Geneva, 8 December 2025 – One year after the fall of the Assad government, Syria stands at a defining crossroads. This moment carries profound significance for millions of Syrians who have endured years of conflict, detention, disappearance, and displacement. 

For families of the missing, this day underscores a deeper imperative: truth, justice, and dignity. The Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria (IIMP), created by and for families, carries a clear humanitarian mandate: to clarify the fate and whereabouts of all missing persons in Syria and to provide adequate support to their families. 

The scale of suffering is immense: hundreds of thousands remain missing, and millions of family members continue to search for answers. Delivering truth requires unwavering commitment and genuine cooperation. The only way forward is through immediate, collective action, because no one can do this alone. 

The Independent Institution stands in solidarity with families and is ready to collaborate with authorities, civil society organizations, international actors, partners, and every individual committed to this cause. Together, we strive for a search for the missing that is Syrian-led and internationally supported. Finding the missing is an ethical endeavour. Syria’s future depends on truth, reconciliation, and peacebuilding. 

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.   

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For more information or media inquiries:  

Please contact: iimp-syria@un.org   

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