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 survivors and the families of those missing.  

This work must be carried out with the full and meaningful participation of families of the missing, with sustained engagement with Syrian civil society, including women’s organisations, and in close cooperation and complementarity with all relevant actors.  

All missing persons in Syria fall under the mandate of the Independent Institution, regardless of their nationality, political affiliation, or the reasons for or timing of their going missing. The Independent Institution’s mandate is humanitarian and truth-seeking in nature, aiming to support families’ right to know the truth about what happened to their loved ones. 

To learn more about the Independent Institution’s mandate, please see its Terms of Reference and timeline.