The Syrian Future Movement proudly follows the United Nations General Assembly’s declaration, during its session on Monday, August 31, 2026, of December 19th of each year as the International Day of Women Searching for Missing Persons. This initiative was presented by Syria and is the result of close cooperation between the National Commission on Missing Persons, the Permanent Mission of Syria to the United Nations, and the families of the missing.
The Syrian Future Movement welcomes this unique diplomatic, legal, and humanitarian achievement, which embodies Syria’s renewed commitment to transforming the issue of missing persons from an individual tragedy into a unifying national and humanitarian cause, and from a closed file into a matter of concern in the conscience of the international community. It highlights the pivotal role women play in preserving memory and searching for the truth.
We see the adoption of this international day as a significant step that places the international community before its responsibilities towards the millions of families suffering from the absence of their loved ones. It enshrines women’s right to knowledge and justice, and transforms their suffering into a driving force for change.
The Syrian Future Movement notes that the adoption of this International Day carries three main implications, reflecting a shift in how the issue of missing persons is addressed at both the national and international levels:
First: International recognition of the suffering of Syrian women. We see this recognition as a victory for the resilience of Syrian women who transformed their pain into a prominent issue in international forums, breaking the wall of silence that has shrouded this file for decades.
Second: A culmination of the new Syrian approach to dealing with the issue of missing persons, which the Syrian Future Movement supports.
Third: Reinforcing the role of women in preserving memory and defending the right to know. We note here that the National Commission for Missing Persons, in partnership with the families of the missing, developed this initiative based on their vision and needs, with the aim of strengthening the role of women in preserving memory and defending the right to know the fate of their loved ones, and keeping the issue of missing persons present at both the national and international levels.
We see this participatory approach as a model to be emulated in public policy-making, where affected groups are the decision-makers in formulating solutions and become active partners in the transitional justice process.
In this context, the Syrian Future Movement reiterates its firm positions, published on its official website, which emphasize the priority of uncovering the fate of the missing and achieving justice for them and their families, and the importance of empowering women in the transitional justice process:
- Statement on the “International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances” (August 30, 2016): It stressed that “uncovering the fate of hundreds of thousands of disappeared persons is the true test and the fundamental pillar for building the new Syria,” and called for launching national programs to compensate and provide redress for the families of victims of enforced disappearance, with a focus on caring for the wives and children of the missing and empowering them legally and economically.
- Statement on the “Crime of the Child Nour in Daraa” (dated August 2, 2026): It called for ensuring fair and transparent trials in cases of violence and emphasized the importance of strengthening monitoring and early intervention mechanisms to protect the most vulnerable groups, including women and children.
Based on its national responsibility, the Syrian Future Movement recommends the following:
- Building on the international momentum to accelerate progress on the missing persons file by intensifying the efforts of the National Commission for Missing Persons in opening mass graves, using modern DNA matching technologies, and expediting the pace of search operations. This will ensure reassurance for thousands of families awaiting news and translate international recognition into concrete steps on the ground.
- Launching comprehensive national programs to compensate and provide justice for the families of the missing, with a focus on empowering women economically and legally, and providing them with psychological and social support, as stipulated in the Movement’s previous statement. This International Day should be transformed into an annual platform to assess progress made on this issue.
- Strengthening the role of women in the transitional justice process by involving them in all stages of investigation and reconciliation, ensuring their representation in bodies and institutions concerned with the issue of missing persons, and listening to their experiences and needs as an essential part of the decision-making process.
- Continuing diplomatic efforts to mobilize international support to ensure continued pressure on relevant parties to reveal the fate of the missing, and expanding cooperation with the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM) and the UN Institution on Missing Persons, to ensure the prosecution of perpetrators and the establishment of victims’ rights in international forums.
The Syrian Future Movement commends this historic achievement, which enshrines the role of women in the issue of the missing, transforms their suffering into a driving force for change, and proves that the new Syria is capable of transforming its pain into effective political and humanitarian will on the international stage.
The Syrian Future Movement reiterates that this International Day is not the end of the road, but rather an important milestone on the long path toward justice, and that the real challenge lies in translating international recognition into concrete steps that restore hope to the hearts of millions of families waiting.
The Syrian Future Movement affirms that this achievement is the fruit of the sacrifices of the Syrian people, the steadfastness of its women, and the will of its new state, and that the continuation of this path is the true guarantee against the repetition of the tragedies of the past.
