Attachments
Human Rights Council
Fifty-fourth session
11 September–6 October 2023
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Summary
The Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, Alena Douhan, undertook an official country visit to the Syrian Arab Republic from 31 October to 10 November 2022 to examine the impact of unilateral sanctions on the enjoyment of human rights in the country and on the right to development.
She concludes that sanctions, secondary sanctions and different forms of overcompliance have a serious negative impact on the country’s economy, leading to serious violations of human rights and humanitarian challenges, which have been exacerbated by the long-lasting conflict, as well as the recent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The comprehensiveness of existing unilateral sanctions regimes against the Syrian Arab Republic and the growing overcompliance, in particular following the imposition in 2019 of the Caesar Syrian Civilian Protection Act by the United States of America, have placed the country in a straitjacket with serious adverse effects on a broad spectrum of human rights. The Special Rapporteur recommends lifting unilateral sanctions to avoid de-risking policies and overcompliance in accordance with international legal standards and the due diligence rule and calls upon the international community and humanitarian actors to step up efforts to mitigate the adverse humanitarian impact of unilateral coercive measures.
Annex
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, Alena Douhan, on her visit to the Syrian Arab Republic
I. Introduction
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The Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, Alena Douhan, visited the Syrian Arab Republic from 31 October to 10 November 2022 at the invitation of the Government. On 10 November, she presented her preliminary observations to the Government and held a press conference.
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She met with government representatives and their teams, including the Prime Minister; the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates; the Speaker of the People’s Assembly and a number of its members; the Minister of Local Administration and Environment; the Minister of Oil and Mineral Resources; the Minister of Health; the Minister of Social Affairs and Labour; the Minister of Electricity; the Minister of Industry; the Minister of Water Resources; the Minister of the Economy and Foreign Trade; the Minister of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection; the Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform; the Minister of Justice; the Minister of Culture; the Minister of Education; the Minister of Higher Education; the Minister of Finance; the Minister of the Interior; the Minister of Transport; the Minister of Tourism; the Minister of Communication and Technology; the Governor of the Central Bank; and the Chair of the Planning and International Cooperation Commission.
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The Special Rapporteur also met with representatives of civil society organizations working in different areas and sectors; health-care providers; associations and charities; public and private financial institutions; local and international humanitarian actors; businesses and academia; and churches and faith-based organizations. She also held consultations with the United Nations country team and with members of the diplomatic community based in Damascus and Beirut. She met with representatives of the International Chamber of Commerce and of the country’s civil aviation companies. In addition to visiting the capital, the Special Rapporteur visited areas in rural Damascus, Homs and rural Homs.
The scheduled field trip to Dar‘a in the south of the country was cancelled the day before departure, due to a security assessment and update by the United Nations Department for Safety and Security. -
Before the visit, the Special Rapporteur issued an open call for contributions from relevant stakeholders.2 She extends her gratitude to all her interlocutors who generously offered their time, information and experiences to help her gather first-hand information and understand the impact of unilateral sanctions and overcompliance on people’s lives in the Syrian Arab Republic.
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The Special Rapporteur commends the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and, in particular, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the transparent and constructive manner in which they coordinated and facilitated the visit, and for their responsiveness in providing additional information and data during and after the visit. She also thanks the Resident Coordinator and his office for its support throughout the visit.