UN missing persons chief says search efforts advancing in Syria but still no office in Damascus
NEW YORK CITY: The head of the UN body tasked with finding missing persons in Syria revealed that her agency processed more than 75,000 documents over the past year, a ninefold increase over the previous 12 months.
However, authorities in Damascus have yet to grant her a permanent office inside the country, something she said would help her team build trust with families and deliver more answers.
Karla Quintana, assistant secretary-general and head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic, briefed UN member states on Wednesday during an informal General Assembly meeting about the Situation of Human Rights in the Syrian Arab Republic, ahead of a press conference at the UN headquarters.
Her appearance capped two intense days in New York that also included an informal meeting of the Security Council on transitional justice and missing persons, at which UN and council members reaffirmed their support for the Syrian people as they rebuilding their country after the fall of the Assad regime.
