New York - Damascus: Europe and the Arabs
Carla Quintana, President of the Foundation for the Missing in Syria, confirmed that the mission of the Foundation is to clarify the fate and whereabouts of all missing persons in Syria and to provide appropriate support to the families of the missing. According to the UN daily news bulletin
Quintana officially assumed her position last week to be the President of the independent Foundation, which is an organization of a unique and unprecedented nature and the first UN body to focus on missing persons in a specific and ongoing context. In a press release, Quintana referred to a recent discussion session held at the World Conference on Enforced Disappearances, and what Ms. Fadwa Mahmoud, founding member of the "Families for Freedom" organization, said, where she stated that "families are partners in the establishment and work of the independent Foundation in every step of its steps. Because families are the main source of any information or knowledge related to revealing the fate of the missing." Quintana stressed that all missing persons in Syria fall within the mandate of the independent institution, regardless of their nationality, group, ethnicity, political affiliation, or the reasons and circumstances surrounding their disappearance. This includes those missing due to abduction, enforced disappearance, or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, in addition to those missing due to displacement, migration, or military operations.
She pointed out that cases of disappearance are not new worldwide and that there are important lessons to be learned from previous experiences, stating that the search for missing persons is a quest for truth and an urgent humanitarian necessity.
Quintana said that the recent events in Syria represent a pivotal moment in its history and in the ongoing quest of Syrians for truth and justice, in addition to achieving a Syria for all Syrians. She added that countless families still lack answers regarding the fate of their missing relatives. She stressed that the institution will use all available means to uncover their fate and whereabouts, and will work alongside the people in Syria to do so. She stressed that the independent institution is committed to working and coordinating with all relevant stakeholders in line with its mandate and nature, including interim authorities, member states, international organizations, and “most importantly, families of the missing and civil society.”
She noted that the independent institution was uniquely designed to allow for its development into a mixed Syrian-international institution or a Syrian national institution in the future, when circumstances permit. She said that this collaborative approach will enhance the institution’s development and contribute to building local and comprehensive Syrian capacities.
She stressed the need to protect and preserve records, information, data and sites of importance, such as burial sites. She stated that even well-intentioned actions can inadvertently damage these vital resources, jeopardizing the ability of families and society to uncover the truth about the missing.
She stressed that the right to truth and memory are not only individual rights, but also collective rights, and that knowing the fate and whereabouts of the missing in Syria is part of that truth and memory and represents a crucial first step in achieving sustainable peace.