Situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic
A/RES/71/203
26. Demands that all foreign terrorist fighters, including those who are
fighting in support of the Syrian authorities, immediately withdraw from the Syrian
Arab Republic;
27. Also demands that all parties immediately put an end to all violations and
abuses of international human rights law and violations of international
humanitarian law, recalls, in particular, the obligation under international
humanitarian law to distinguish between civilians and combatants and the
prohibition against indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks and all attacks
against civilians and civilian objects, further demands that all parties to the conflict
take all appropriate steps to protect civilians, in compliance with international law,
including by desisting from attacks directed against civilian objects, such as medical
centres, schools and water stations, immediately demilitarize such facilities, seek to
avoid establishing military positions in densely populated areas and enable the
evacuation of the wounded and all civilians who wish to leave besieged areas, and
recalls in this regard that the Syrian authorities bear primary responsibility for
protecting its population;
28. Condemns in the strongest terms the increasing number of massacres and
other mass casualty incidents, including those which may constitute a war crime,
taking place in the Syrian Arab Republic, and requests the Commission of Inquiry to
continue to investigate all such acts;
29. Recalls the statements made by the Special Envoy of the SecretaryGeneral for Syria, Mr. Staffan de Mistura, indicating that the overwhelming
majority of the civilian casualties in the Syrian Arab Republic have been caused by
the indiscriminate use of aerial bombardments, demands in this regard that the
Syrian authorities immediately cease any attacks on civilians, any disproportionate
attacks and any indiscriminate use of weapons in populated areas, including any
indiscriminate use of weapons involving shelling and aerial bombardment, in
particular the use of barrel bombs and methods of warfare which are of a nature to
cause superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering, and recalls in this regard the
obligation to respect international humanitarian law in all circumstances;
30. Emphasizes the need for accountability for crimes involving breaches of
international law, in particular of international humanitarian law and human rights
law, some of which may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanit y,
committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011, through fair and
independent investigations and prosecutions at the domestic or international level;
31. Welcomes the efforts by States to investigate conduct in the Syrian Arab
Republic and to prosecute crimes within their jurisdiction committed in the Syrian
Arab Republic, and encourages them to continue doing so and to share relevant
information between States in accordance with their national legislation and
international law, and encourages other States to consider doing the same;
32. Deplores the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Syrian Arab
Republic, and urges the international community to assume its responsibility for
providing urgent financial support to enable the host countri es and communities to
respond to the growing humanitarian needs of Syrian refugees, while emphasizing
the principle of burden-sharing;
33. Calls upon all members of the international community, including all
donors, to fulfil their previous pledges and continue to provide much-needed
support to the United Nations, its specialized agencies and other humanitarian actors
to provide humanitarian assistance to the millions of Syrians displaced both
internally and in host countries and communities;
9/11