Namibia
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Nepal
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Niger
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Nigeria
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Oman
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Pakistan
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Paraguay
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Philippines
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Rwanda
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Saint Kitts and Nevis
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Saint Lucia
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Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
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Sierra Leone
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Singapore
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Solomon Islands
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South Africa
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Sri Lanka
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Sudan
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Tajikistan
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Togo
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Tonga
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Trinidad and Tobago
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Tunisia
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Uganda
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United Arab Emirates
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United Republic of Tanzania
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Viet Nam
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Zambia
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Albania
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Andorra
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Argentina
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Australia
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Austria
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Bahamas
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Barbados
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Belgium
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Benin
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Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Botswana
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Brazil
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Bulgaria
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Cabo Verde
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Canada
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Chile
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Colombia
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Costa Rica
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Côte d'Ivoire
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Croatia
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Cyprus
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Czechia
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Denmark
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Dominican Republic
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Ecuador
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El Salvador
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Estonia
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Finland
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France
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Georgia
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Germany
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Greece
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Guatemala
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Honduras
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Hungary
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Iceland
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Ireland
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Israel
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Italy
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Jamaica
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Japan
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Jordan
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Kiribati
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Kuwait
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Latvia
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Liberia
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Liechtenstein
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Lithuania
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Luxembourg
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Malawi
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Malta
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Marshall Islands
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Mexico
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Micronesia (Federated States of)
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Monaco
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Montenegro
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Morocco
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Myanmar
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Nauru
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Netherlands
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New Zealand
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North Macedonia
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Norway
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Palau
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Panama
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Papua New Guinea
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Peru
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Poland
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Portugal
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Qatar
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Republic of Korea
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Moldova
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Romania
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Samoa
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San Marino
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Saudi Arabia
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Senegal
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Slovakia
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Slovenia
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Spain
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Suriname
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Sweden
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Switzerland
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Thailand
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Timor-Leste
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Tuvalu
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Türkiye
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Ukraine
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United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
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United States of America
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Uruguay
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Yemen
Full text of resolution
United Nations
A/RES/77/230
General Assembly
Distr.: General
9 January 2023
22-28996 (E) 120123
*2228996*
Seventy-seventh session
Agenda item 68 (c)
Promotion and protection of human rights: human
rights situations and reports of special rapporteurs
and representatives
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly
on 15 December 2022
[on the report of the Third Committee (A/77/463/Add.3, para. 29)]
77/230. Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic
The General Assembly,
Guided by the Charter of the United Nations,
Reaffirming the purposes and principles of the Charter, the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights1 and relevant international human rights treaties,
including the International Covenants on Human Rights, 2
Reaffirming its strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and
territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic and to the principles of the Charter,
and strongly demanding that the Syrian regime meet its responsibility to protect the
Syrian population and to respect, protect and fulfil the human rights of all persons
within its territory and subject to its jurisdiction,
Recalling its resolutions 66/176 of 19 December 2011, 66/253 A of 16 February
2012, 66/253 B of 3 August 2012, 67/183 of 20 December 2012, 67/262 of 15 May
2013, 68/182 of 18 December 2013, 69/189 of 18 December 2014, 70/234 of
23 December 2015, 71/130 of 9 December 2016, 71/203 of 19 December 2016,
71/248 of 21 December 2016, 73/182 of 17 December 2018, 74/169 of 18 December
2019, 74/262 of 27 December 2019, 75/193 of 16 December 2020 and 76/228 of
24 December 2021, Human Rights Council resolutions S-16/1 of 29 April 2011,3
__________________
1 Resolution 217 A (III).
2 Resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.
3 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-sixth Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/66/53),
chap. I.
A/RES/77/230
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S-17/1 of 23 August 2011,4 S-18/1 of 2 December 2011,5 19/1 of 1 March 2012,6 19/22
of 23 March 2012,7 S-19/1 of 1 June 2012,8 20/22 of 6 July 2012,9 21/26 of
28 September 2012,10 22/24 of 22 March 2013,11 23/1 of 29 May 2013,12 23/26 of
14 June 2013,13 24/22 of 27 September 2013,14 25/23 of 28 March 2014,15 26/23 of
27 June 2014,16 27/16 of 25 September 2014,17 28/20 of 27 March 2015,18 29/16 of
2 July 2015,19 30/10 of 1 October 2015,20 31/17 of 23 March 2016,21 32/25 of 1 July
2016,22 33/23 of 30 September 2016,23 S-25/1 of 21 October 2016,24 34/26 of
24 March 2017,25 35/26 of 23 June 2017,26 36/20 of 29 September 2017,27 39/15 of
28 September 2018,28 40/17 of 22 March 2019,29 41/23 of 12 July 2019,30 42/27 of
27 September 2019,31 43/28 of 22 June 2020,32 44/21 of 17 July 2020,33 45/21 of
6 October 2020,34 46/22 of 24 March 2021,35 47/18 of 13 July 2021,36 48/15 of
8 October 2021,37 49/27 of 1 April 2022,38 50/19 of 8 July 202239 and 51/26 of
7 October 2022,40 Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000) of 31 October 2000, 2042
(2012) of 14 April 2012, 2043 (2012) of 21 April 2012, 2118 (2013) of 27 September
2013, 2139 (2014) of 22 February 2014, 2165 (2014) of 14 July 2014, 2170 (2014) of
15 August 2014, 2178 (2014) of 24 September 2014, 2191 (2014) of 17 December
2014, 2209 (2015) of 6 March 2015, 2235 (2015) of 7 August 2015, 2242 (2015) of
13 October 2015, 2254 (2015) of 18 December 2015, 2258 (2015) of 22 December
2015, 2268 (2016) of 26 February 2016, 2286 (2016) of 3 May 2016, 2314 (2016) of
31 October 2016, 2319 (2016) of 17 November 2016, 2328 (2016) of 19 December
__________________
4 Ibid.
5 Ibid., Supplement No. 53B and corrigendum (A/66/53/Add.2 and A/66/53/Add.2/Corr.1), chap. II.
6 Ibid., Sixty-seventh Session, Supplement No. 53 and corrigendum (A/67/53 and A/67/53/Corr.1),
chap. III, sect. A.
7 Ibid.
8 Ibid., chap. V.
9 Ibid., chap. IV, sect. A.
10 Ibid., Supplement No. 53A (A/67/53/Add.1), chap. III.
11 Ibid., Sixty-eighth Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/68/53), chap. IV, sect. A.
12 Ibid., chap. V, sect. A.
13 Ibid.
14 Ibid., Supplement No. 53A (A/68/53/Add.1), chap. III.
15 Ibid., Sixty-ninth Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/69/53), chap. IV, sect. A.
16 Ibid., chap. V, sect. A.
17 Ibid., Supplement No. 53A and corrigenda (A/69/53/Add.1, A/69/53/Add.1/Corr.1 and
A/69/53/Add.1/Corr.2), chap. IV, sect. A.
18 Ibid., Seventieth Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/70/53), chap. II.
19 Ibid., chap. V, sect. A.
20 Ibid., Supplement No. 53A (A/70/53/Add.1), chap. II.
21 Ibid., Seventy-first Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/71/53), chap. II.
22 Ibid., chap. IV, sect. A.
23 Ibid., Supplement No. 53A and corrigendum (A/71/53/Add.1 and A/71/53/Add.1/Corr.1), chap. II.
24 Ibid., Supplement No. 53B and corrigendum (A/71/53/Add.2 and A/71/53/Add.2/Corr.1), chap. II.
25 Ibid., Seventy-second Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/72/53), chap. II.
26 Ibid., chap. V, sect. A.
27 Ibid., Supplement No. 53A (A/72/53/Add.1), chap. III.
28 Ibid., Seventy-third Session, Supplement No. 53A (A/73/53/Add.1), chap. III.
29 Ibid., Seventy-fourth Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/74/53), chap. IV, sect. A.
30 Ibid., chap. V, sect. A.
31 Ibid., Supplement No. 53A (A/74/53/Add.1), chap. III.
32 Ibid., Seventy-fifth Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/75/53), chap. IV, sect. A.
33 Ibid., chap. V, sect. A.
34 Ibid., Supplement No. 53A (A/75/53/Add.1), chap. III.
35 Ibid., Seventy-sixth Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/76/53), chap. V, sect. A.
36 Ibid., chap. VII, sect. A.
37 Ibid. Supplement No. 53A (A/76/53/Add.1), chap. IV, sect. A.
38 Ibid., Seventy-seventh Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/77/53), chap. VI, sect. A.
39 Ibid., chap. VIII, sect. A.
40 Ibid., Supplement No. 53A (A/77/53/Add.1), chap. III, sect. A.
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2016, 2332 (2016) of 21 December 2016, 2336 (2016) of 31 December 2016, 2393
(2017) of 19 December 2017, 2401 (2018) of 24 February 2018, 2449 (2018) of
13 December 2018, 2504 (2020) of 10 January 2020, 2533 (2020) of 11 July 2020,
2585 (2021) of 9 July 2021 and 2642 (2022) of 12 July 2022, and the statements by
the President of the Security Council of 3 August 2011,41 2 October 2013,42 17 August
201543 and 8 October 2019,44
Deploring the fact that March 2022 marked 11 years since the peaceful uprising
and its brutal repression that led to the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic, which
has had and continues to have a devastating impact on civilians, including through
grave violations and abuses of international human rights law and violations of
international humanitarian law,
Strongly condemning the grave human rights situation in the Syrian Arab
Republic, the indiscriminate killing and deliberate targeting of civilians, including
humanitarian workers, including those involving the continued indiscriminate use of
heavy weapons and aerial bombardments, which has caused more than 500,000
fatalities, including the killing of more than 29,000 children, the continued
widespread and systematic gross violations, as well as abuses, of human rights and
violations of international humanitarian law, including by the starvation of civilians
as a method of warfare and the use of chemical weapons, including sarin and chlorine
gas, and sulfur mustard, which are prohibited under international law, and acts of
violence by the Syrian regime that foment sectarian tensions within the Syrian
population,
Welcoming the work of the Investigation and Identification Team of the
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, noting its findings in its two
reports to date, and anticipating the publication of its reports into further chemical
weapons attacks, including those perpetrated in Mari‘ on 1 September 2015 and in
Duma on 7 April 2018,
Noting with grave concern that the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights has identified 306,887 civilians by full name,
together with an established date of death and location, who were killed in the conflict
in the Syrian Arab Republic between March 2011 and March 2022 and that, of those
identified, 26,727 were women and 27,126 were children, recalling also that the list
compiled by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
indicates a minimum verifiable number and is certainly an undercount of the actual
number of killings,
Recalling its demand that all parties, especially the Syrian regime, take all
appropriate steps to protect civilians, including members of ethnic and religious
communities,
Reiterating that the only sustainable solution to the current crisis in the Syrian
Arab Republic is through an inclusive and Syrian-led political process, under the
auspices of the United Nations, that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian
people in line with Security Council resolution 2254 (2015), with a view to
establishing credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance, with the full, equal and
meaningful participation and leadership of all women and youth at all levels,
__________________
41 S/PRST/2011/16; see Resolutions and Decisions of the Security Council, 1 August 2011–31 July
2012 (S/INF/67).
42 S/PRST/2013/15; see Resolutions and Decisions of the Security Council, 1 August 2013–31 July
2014 (S/INF/69).
43 S/PRST/2015/15; see Resolutions and Decisions of the Security Council, 1 August 2015–31 December
2016 (S/INF/71).
44 S/PRST/2019/12.
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welcoming the establishment of the Constitutional Committee, reaffirming in this
regard the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and
in peacebuilding, stressing the importance of their full, equal and meaningful
participation and involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of
peace and security and their role in decision-making with regard to conflict prevention
and resolution, and recognizing the work carried out by the Special Envoy of the
Secretary-General for Syria to that end,
Expressing concern that the implementation of Security Council resolutions
2254 (2015) and 2268 (2016) remains unresolved,
Reiterating the urgent need to strengthen efforts to address the humanitarian
situation in the Syrian Arab Republic, including through the protection of civilians
and safe, full, immediate, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access throughout
the Syrian Arab Republic, including through the continuation of cross-border
assistance, as recalled by the Security Council in its resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165
(2014), 2191 (2014), 2258 (2015), 2286 (2016), 2393 (2017), 2401 (2018), 2449
(2018), 2504 (2020), 2533 (2020), 2585 (2021) and 2642 (2022),
Welcoming the efforts of the Special Envoy to advance United Nations efforts
to achieve a sustainable political solution to the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic
in line with Security Council resolution 2254 (2015), recalling the importance of
advancing the work of the Constitutional Committee and achieving tangible results,
and in that regard urging all parties to engage meaningfully in the work of the
Constitutional Committee, particularly the Syrian regime, and underlining that a
political solution to the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic requires full
implementation of all aspects of resolution 2254 (2015), including the holding of free
and fair elections, under the supervision of the United Nations, to the satisfaction of
the governance and to the highest international standards of transparency and
accountability, with all Syrians, including displaced persons, refugees and members
of the diaspora, eligible to participate, as well as the establishment of a neutral and
safe environment, noting that the 2021 presidential elections held in the Syrian Arab
Republic were neither free, fair, nor consistent with the political process called for by
the Council in its resolution 2254 (2015),
Reconfirming its endorsement of the Geneva communiqué of 30 June 2012, 45
endorsing the joint statement on the outcome of the multilateral talks on Syria held in
Vienna of 30 October 2015 and the statement of the International Syria Support Group
of 14 November 2015 (the Vienna statements) in pursuit of the full implementation
of the Geneva communiqué, facilitated by the Special Envoy, as the basis for a Syrian-
led and Syrian-owned political transition in order to end the conflict in the Syrian
Arab Republic, and stressing that the Syrian people will decide the future of the
Syrian Arab Republic,
Welcoming the call made by the Secretary-General for a global ceasefire and
that of the Special Envoy for a complete, immediate and nationwide ceasefire
throughout the Syrian Arab Republic, as endorsed by the Security Council in its
resolutions 2532 (2020) of 1 July 2020 and 2565 (2021) of 26 February 2021, and
reaffirming that Member States must ensure that any measures taken to counter
terrorism comply with all their obligations under international law, in particular
international human rights law, international refugee law and international
humanitarian law, while continuing to support legitimate counter-terrorism operations
against Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as Da’esh), Al-Qaida
and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (formerly known as the Nusrah Front), and all other
__________________
45 Security Council resolution 2118 (2013), annex II.
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individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al-Qaida or ISIL, and
other terrorist groups, which have been designated by the Security Council,
Urging all parties, particularly the Syrian regime, to engage meaningfully in the
political process under the auspices of the Special Envoy and his office in Geneva, in
line with Security Council resolution 2254 (2015), and including the full, equal and
meaningful participation and representation of women, and by girls as appropriate, in
all efforts and decisions, expressing concern for the delays in the Syrian-led and
Syrian-owned Constitutional Committee convened and facilitated by the Special
Envoy in Geneva, and strongly urging the regime to engage in the United Nations-
facilitated Constitutional Committee in line with the agreed terms of reference and
rules of procedure,
Reaffirming the importance of the full implementation of the women, peace and
security agenda of the Security Council, pursuant to Security Council resolution 1325
(2000), and its nine subsequent resolutions, in this regard, and welcoming the
inclusion of civil society in the political process, in particular through the Civil
Society Support Room and Syrian Women’s Advisory Board,
Recognizing that women and girls have been disproportionately affected by
conflict and continue to be among the worst affected and on multiple grounds,
including women becoming the main or sole breadwinners for their families, a
situation that may be exacerbated by the disappearance of their loved ones, while
facing increased caregiving responsibilities and alarming levels of violence,
Noting with deep concern the culture of impunity from within the Syrian regime
for the most serious violations of international law and violations and abuses of
human rights law committed during the present conflict, some of which rise to the
level of war crimes and crimes against humanity, which has provided a fertile ground
for further violations and abuses,
Emphasizing the importance of accountability for the most serious crimes in
violation of international law committed during the conflict for ensuring sustainable
peace,
Recalling all relevant resolutions on the safety and security of humanitarian
personnel and the protection of United Nations personnel, including its resolution
73/137 of 14 December 2018, as well as Security Council resolutions on the
protection of humanitarian personnel, including resolutions 2175 (2014) of 29 August
2014 and 2286 (2016) of 3 May 2016, the relevant statements by the President of the
Security Council referring to the specific obligations under international
humanitarian law to respect and protect, in situations of armed conflict, all medical
personnel and humanitarian workers exclusively engaged in medical duties, their
means of transport, equipment, hospitals and other medical facilities, and to ensure
that the wounded and sick receive, to the fullest extent practicable and with the least
possible delay, the medical care and attention required, and condemning attacks
against hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are collected, including
makeshift hospitals, as well as attacks against medical personnel and humanitarian
workers that are in violation of international humanitarian law,
Expressing grave concern at the continued indiscriminate use of force by the
Syrian regime against civilians, which continues to cause immense human suffering
and fomented the spread of violent extremism and violent extremist groups and which
demonstrates the continuing failure of the Syrian regime to protect the population and
implement the relevant resolutions and decisions of United Nations bodies and has
created a safe haven and operating environment for perpetrators of war crimes and
crimes against humanity,
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Expressing grave concern also at the remaining presence of violent extremism
and violent extremist groups, terrorists and terrorist groups, and strongly condemning
all violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian
law committed in the Syrian Arab Republic by any party to the conflict, in particular
ISIL (also known as Da’esh), Al-Qaida-affiliated terrorist groups, armed groups and
non-State actors, and also the Syrian regime and its allies,
Expressing support for the work carried out by the Independent International
Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, welcoming its reports, strongly
condemning the continued lack of cooperation by the Syrian regime with the
Commission of Inquiry, reiterating its decision to transmit the reports of the
Commission of Inquiry to the Security Council, expressing its appreciation to the
Commission of Inquiry for its briefings to members of the Security Council, and
requesting that the Commission of Inquiry continue to brief the General Assembly and
members of the Security Council,
Condemning in the strongest possible terms the fact that chemical weapons have
been used repeatedly in the Syrian Arab Republic, including the instances
independently attributed by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical
Weapons, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-United Nations
Joint Investigative Mechanism and the Investigation and Identification Team of the
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, noting that the Joint
Investigative Mechanism concluded that the Syrian Arab Armed Forces had been
responsible for attacks that released toxic substances in 2014 and 2015 and that ISIL
(also known as Da’esh) had used sulfur mustard in 2015 and 2016, and further
concluded in October 2017 that the Syrian Arab Air Force had been responsible for
the use of chemical weapons on 4 April 2017 in Khan Shaykhun, and noting also that
the Investigation and Identification Team concluded in April 2020 that there were
reasonable grounds to believe that the Syrian Air Force had carried out three chemical
weapons attacks in Ltamenah in March 2017 and further concluded in April 2021 that
there were reasonable grounds to believe the Syrian Air Force had carried out a
chemical weapons attack in Saraqib in February 2018,
Welcoming the reports for 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 of the International,
Impartial and Independent Mechanism to Assist in the Investigation and Prosecution
of Persons Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law
Committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011 46 and their consideration
by the General Assembly, noting with serious concern the observation of the
Commission of Inquiry that, since March 2011, there are reasonable grounds to
believe that the Syrian regime has conducted widespread and systemic attacks against
the civilian population amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity,
including targeted attacks on protected persons and objects, including medical
facilities, and personnel and transport and blocked humanitarian convoys, as well as
enforced disappearances, torture in detention, arbitrary detentions, summary
executions and other violations and abuses, and underscoring the need for those
allegations to be examined and evidence to be collected and made available for future
accountability efforts,
Noting with serious concern the findings of the Independent International
Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic that non-State armed groups still
resort to the use of force against civilians,
Expressing grave concern about all persons missing as a result of the situation
in the Syrian Arab Republic, including those subject to abductions, enforced
disappearance and arbitrary detention, first and foremost by the Syrian regime, noting
__________________
46 A/73/295, A/73/741, A/74/313, A/74/699, A/75/311, A/75/743 and A/76/690.
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the comments of the Commission of Inquiry and the Special Envoy of the Secretary-
General for Syria that at least 100,000 people are estimated to be missing in the Syrian
Arab Republic, recalling Human Rights Council resolutions 45/3 of 6 October 2020,47
48/15 and 51/26 and Security Council resolutions 2254 (2015), 2139 (2014) and 2191
(2014) in this regard, and encouraging all parties to enhance engagement with the
Office of the Special Envoy on the issue of arbitrary detention, as action to address
enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention is intrinsically linked to protecting the
rights of all Syrians and a lasting political settlement in the Syrian Arab Republic,
Strongly condemning the reported killing of detainees in Syrian military
intelligence facilities and the widespread practice of enforced disappearance,
arbitrary detention and the use of sexual and gender-based violence and torture in
detention centres referred to in the reports of the Commission of Inquiry,
Noting that, consistent with Security Council resolution 2474 (2019) of 11 June
2019, States bear the primary responsibility to respect and ensure the human rights of
all individuals within their territory and subject to their jurisdiction, and that parties
to armed conflict bear the primary responsibility to take all feasible measures to
account for persons reported missing as a result of hostilities and to put in place
appropriate channels enabling response and communication with families on the
search process, and noting also that, in the same resolution, the Council called upon
parties to armed conflict to take steps to prevent persons from going missing as a
result of armed conflict,
Urging the Syrian regime to provide families with the remains of their relatives
whose fate has been disclosed, including those who have been summarily executed,
to take all appropriate measures immediately to protect the lives and rights of all
persons currently detained or unaccounted for, and to clarify the fate of those who
remain missing or are still in custody, in accordance with Security Council resolution
2474 (2019), many of whom still remain in detention and are highly vulnerable to the
coronavirus disease (COVID-19) owing to overcrowded conditions and pre-existing
health issues, such as widespread malnutrition and tuberculosis, despite calls from
the Secretary-General, the Special Envoy and the international community for the
large-scale release of detainees in the Syrian Arab Republic to mitigate the spread of
the virus,
Welcoming the report of the Secretary-General on missing persons in the Syrian
Arab Republic,48 and underscoring the report’s finding that any measure towards
addressing the continuing tragedy of missing persons in the Syrian Arab Republic
requires a coherent and holistic approach going beyond current efforts, which must
be inclusive and centred on victims,
Recalling the statements made by the Secretary-General, the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights and the special procedures of the Human
Rights Council that crimes against humanity and war crimes are likely to have been
committed in the Syrian Arab Republic, noting the repeated encouragement by the
High Commissioner for the Security Council to refer the situation to the International
Criminal Court, and regretting that a draft resolution 49 was not adopted,
notwithstanding broad support from Member States,
Recalling also the report of 6 April 2020 of the United Nations Board of
Inquiry50 into strikes that damaged and destroyed health-care facilities in the north-
__________________
47 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy-fifth Session, Supplement No. 53A
(A/75/53/Add.1), chap. III.
48 A/76/890.
49 S/2014/348.
50 See S/2020/278, annex.
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west of the Syrian Arab Republic, including sites whose coordinates had been
recorded on the United Nations deconfliction list as a step to ensure that they would
not be targeted or impacted by violence, and which in most instances examined,
concluded that it was “highly probable that the strikes had been carried out by the
Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and/or its allies” and found that health-care
services were being provided at the time of some of the strikes and that there were no
armed opposition groups in or near the facilities, and calling upon all parties to adhere
to and comply with the deconfliction mechanism,
Recalling further the report of March 2021 of the Independent International
Commission of Inquiry51 reporting regime and pro-regime forces’ indiscriminate
bombardment of civilian populated areas and deliberate targeting of hospitals and
medical facilities, and areas with large civilian concentrations, including markets,
schools and neighbourhoods, and concluding that government forces had committed
war crimes and crimes against humanity in the conduct of their use of air strikes and
artillery shelling of civilian areas,
Emphasizing that the humanitarian cross-border mechanism remains an
essential and life-saving channel to address the humanitarian needs of a significant
portion of the population of the Syrian Arab Republic, which cannot be reached
through existing operations within the Syrian Arab Republic, and emphasizing the
importance of cross-line operations and that an immediate and significant
improvement in cross-line access to all parts of the Syrian Arab Republic and respect
for principled humanitarian action are essential to prevent further unnecessary
suffering and loss of life,
Recalling its commitment to Security Council resolutions 2170 (2014),
2178 (2014) and 2253 (2015) of 17 December 2015,
Alarmed that more than 5.6 million refugees, including more than 3.8 million
women and children, have been forced to flee the Syrian Arab Republic and that
11.1 million people in the Syrian Arab Republic, of whom 6.6 million are internally
displaced, require urgent humanitarian assistance, which has resulted in an influx of
Syrian refugees into neighbouring countries, other countries in the region and beyond,
and alarmed also at the risk the situation presents to regional and international
stability,
Calling for the immediate repeal of Law No. 10/2018, concerned about the
Syrian regime’s infringement on the housing, land and property of Syrians,
particularly through the dispossession of displaced Syrians’ land and property in the
national legislation and similar measures, which would have a significant detrimental
impact on the rights of Syrians displaced by the conflict to claim their property and
to return to their homes in a safe, voluntary and dignified manner when the situation
on the ground allows it, and expressing concern about reports of armed groups’ abuses
of Syrians’ housing, land and property rights in areas under their control,
Expressing its profound indignation at the death of more than 29,000 children
and the many more injured since the beginning of the peaceful protests in March 2011,
and at all violations and abuses committed against children, in particular by the Syrian
regime, in contravention of applicable international law, including those involving
their recruitment and use, abduction, killing and maiming and rape and other forms
of sexual and gender-based violence, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of
humanitarian access, as well as their arbitrary arrest, detention, torture and ill-
treatment and their use as human shields, and noting in this regard the adoption on
18 July 2019 of the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict
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51 A/HRC/46/55.
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conclusions on children and armed conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic 52 as well as
the report of 13 January 2020 of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry
entitled “They have erased the dreams of my children: children’s rights in the Syrian
Arab Republic”, and emphasizing that the Syrian regime and its allies must comply
with their applicable international law obligations that are relevant to children,
including under the Convention on the Rights of the Child 53 and the Optional
Protocols thereto,54
Noting with concern that the Hawl camp currently hosts over 58,000 people,
93 per cent of whom are women and children, including some 35,000 children under
12 years of age who live under extremely challenging conditions,
Welcoming Security Council resolution 2475 (2019) of 20 June 2019 on the
situation of persons with disabilities in armed conflict, expressing serious concern
regarding the disproportionate impact that armed conflict has on persons with
disabilities, including abandonment, violence and lack of access to basic services,
stressing the protection and assistance needs of all affected civilian populations, and
emphasizing the need to consider the particular needs of persons with disabilities in
humanitarian response in the Syrian conflict,
Expressing its deep appreciation for the significant efforts that have been made
by neighbouring countries and other countries in the region to accommodate Syrians,
while acknowledging the increasing financial, socioeconomic and political impact of
the presence of large-scale refugee and displaced populations in those countries,
Welcoming the efforts of the United Nations and the League of Arab States and
all diplomatic efforts to achieve a political solution to the Syrian crisis based on the
final communiqué of the Action Group for Syria of 30 June 2012 and consistent with
Security Council resolution 2254 (2015),
1.
Strongly condemns the systematic, widespread and gross violations and
abuses of international human rights law and violations of international humanitarian
law committed in the Syrian Arab Republic and the indiscriminate and
disproportionate attacks against the civilian population and against civilian
infrastructure, in particular attacks on medical facilities and schools, which continue
to claim civilian lives, and demands that all parties comply with their obligations
under international humanitarian law;
2.
Deplores and condemns in the strongest terms the continued armed
violence by the Syrian regime against the Syrian people since the beginning of the
peaceful protests in 2011, and demands that the Syrian regime immediately put an
end to all attacks against civilians, take all feasible precautions to avoid, and in any
event to minimize, incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to
civilian objects and meet its responsibilities to protect the Syrian population and
immediately implement Security Council resolutions 2254 (2015), 2258 (2015) and
2286 (2016);
3.
Urges all Member States to create conditions for continued negotiations
for a political solution to the Syrian conflict, under the auspices of the United Nations,
and to this end recalls the importance of advancing the work of the Constitutional
Committee, within the context of the United Nations-facilitated Geneva process, and
achieving tangible results, and in that regard urging all parties to engage meaningfully
in the work of the Constitutional Committee, as well as by working towards the
nationwide ceasefire, to enable safe, full, immediate, unimpeded and sustained
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52 S/AC.51/2019/1.
53 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1577, No. 27531.
54 Ibid., vols. 2171, 2173 and 2983, No. 27531.
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humanitarian access and to lead to the release of those arbitrarily detained and ensure
the assessment of the number of people who remain in prisons, consistent with
Security Council resolution 2254 (2015), as only a durable and inclusive political
solution to the conflict can bring an end to the systematic, widespread and gross
violations and abuses of international human rights law and violations of international
humanitarian law;
4.
Strongly condemns the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab
Republic, demands that all parties desist from any use or preparation of chemical
weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic, expresses its strong conviction that those
responsible for the use of chemical weapons must be held accountable, and recalls in
this regard decision C-25/DEC.9 of 21 April 2021 of the Conference of the States
Parties to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production,
Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction;
5.
Welcomes the establishment and operationalization of the Investigation
and Identification Team of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons,
which is authorized to identify the perpetrators of the use of chemical weapons in the
Syrian Arab Republic, thereby making an important contribution towards the ultimate
goal of holding such perpetrators to account;
6.
Demands that the Syrian regime adhere fully to its international
obligations, including the requirement that it declare in full its chemical weapons
programme, with special emphasis on the need for the Syrian Arab Republic to
urgently resolve the verified gaps, inconsistencies and discrepancies pertaining to its
declaration in respect of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development,
Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction and
to eliminate its chemical weapons programme in its entirety;55
7.
Requests that the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition
of Chemical Weapons consider additional procedures for stringent verification
pursuant to article IV, paragraph 8, and article V, paragraph 10, of the Convention, in
order to ensure the complete destruction of the Syrian chemical weapons programme
and prevent any further use of chemical weapons;
8.
Deplores and condemns in the strongest terms the continued widespread
and systematic gross violations and abuses of human rights and fundamental freedoms
and all violations of international humanitarian law by the Syrian regime, the
government-affiliated militias and those who fight on their behalf, including those
deliberately targeting civilians or civilian objects, attacks on schools, hospitals,
civilian water stations and places of worship, indiscriminate attacks with heavy
weapons, aerial bombardments, cluster munitions, ballistic missiles, barrel bombs,
chemical or other weapons and other force targeting civilians, as well as the starvation
of the civilian population as a method of warfare, massacres, arbitrary executions,
extrajudicial killings, the killing of peaceful protesters, human rights defenders and
journalists, individuals and members of communities on the basis of their religion or
belief, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, forced displacement of members
of minority groups and of those opposed to the Syrian regime, unlawful interference
with access to medical treatment, failure to respect and protect medical personnel,
torture, systematic sexual and gender-based violence, including rape in detention, and
ill-treatment, other violations and abuses of human rights, including those of women
and children, and violations of international humanitarian law;
9.
Condemns unequivocally all attacks and violence against journalists and
media workers by the Syrian regime, the government-affiliated militias and non-State
armed groups, urges all parties to respect the professional independence and rights of
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55 Security Council resolution 2118 (2013), annex I.
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journalists, and recalls in this regard that journalists and media workers engaged in
dangerous professional missions in areas of armed conflict shall be considered
civilians and shall be protected as such, provided that they take no action adversely
affecting their status as civilians;
10. Strongly condemns all violations and abuses of human rights and all
violations of international humanitarian law, including the killing and persecution of
individuals and members of communities on the basis of their religion or belief, by
armed non-State actors, as well as any human rights abuses or violations of
international humanitarian law by non-State armed groups, including Hizbullah and
those designated as terrorist groups by the Security Council;
11.
Deplores and strongly condemns the terrorist acts and violence committed
against civilians by ISIL (also known as Da’esh), Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (formerly
known as the Nusrah Front), Al-Qaida-affiliated terrorist groups, terrorist groups, such
as Hurras al-Din, designated by the Security Council and other violent extremist
groups and their continued gross, systematic and widespread abuses of human rights
and violations of international humanitarian law, and reaffirms that terrorism cannot
and should not be associated with any religion, gender, ethnicity, nationality or
civilization;
12. Condemns in the strongest terms the gross and systematic abuse of
women’s and children’s rights by terrorist groups and armed groups, including
so-called ISIL (also known as Da’esh), in particular those involving the killing of
women and girls, sexual and gender-based violence, including the enslavement and
sexual exploitation and abuse of women and girls and the recruitment, use and
abduction of children;
13. Condemns the reported forced displacements of the population in the
Syrian Arab Republic, including forced displacement of civilians as a result of local
truce agreements, as highlighted by the Commission of Inquiry, and the alarming
impact thereof on the demography of the country, which amounts to a strategy of
radical demographic change initiated by the Syrian regime, its allies and other
non-State actors, calls upon all parties concerned to cease immediately all activities
related to these actions, including any activities that may amount to war crimes and
crimes against humanity, notes that impunity for such crimes is unacceptable,
reaffirms that those responsible for such breaches of international law must be brought
to justice, and supports efforts to collect evidence in view of future legal action;
14. Emphasizes the importance of creating conditions conducive to voluntary,
safe, dignified and informed movements of internally displaced persons within the
Syrian Arab Republic, and strongly urges all parties to work with the United Nations
to ensure that any such movements are in line with the Guiding Principles on Internal
Displacement,56 and that displaced persons receive the information they need to make
informed and voluntary decisions about their movement and safety;
15. Condemns the reported forced displacement of populations in the Syrian
Arab Republic, expresses deep concern at reports of social and demographic
engineering in areas throughout the country, and calls upon all parties concerned to
cease immediately all activities that cause these actions, including any activities that
may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity;
16. Reminds the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic of its obligations
under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment,57 including its obligation to take effective measures to
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56 E/CN.4/1998/53/Add.2, annex.
57 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1465, No. 24841.
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prevent acts of torture in any territory under its jurisdiction, and calls upon all States
parties to the Convention to comply with any relevant obligations under the
Convention, including with respect to the obligation to extradite or prosecute
contained in article 7 of the Convention;
17. Deplores the continued closure of the Bab al-Salam and Ya‘rubiyah border
crossings for the purpose of cross-border humanitarian aid, expresses its concern
regarding the limited renewal of the cross-border resolution for only six months,
which is considered unsustainable and insufficient, considering growing humanitarian
needs as winter approaches, noting that needs have increased to the highest levels
since 2011, with more than 14.6 million Syrians in need, according to the United
Nations, and urges the Security Council to renew the cross-border mechanism by
January 2023 and to reauthorize the use of these border crossings for at least
12 months, emphasizes that more than 6.9 million people live in areas not under the
control of the Syrian regime and 5.3 million require humanitarian assistance in the
north-east and north-west, and considers with great concern the serious threats posed
by the recent outbreak of cholera, which disproportionately affects those who are
already most vulnerable, and that the cross-border mechanism remains an
indispensable tool to address the humanitarian needs of the population, including to
deliver vaccines and supplies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, which cannot be
adequately reached through existing operations within the Syrian Arab Republic;
18. Demands that the Syrian regime and all other parties to the conflict not
hinder safe, full, timely, immediate, unrestricted and sustained humanitarian access,
and calls for the continuation of cross-border humanitarian support beyond January
2023 and for at least 12 months;
19. Strongly condemns the persistent and widespread use of sexual and gender-
based violence, abuse and exploitation, such as in government detention centres,
including those run by the intelligence agencies, reaffirms that acts of sexual and
gender-based violence, when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack
directed against any civilian population, can constitute crimes against humanity, and
that acts of sexual and gender-based violence in situations of armed conflict can
constitute war crimes, reaffirms the need to end impunity through the prosecution of
perpetrators of sexual and gender-based crimes under national and international law,
stresses the need for the perpetrators of these crimes to be held accountable by
national justice systems or, where applicable, international courts and tribunals, notes
that such acts may constitute violations of international humanitarian law, violations
of international human rights law and abuses of human rights, in this regard expresses
deep concern at the prevailing climate of impunity for sexual and gender-based
violence, urges all parties to the conflict, especially the Syrian regime, to immediately
cease the perpetration of sexual and gender-based violence, and urges the Syrian
regime to ensure that victims and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence have
access to holistic support and are able to seek reparations and redress;
20. Also strongly condemns all violations and abuses committed against
children in contravention of applicable international law, including those involving
their recruitment and use, killing and maiming, rape and all other forms of sexual and
gender-based violence, child, early and forced marriage, abductions, denial of
humanitarian access and education for children, and attacks on civilian objects,
including schools and hospitals, as well as their arbitrary arrest, unlawful detention,
torture and ill-treatment and their use as human shields;
21. Urges the Syrian regime to comply with its obligations under the
Convention on the Rights of the Child;
22. Reaffirms the Syrian regime’s responsibility for the systematic use of
enforced disappearances, takes note of the assessment of the Commission of Inquiry
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that the Syrian regime’s use of enforced disappearances amounts to a crime against
humanity, and condemns the targeted disappearances of young men and boys and the
exploitation of ceasefires as an opportunity to forcibly recruit and arbitrarily detain
them;
23. Expresses deep concern that, according to the recent findings of the
Commission of Inquiry, the Syrian regime forces continue to deliberately conceal the
fate and whereabouts of forcibly disappeared persons, intentionally prolonging the
suffering of hundreds of thousands of family members of the forcibly disappeared,
and strongly calls upon the Syrian regime to provide information on detained, missing
or forcibly disappeared persons to their families;
24. Encourages all parties to the conflict to enhance their engagement with
the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria to hasten the release of all
arbitrarily detained persons by the Syrian regime and to make progress on the issue
of missing persons;
25. Strongly condemns all attacks on the wounded and sick and on medical,
health and humanitarian personnel, facilities and means of transport and equipment,
as well as indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks on civilians, civilian objects,
schools and water stations, taking place in the Syrian Arab Republic, which may
constitute war crimes, as well as the intentional denial of humanitarian assistance to
civilians, and demands that the Syrian regime meet its responsibility to protect the
Syrian population in accordance with its obligations under relevant provisions of
international human rights law and international humanitarian law;
26. Also strongly condemns the targeting of humanitarian workers and persons
engaged in medical duties, their means of transport and equipment and hospitals and
other medical facilities, which may constitute war crimes, including the attack against
the deconflicted Atarib cave hospital on 21 March 2021 and the terrorist attack against
Al-Shifa’ hospital on 12 June 2021;
27. Demands that the Syrian regime cooperate fully with the Commission of
Inquiry, including by granting it immediate, full, safe, unhindered and sustained
access throughout the Syrian Arab Republic;
28. Strongly condemns the intervention in the Syrian Arab Republic of all
foreign terrorist fighters and those foreign organizations and foreign forces fighting
on behalf of the Syrian regime, 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, and further demands that all foreign terrorist fighters, and those who are
fighting in support of the Syrian regime, including all militias sponsored by foreign
Governments, must immediately withdraw from the Syrian Arab Republic;
29. Demands that all parties immediately put an end to all violations of
international human rights law, abuses of human rights and violations of international
humanitarian law and take all appropriate steps to protect and cease any attacks on
civilians and civilian objects;
30. Emphasizes the need for accountability for crimes involving breaches of
international law, in particular of international humanitarian law and human rights
law, some of which may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity, committed
in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011, through fair and independent
investigations and prosecutions at the domestic or international level;
31. Requests the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism to
submit an annual report to the General Assembly, starting at its seventy-fifth session,
on the implementation of its mandate while preserving the confidential nature of its
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substantive work, in time for the annual presentation of the report by the Head of the
Mechanism in April at a plenary meeting of the Assembly under the agenda item
entitled “Prevention of armed conflict”;
32. Welcomes efforts by the International, Impartial and Independent
Mechanism to assist in the search for missing persons in the Syrian context, as stated
in the Mechanism’s reports to the General Assembly, and further encourages the
Mechanism to identify additional ways and means to contribute to this end;
33. Also welcomes the victim/survivor-centred approach practised by the
International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism, and commends its model of
engagement with victim and survivor groups, as well as civil society in general,
through bilateral cooperation and regular consultations;
34. Further welcomes the full funding for the International, Impartial and
Independent Mechanism and continued support to the Mechanism through the
programme budget to ensure the effective discharge of its mandate;
35. Emphasizes the need to ensure that all those responsible for violations of
international humanitarian law or violations and abuses of human rights law are held
to account through appropriate, fair and independent domestic or international
criminal justice mechanisms, stresses the need to pursue practical steps towards this
goal, and for that reason encourages the Security Council to take appropriate action
to ensure accountability, noting the important role that the International Criminal
Court can play in this regard in accordance with complementarity;
36. Welcomes the efforts by States to investigate conduct in the Syrian Arab
Republic and to prosecute crimes within their jurisdiction committed in the Syrian
Arab Republic, encourages them to continue to do so and to share relevant
information between States in accordance with their national legislation and
international law, and also encourages other States to consider doing the same;
37. Urgently requests the Commission of Inquiry to present its latest reporting
to the General Assembly during an interactive dialogue at its seventy-eighth session
on the situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic, and encourages United
Nations monitoring and reporting to further document violations of international
humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights, including those that may
amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes, to provide recommendations to
facilitate improvements in civilian protection and accountability measures, and to
feature witness testimony of Syrian human rights defenders, survivors of torture and
sexual and gender-based violence, former detainees, and other Syrian voices through
appropriate and safe means, and where informed consent has been provided;
38. Deplores the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Syrian Arab
Republic, and urges the international community to assume its responsibility for
providing urgent financial support to enable the host countries and communities to
respond to the growing humanitarian needs of Syrian refugees, while emphasizing the
importance of burden-sharing;
39. Calls upon all members of the international community, including all
donors, to fulfil their previous pledges and continue to provide much-needed support
to the United Nations, its specialized agencies and other humanitarian actors to
provide humanitarian and medical assistance to the millions of Syrians who are in
need, including those displaced both internally and in host countries and communities;
40. Welcomes the efforts of those countries outside the region that have put in
place measures and policies to assist and host Syrian refugees, encourages them to do
more, also encourages other States outside the region to consider implementing similar
measures and policies, with a view to providing Syrian refugees with protection and
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humanitarian assistance, acknowledges the need to improve the conditions on the
ground to facilitate the return of refugees in a safe, voluntary, informed and dignified
manner to their place of origin or another location of their choice, and takes note of
the recent finding of the Commission of Inquiry that the Syrian Arab Republic does
not yet offer a safe and stable environment for the sustainable and dignified return of
refugees or for the 6.7 million displaced persons inside the country;
41. Demands that the Syrian regime and all other parties to the conflict ensure
the full, immediate, unimpeded and sustained safe and unhindered access of the
United Nations and humanitarian actors, including to besieged and hard-to-reach
areas such as Rukban, that the Syrian regime cease to impede the ability of the United
Nations and humanitarian actors to move through the north-east of the Syrian Arab
Republic and beyond, especially in the light of the restricted humanitarian space and
worsened humanitarian situation following the failure to reauthorize the Ya‘rubiyah
border crossing in Security Council resolutions 2504 (2020), 2533 (2020), 2585
(2021) and 2642 (2022) and that all parties preserve the Fish Khabur border crossing
and other crossing points along the Turkish borders with the Syrian Arab Republic,
and allow sustained deliveries of humanitarian assistance to persons in need across
the Syrian Arab Republic, including through commercial routes, consistent with
Security Council resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2254 (2015),
2258 (2015), 2332 (2016), 2393 (2017), 2401 (2018), 2449 (2018), 2504 (2020), 2533
(2020), 2585 (2021) and 2642 (2022);
42. Strongly condemns the reported killing of detainees in Syrian military
intelligence facilities, and calls upon the Syrian regime to release all unlawfully held
detainees, including women, children and the elderly, and to facilitate information
about those still in detention as well as those who died while in detention by the
Syrian regime, returning their remains, with full transparency regarding what
happened to these individuals, and urges the regime to immediately reverse its
abhorrent use of mass detentions and torture as means of silencing and repressing
political opposition, journalists and other media workers and of depriving Syrian
citizens of their rights to freedom of expression;
43. Calls for the appropriate international monitoring bodies to be granted
access to detainees in all prisons and detention centres, including all military facilities
referred to in the reports of the Commission of Inquiry;
44. Demands that all parties take all appropriate steps to protect civilians and
persons hors de combat, including persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious
and linguistic minorities, and stresses that, in this regard, the primary responsibility
to protect the population lies with the Syrian regime;
45. Strongly condemns the damage and destruction of the cultural heritage of
the Syrian Arab Republic, in particular that of Palmyra and Aleppo, and the organized
looting and trafficking of Syrian cultural property, as outlined by the Security Council
in its resolutions 2199 (2015) of 12 February 2015 and 2347 (2017) of 24 March 2017,
affirms that attacks intentionally directed against historic monuments may amount to
war crimes, and underlines the need to bring the perpetrators of such crimes to justice;
46. Deplores the military offensive that began in Idlib Province and
surrounding areas in December 2019 and caused large-scale injuries, deaths,
displacement and suffering in the civilian population and devastating damage to
civilian infrastructure, recalls the findings of the United Nations Board of Inquiry
established by the Secretary-General in this regard, notes with grave concern the
recent findings of the Commission of Inquiry that there are reasonable grounds to
believe that war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed during the said
offensive, also notes the Commission’s comments on the gendered impact of the
military offensive, and remains extremely concerned about the situation;
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47. Notes with concern the continued insecurity in the north-east of the Syrian
Arab Republic, the significant increase in humanitarian needs and the restricted
humanitarian space following the failure to reauthorize the Ya‘rubiyah border
crossing, in Security Council resolutions 2504 (2020), 2533 (2020) and 2585 (2021),
further compounded by lack of access to water and electricity, which continues to
undermine the stability and security of the whole region, eroding progress in the fight
against ISIL (also known as Da’esh) and worsening the humanitarian situation and
humanitarian actors’ ability to respond to humanitarian needs;
48. Stresses the situation of particular concern in north-west Syrian Arab
Republic, particularly Idlib, strongly condemns the attacks on civilians and first
responders and civilian infrastructure where ongoing violence, including air strikes,
continues to cause death and injury among civilians and first responders, as well as
devastating damage to civilian infrastructure, including health-care and educational
facilities, and welcomes the establishment of the United Nations Board of Inquiry
mandated to investigate the destruction of and damage to facilities on the United
Nations deconfliction list and United Nations-supported facilities;
49. Expresses concern about reports of attacks on civilians in areas such as
Daraa that supported peaceful protests in 2011, and the siege-like conditions in Daraa
that have displaced 40,000 people and resulted in acute food and medicine shortages,
and targeted assassinations of civilian leaders including former judges, medical
workers and others engaged in reconciliation negotiations, noting that the Chair of
the Commission of Inquiry reported in June 2021 that at least 130 such incidents had
been recorded between July 2020 and April 2021, underscoring the pervasively
unstable environment;
50. Expresses deep concern in particular about the violence in the north-west,
including air strikes, and the impact on civilians of that violence, stresses the urgent
need for the immediate cessation of military hostilities in Idlib and the surrounding
areas, for the prioritization of the protection of all civilians, including those displaced,
and for full, timely, immediate, unrestricted and safe humanitarian access, including
cross-border access, recalls the Additional Protocol to the Memorandum on the
Stabilization of the Situation in the Idlib De-escalation Area, signed by the Russian
Federation and Turkey on 5 March 2020, and stresses the importance of continuing
work towards preserving calm on the ground and creating the necessary conditions
for the safe, dignified and voluntary returns of displaced people;
51. Calls upon all Member States, relevant United Nations bodies,
international organizations and civil society to coordinate further efforts and
proactively focus attention on the issue of missing persons in the Syrian Arab
Republic, including those subjected to enforced disappearance, and recalls the
importance of the full and meaningful participation of victims, survivors and their
families in such efforts;
52. Welcomes the report of the Secretary-General on missing persons in the
Syrian Arab Republic, supports its findings and notes with appreciation its
recommendations, in this regard expresses its intention to take further action on the
matter and to ensure that survivors and their families are included throughout the
process, and therefore requests an informal briefing in the form of an interactive
dialogue from the Secretary-General before 28 February 2023;
53. Urges all parties to the conflict to take all appropriate steps to ensure the
safety and security of United Nations and associated personnel, personnel of the
specialized agencies and all other personnel engaged in humanitarian relief activities,
including national and locally recruited personnel, as required by international
humanitarian law, without prejudice to their freedom of movement and access, stresses
the need not to impede or hinder these efforts, recalls that attacks on humanitarian
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workers may amount to war crimes, and notes in this regard that the Security Council
has reaffirmed that it will take further measures in the event of non-compliance with
its resolutions 2139 (2014), 2165 (2014), 2191 (2014), 2234 (2015), 2258 (2015),
2286 (2016), 2393 (2017), 2401 (2018), 2449 (2018), 2585 (2021) and 2642 (2022)
by any Syrian party;
54. Urges the international community to support the leadership and full,
effective and meaningful participation of women in all efforts aimed at finding a
political solution to the Syrian crisis, as envisaged by the Security Council in its
resolution 1325 (2000) and all subsequent resolutions of the women, peace and
security agenda;
55. Reaffirms that there can only be a political solution to the conflict in the
Syrian Arab Republic, reiterates its commitment to the national unity and territorial
integrity of 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 final communiqué of the Action Group for Syria of 30 June 2012,
consistent with Security Council resolutions 2254 (2015), 2268 (2016) and 2585
(2021), that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people for a civil,
democratic and pluralistic State, with the full, equal and meaningful participation and
leadership of all women at all levels, where there is no room for sectarianism or
discrimination on ethnic, religious, linguistic, gender or any other grounds, and where
all persons receive equal protection, regardless of gender, religion or ethnicity, and
further demands that all parties work urgently towards the comprehensive
implementation of the final 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.
54th plenary meeting
15 December 2022
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