Since the outbreak of the civil war in Syria in March 2011, the Global Centre has been a steadfast advocate and supporter for Syrian voices in their ongoing fight for peace and justice. The nearly 14 years of an internationalized country-wide armed conflict between the government and opposition groups was characterized by rampant atrocity crimes, including the illegal use of chemical weapons, with the international community often unable to respond effectively. The UN Security Council (UNSC), divided by the political divisions among its permanent members, failed to take meaningful action to protect Syrians and hold perpetrators of atrocities accountable.

Challenging Security Council paralysis and campaigning for chemical weapons accountability

During April 2018 a Russian veto blocked an independent investigation into a suspected chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria. This veto followed Russia’s efforts to end the work of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons-Joint Investigative Mechanism, further undermining international efforts to hold chemical weapons perpetrators accountable. The UNSC’s failure to act on this issue ultimately contributed to the normalization of chemical warfare in Syria.

In response, the Global Centre joined a campaign calling for innovative steps by states parties to the 1992 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) to strengthen compliance with international law. The Global Centre also mobilized members of the Global Network of R2P Focal Points to support this initiative and vote in favor of a proposal put forward by the United Kingdom. This initiative culminated in the successful adoption of a decision at the CWC Conference of States Parties on 27 June 2018.

Supporting the creation of an International Institution for the Missing

The UN Human Rights Council-mandated Commission of Inquiry on Syria has reported over 130,000 arbitrary detentions, abductions or disappearances since 2011, leaving countless families searching for loved ones. The majority of these crimes are attributable to the former Bashar al-Assad government. In August 2022 the UN Secretary-General released a study on missing persons in Syria, calling for the establishment of an independent international institution dedicated to clarifying their fate and supporting victims and survivors.

The Global Centre has worked closely with Syrian civil society, including the Truth and Justice Charter Coalition, to push for the creation of such an institution through a standalone UN General Assembly resolution. The Global Centre facilitated regional and global briefings for member states in New York and in capitals by Syrian survivors and family groups, including a briefing to the Global Network of R2P Focal Points. The Global Centre also engaged with several key member states through bilateral efforts to form a cross-regional core group of states supporting a potential mandate for such an institution. Global Centre staff also participated in closed consultations with the UN Human Rights Office in Beirut on the technicalities of a potential mandate.

Ahead of the UN General Assembly vote on the establishment of such a mechanism, the Global Centre joined 91 other groups in calling for member states to vote in favor of the resolution. On 29 June 2023 the UN General Assembly adopted the resolution to create the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in Syria (IIM-P). This groundbreaking resolution mandates the IIM-P to clarify the fate and whereabouts of all missing persons in Syria, and to provide support to victims, survivors and their families.

Following the establishment of the IIM-P, the Global Centre has continued to support Syrian civil society in their pursuit of justice. This includes convening survivors, humanitarian workers and diplomats from around the world to ensure accountability for atrocities in Syria and to uphold victims’ rights to truth and justice. These calls were powerfully reaffirmed in a statement issued after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.