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UN honors Syrian women
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a Syrian draft resolution to designate December 19 of each year as an International Day to honor women searching for the missing, after it voted in favor of a resolution submitted by Syria.
“to be observed on December 19 of each year”
The resolution says the day will be observed on December 19 and calls on member states and relevant actors to organize events and activities that highlight the efforts of women seeking to locate the missing, while urging concrete measures to prevent discrimination and violence against women searchers for the missing.
In the General Assembly session, Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ibrahim Albi, said his country "has moved from a dark phase in which this pain was denied and the suffering of its victims was hidden to a phase that embraces the light," as reported by SANA.
Albi also said Syria aims to "address this suffering with full transparency" and to mobilize the international community to support those affected by it, while the initiative is described as Syria’s first initiative to the General Assembly since the overthrow of the previous regime.
Syria’s diplomacy and committee
Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates and the National Committee for the Missing Persons said the initiative resulted from a participatory effort based on the Syrian experience and the contributions of the families of the missing, before being carried by Syrian diplomacy to the United Nations.
The National Committee for the Missing Persons welcomed the adoption, saying it constitutes an acknowledgment of the role played by Syrian women in the search for the missing and underscores the importance of their participation in search efforts and uncovering their fate.
In statements carried by SANA, National Committee for the Missing Persons chief Mohammad Reza Jalqhi said the adoption of the International Day represents a deserving recognition of the women who continued to search for their loved ones, led by Syrian women.
The Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shiibani welcomed the unanimous adoption and, according to SANA, said the resolution represents Syria’s first project submitted to the United Nations in its modern history, framing it as a shift to an active role in international arenas.
What the resolution calls for
The General Assembly resolution calls on member states and the UN system to take concrete measures to prevent and end all forms of discrimination and violence against women searching for the missing and to ensure their full enjoyment of human rights.
“the worst catastrophe in modern history for the missing”
It also encourages the involvement of women searching for the missing in ongoing discussions on this issue and in decision-making processes related to it, while the resolution urges member states and other stakeholders to celebrate the day by encouraging events and activities that highlight the efforts of women who sought to find the missing persons.
UN News reported that Ambassador Ibrahim Al-Loubi, the Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations, told the General Assembly Hall ahead of adoption that Syrian women have faced "the worst catastrophe in modern history for the missing."
UN News further said Al-Loubi expressed pride in Syria’s transition "from a dark phase in which this pain was denied and the suffering of its victims obscured" to a phase that seeks to address the issue with full transparency, and it described the resolution as Syria’s first resolution submitted to the General Assembly since the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.