UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY PLENARY MEETING: PREVENTION OF ARMED CONFLICT – INTERNATIONAL, IMPARTIAL AND INDEPENDENT MECHANISM (IIIM) FOR SYRIA
Statement by Ms. Laura McIlhenny, Legal Adviser, Permanent Mission of Australia to the United Nations
16 April 2026
Thank you President,
I am pleased to speak on behalf of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. We thank the Head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria, Mr Robert Petit, for your important briefing today.
We recognise the efforts of Syria’s transitional authorities to stabilise and rebuild the country after fourteen years of devastating conflict – including through working to restore basic services and infrastructure, establishing a National Commission for Transitional Justice and seeking to reestablish Syria as a responsible partner on the global stage.
We hope these positive steps will help build a more peaceful and inclusive future for all Syrians.
However, as the Mechanism’s report and other United Nations reporting make clear, the situation in Syria remains fragile.
The serious violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights that occurred throughout the conflict continue to cast a long shadow over Syria’s future.
Accountability for these actions is key to ensuring justice for victims and survivors and is essential for Syria’s long-term peace and stability.
To this end, we reaffirm our strong support for the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism.
We welcome the progress outlined in the latest report, including the Mechanism’s continued structural investigations, its expansion and preservation of evidence, and its growing cooperation with competent national jurisdictions.
We welcome the establishment of the National Commission for the Missing as a valuable step towards Syria’s justice for victims and survivors.
We must collectively support these Syria-led initiatives to achieve their mandate.
We also welcome steps taken by the Syrian transitional authorities to address the Assad regime’s chemical weapons programme and the support the Syrian authorities have provided the Mechanism in this regard.
The increasing number of requests for assistance demonstrates the IIIM’s ongoing relevance and value to international justice efforts.
We welcome the Mechanism’s continued commitment to a victim and survivor-centred approach. Integrating gender responsive and intersectional analysis across the Mechanism’s work is critical to ensuring inclusive justice, particularly for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
We also welcome the Mechanism’s ongoing efforts to improve efficiency and effectiveness, including continued engagement with other initiatives within the UN system to ensure complementarity and avoid duplication.
President,
As Syrians seek to shape a future free from violence and oppression, the international community has a responsibility to support a Syrian-led and inclusive transition while ensuring accountability for past atrocities.
The work of the IIIM remains indispensable in this regard and complements other accountability and transitional justice efforts, including initiatives addressing the fate and whereabouts of missing and disappeared persons.
We stand steadfast in our support for the Mechanism’s mandate and call on all Member States to do the same, including through sustained political and financial support as well as the sharing of valuable expertise.
Accountability is critical for justice, reconciliation and lasting peace for the Syrian people.
Thank you.