Concluding remarks by Paulo Pinheiro, Chair of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic, to the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee in New York

In response to the thoughtful questions and statements, in closing, I would like to highlight the following areas.

Impunity was a hallmark of Assad-era Syria. The interim authorities have inherited a flawed and broken justice system that perpetuated rather than addressed human rights violations.

We welcome the establishment of the National Authorities for Transitional Justice and the Missing and their commitments to ensuring accountability, truth, non-repetition and reconciliation, and to serve all victims and survivors, regardless of which party to the conflict was responsible. We stand ready to assist them. We were pleased to meet the Authorities’ head and members both in June and in September.

We call on Member States to support the interim authorities in reforming Syria’s laws and domestic justice system - to enable it to administer justice independently and fairly going forward, offering redress to victims of all crimes, regardless of the perpetrator.

Achieving comprehensive justice will require more than criminal trials alone. Victims and survivors must also be allowed to seek truth, reparations and necessary legal and institutional reforms, that can guarantee non-recurrence.

As I mentioned in my speech, it has been encouraging to see a million refugees already returning to Syria since last December, and millions more expressing their desire to do so.

However, many returnees have described the absolute devastation they encountered upon returning to their homes and communities. According to a recent UNHCR survey, 87% of Syrian refugee property owners report that their homes are destroyed or severely damaged, with only 12% considering them inhabitable. A new assessment by the World Bank has quantified the extensive material devastation. Over a decade, the country’s physical capital stock has been reduced by nearly one-third, and the projected reconstruction costs are nearly ten times Syria’s nominal 2024 GDP.

This assessment is consistent with our own late 2024 paper on “Pillage and Plunder: Unlawful appropriation and destruction of properties of refugees and IDPs in Syria”, which documented the deliberate widespread destruction and looting of cities, towns and villages by former Government forces and non-state armed groups - particularly in areas that changed hands during the conflict.

Violations of housing, land and property pose a significant barrier to dignified return of many Syrian refugees and internally displaced to their original homes and lands. We call on Member States to support them and the interim authorities in the daunting task of reconstruction and rebuilding Syria, in any ways possible, to improve the lives of its people. We commend the actions of several Member States that have eased sanctions. This is a welcome development. But more can be done. We urge continued support for the 2025 humanitarian appeal, which is disappointingly only 19% funded at present.

Against the backdrop of massive destruction since 2011, it has been painful for our teams to witness the renewed violence, looting, confiscation and burning of homes that I mentioned in my opening remarks in the coastal areas, in Suweyda, in Homs, and many other places across the country since December. Our investigators who were in Suweyda last week saw for themselves the unimaginable destruction to homes that has been wrought also there.

This shows that violations against civilians are not confined to the past. There is an urgent need to end impunity to break the cycle of violence and revenge.

Witnesses from affected areas have reported recent incidents of extra-judicial killings, abductions, torture and ill-treatment –which often results in forced displacement. Many have spoken of the fear they experience when questioned about their religious or ethnic identity - whether Sunni, Alawi, Kurdish, Christian or Druze - and of the discrimination and hate speech directed at minority communities.

We are gravely concerned that the conditions are ripe for further violence. Without immediate preventive action, there is a serious risk that additional human rights violations, including those amounting to international crimes, will occur.

This must cease immediately and the international community should use all its influence and support to ensure it does. All perpetrators of recent violations must be held accountable, regardless of their affiliation. Such efforts should be made known to affected communities, to rebuild trust.

Our recent report on the coastal violence provides additional recommendations to this effect. These include vetting members of security and armed forces to ensure adherence to military standards and discipline, thus preventing further violations. It is crucial that Member States with influence over responsible factions take concrete actions to rein in violating armed actors and immediately stop providing them with any form of financial or logistical support.

Finally, I would remiss not to take this opportunity to thank my two colleagues and dear friends Lynn Welchman and Hanny Megally, who will be stepping down from the Commission in December, for their good service and for their friendship. Replacing them will be very difficult, but I am assured that they will continue to contribute to efforts helping Syrians rebuild their country and achieve justice for decades of abuse.

Excellences,

The path ahead is daunting, and the challenges for Syria are immense. Nevertheless, we remain hopeful that Syria will emerge from this complex transitional period as a nation where all people can live in peace and security. We urge all States Members of this assembly to redouble their efforts to support Syria on its path towards justice and respect for human rights for all.

I thank you.