1 December 2025 - Geneva, Switzerland

Families across Syria and beyond have long endured the anguish of not knowing the fate of loved ones who went missing while fleeing conflict and persecution. In response to this urgent humanitarian need, the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic (IIMP), in cooperation with the National Commission for the Missing, convened an expert meeting aimed at strengthening collective efforts in the search for missing migrants and asylum seekers.

The meeting brought together leading actors, including the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team (EAAF), the Council of Europe, the Prosecutor’s Office of Italy, the National Police of Greece, the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Association of Families of Missing Asylum Seekers (AFOMAS), the Cedar Centre for Legal Studies (CCLS), and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). 

Participants shared expertise toward the development of a joint strategy addressing the cross-border dimensions of disappearances and ensuring that families’ voices remain central to the process.

The objectives of the meeting were to enhance coordination among governments, international organizations, civil society, and families of the missing; to facilitate the exchange of knowledge on search mechanisms and identification processes; to foster regional and international cooperation aimed at harmonizing efforts across jurisdictions; and to ensure that the needs and concerns of families are effectively reflected in policies and concrete actions.

This initiative aimed to advance the right to truth for families who have waited far too long.

About the Independent Institution: The Independent Institution is a UN entity established by the General Assembly on 29 June 2023 in response to the urgent calls for action from family members of Syria’s thousands of missing persons to determine their fate and whereabouts. The Independent Institution’s founding resolution mandates it to clarify the fate and whereabouts of all missing persons in Syria and provide adequate support to the families of those missing.