Supporting Human Rights in the Syrian Arab Republic

A/HRC/RES/61/3View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the Human Rights Council, under agenda item 2 Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General, published in 2026.

What subjects does this mandate have?

7 subjects

Accountability Commissions of Inquiry Human Rights Human Rights Violations Syrian Arab Republic Technical Cooperation Transitional Justice

What’s in this document?

18 operative paragraphs

Reaffirms its support for the Syrian people in their pursuit of a peaceful, representative and inclusive political process, in the spirit of the fundamental principles of Security Council resolution 2254 (2015) of 18 December 2015, and expresses its support for the efforts of the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria in aiding them in their endeavour;

Recalls the provisions of the Constitutional Declaration signed in March 2025 affirming that the State shall guarantee human rights and fundamental freedoms, notes with support the provisions made on freedom of expression, freedom of religion and women’s rights, and in this regard calls for their implementation and expresses its hope that the Constitutional Declaration will serve as a solid framework for a successful, orderly and inclusive transition and a peaceful future for the Syrian Arab Republic, ensuring human rights and fundamental freedoms for all Syrians, achieving justice and accountability and upholding good governance and the rule of law;

Welcomes the indirect parliamentary elections held thus far in the Syrian Arab Republic as a step forward in the country’s political process, while recognizing the need for continued efforts to enhance the participation, representation and leadership of women and girls from all religious and ethnic communities in a free and dignified manner, as well as the need to draft a permanent constitution and hold general elections, and looks forward to the final results of the elections once they have been held in Hasakah, Raqqah and Suwayda’;

Encourages the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic to ensure a sustainable path towards credible accountability for all crimes that does justice to the victims, survivors and their families and contributes to reconciliation and a peaceful future for all Syrians, and recognizes in this regard the fact that the Constitutional Declaration included a provision to establish a transitional justice commission, but also the multitude of challenges faced by the Government in its pursuit of Syrian-led, Syrian-owned accountability and transitional justice owing to the scale of the former regime’s serious violations and their complex consequences;

Welcomes in this regard the establishment by the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic of the National Commission for Transitional Justice, encourages the National Commission to seek accountability to all victims of mass atrocity crimes, in accordance with international law, while cooperating with and receiving technical support from national and international bodies, including Syrian and international civil society, acknowledges the drafting of a law on transitional justice and emphasizes the importance of a strong legislative foundation for future action;

Reiterates its call upon the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic to ensure that allegations of all crimes that appear to constitute retaliation are investigated and that perpetrators are held to account through transparent and appropriate judicial mechanisms that are compliant with human rights standards, and acknowledges in this regard the formal initiation of criminal proceedings against alleged perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses committed in the coastal regions in March 2025, and further commitments made at the highest levels of the Syrian Arab Republic to hold accountable all those involved in the events of March 2025 and July 2025;

Supports the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic in its efforts to ensure the preservation of documentation, information and evidence related to violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, including mass burial sites, and encourages the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic to develop a comprehensive and sustainable system for maintaining such evidence;

Encourages the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic to continue its positive engagement with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 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, the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic and other relevant special procedures, as well as with Syrian civil society, including victim associations and groups, and in this regard calls upon these organizations and mechanisms to coordinate their approach and activities to ensure effectiveness;

Expresses support for civil society, human rights defenders, victims, survivors and their families and for their continued role in Syrian-led, Syrian-owned, inclusive and victim-centred transitional justice and accountability efforts, and in this regard stresses the need for the protection of civic space and free, impartial media and for the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation and leadership of women in the political transition;

Decides, in order to support further progress on human rights, to extend the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic³ for a period of one year, and in this context requests the Commission of Inquiry to do the following within its existing capacity:

³As established by the Human Rights Council in its resolution S-17/1 of 23 August 2011.

To work in a manner that complements national efforts and is aimed at helping the Syrian Arab Republic ensure that it meets its international human rights obligations, while fully maintaining the independence of the Commission of Inquiry and the protection of victims and witnesses;

To provide methodological advice, based on its practical experience and expertise, to support national investigations into allegations of human rights violations and abuses at the request of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and in coordination with relevant United Nations entities;

To provide advice based on its expertise to Syrian national entities, including the National Commission for Transitional Justice, in areas related to ensuring justice and accountability, preventing violations and improving the human rights situation, in coordination with relevant United Nations entities;

To present to the Human Rights Council at its sixty-third session an oral update and a report covering the period January 2026–January 2027, with a focus on an assessment of the human rights situation in the country and priorities for technical assistance and capacity-building to support domestic efforts in the fields of human rights, accountability and transitional justice, which will further advance recommendations by the Commission of Inquiry at the sixty-fourth session of the Council, to be presented during a joint interactive dialogue with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights under agenda item 2;

Welcomes the broad access granted by the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic to the Commission of Inquiry, encourages continued cooperation between the Commission of Inquiry and the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic, and encourages the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic to continue to grant the Commission of Inquiry necessary access throughout the Syrian Arab Republic;

Recognizes the need to review the most appropriate and effective approach to be taken by the Human Rights Council to advancing the situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic, including the relevance and scope of the mandate of the Commission of Inquiry, considering progress made on the implementation of the present resolution by its sixty-fourth session;

Reaffirms its decision to transmit the report and oral updates of the Commission of Inquiry to relevant bodies of the United Nations;

Decides to remain seized of the matter.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

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