EU Statement – UN Security Council Arria-formula meeting: Transitional Justice and Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic

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Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its 27 Member States.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, and the EFTA countries Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, as well as Armenia, Andorra and San Marino, align themselves with this statement.

We thank Colombia, Denmark, Luxembourg and Syria for organising this meeting, and the briefers for their insights on transitional justice efforts and the situation of missing persons in Syria.

Comprehensive and inclusive transitional justice is a prerequisite for national reconciliation and sustainable peace. We express our appreciation for the efforts of the Syrian transitional government on transitional justice, and particularly welcome the establishment of the two National Commissions on Transitional Justice and on Missing Persons. The European Union provides support to both and will continue to do so, in line with our commitment to support the Syrian people in their journey toward sustainable peace, stability, and justice.

It is a big step that the first trials are already being held in Syria. All perpetrators must be held accountable and justice must be delivered to victims and survivors. In this context, it is important to ensure that transitional justice measures are gender-responsive and victim-centred, and closely and effectively involve civil society. Guarantees on non-recurrence of violations and measures to promote dialogue and trust, including transparent communication about transitional justice measures to the wider public, must be part of the picture.

Moreover, coordination between national mechanisms, such as the two Commissions, and international ones, such as the Independent Institution on Missing Persons (IIMP), but also the Commission of Inquiry and the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM), is crucial. We encourage the Syrian transitional government to further deepen their cooperation with ALL United Nations mechanisms and underline the importance of implementing the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry in this regard.

We are concerned by reports of intercommunal violence and human rights violations in several governorates in the transitional period, which accountability mechanisms should also address. We encourage the Syrian transitional authorities to expedite work on the draft transitional justice law, to guarantee meaningful participation of survivors, women, and civil society in its design, to ensure that the law is guided first and foremost by the Syrian people, and to give explicit attention to victims of conflict-related sexual violence. We also urge the Syrian authorities to ensure that the transitional justice process is grounded in and implemented in full respect of international human rights law. We commend the formation of the Syrian People's Assembly and hope it will be able to play an important role in moving this crucial issue forward.

In November 2025, the EU, together with Syrian civil society and the Syrian transitional authorities, organised the first-ever Day of Dialogue in Syria, bringing together more than 300 representatives to discuss how best to support the ongoing transition. We intend to convene a second Day of Dialogue later this year.

We encourage other Member States to contribute to humanitarian and early-recovery funding. This is essential to any credible transition, and it is important that it does not lag behind the political commitments made.

Victims' rights, agency, needs, wellbeing, safety, security, and dignity are key to a credible and sustainable transitional justice effort, through a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned process supported by the international community.

Thank you.

1. North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.