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ICRC President in Syria: “This is a huge task ahead of us”

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AS the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric, concluded her three-day visit to Syria, she emphasised that respect for international humanitarian law (IHL) and providing answers for families of the missing are crucial in fostering reconciliation and long-term stability.

“There are potentially tens of thousands of missing people that we have not yet identified, but we are already following up on over 40,000 cases,” stated ICRC President Spoljaric. “This is a huge task ahead of us. And it’s another proof of why compliance with the Geneva Conventions, and why the fundamental rights enshrined in international humanitarian law have to be protected at all times.”

During her visit, President Spoljaric met with Mr. Mohamad al-Basheer, Caretaker Prime Minister of the new Syrian administration; Mr. Hazem Bakleh, President of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society (SARC); Mr. Saa’d Naassan, Head of Political Affairs Office in Aleppo; and members of the Association of Detainees and Missing Persons of Sednaya Prison.

“Thousands of families are looking for their relatives. This is an agony that no one wants to go through.  We are working with our partners to be able to inform them as quickly as possible. But it’s been years since the ICRC has had access to all detainees and we see the consequences of it. It proves why it is important that the ICRC has access to detention in times of conflict and after the conflict, so that we can record the names of the people and after identifying them, we can notify the families. If this had been done in the past, we wouldn’t see all these families now looking for their loved ones.”

President Spoljaric visited Aleppo and Idlib, two cities facing overwhelming humanitarian needs. In Aleppo, she saw ICRC efforts to support essential services like water supply and healthcare, both of which have been heavily impacted by years of conflict. She also called all parties to do their utmost to protect critical infrastructure located in areas of ongoing hostilities along the Euphrates River, as millions of people depend on them for drinkable water and power supply.  “If anything happens to the power or the water supply coming from these two plants, it can potentially affect millions of people. So I’m calling on all the parties and everybody who has an influence to protect the sites, to protect, at all times, critical infrastructure, especially in the health sector, in the water sector, and in the energy sector,” said ICRC President Spoljaric.

The ICRC has worked in Syria since 1967 to support people affected by armed conflict. Today, ICRC has over 700 staff working throughout Syria with offices in Damascus, Aleppo, Deir Ezzor, Hassakeh and Homs governorates, delivering humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of civilians affected by hostilities and violence.|

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