The 47th session of the UN Human Rights Council, held in Geneva in June, adopted Resolution 47/18 on the situation of human rights in Syria. In this resolution the Council explicitly recognises and endorses the work of Syrian casualty recording organisations, noting:
the vital work of Syrian organizations of victims, survivors and families working on the issue of missing persons, including those subjected to enforced disappearance, supports their efforts to compile a comprehensive, transparent record of all casualties of the conflict and acknowledges the importance of their work regarding urgent access to information about those missing and disappeared and the need for accountability and justice for the victims and their families;
para.22, A/HRC/47/18 (Emphasis added)
This is the latest in a number of country-focused and thematic Human Rights Council resolutions which have recognised the specific importance of casualty recording for upholding human rights. The first ever resolutions to make explicit reference to casualty recording were adopted at the Council’s March 2020 session. They included resolutions on Syria, Myanmar and the Prevention of Genocide.
