Attachments
Human Rights Council
Fifty-third session
19 June–14 July 2023
Agenda items 2 and 3
Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the
High Commissioner and the Secretary-General
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights,
including the right to development
Summary
Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 50/11, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has prepared a comprehensive report on the impact of casualty recording on the promotion and protection of human rights. In the report, it describes casualty recording’s use by Governments, the United Nations, civil society, humanitarian organizations and others, for insight and analysis into critical aspects of armed conflicts and situations of violence. Casualty recording has an impact on protection, compliance with international law, early warning, prevention, accountability, access to services and reparations, among others. Through its multiplicity of contexts, actors and approaches, casualty recording can become an integral part of responses to violence and conflict. The work should be further supported to assist in stopping or mitigating harm to civilians and victims to ensure that all casualties are identified, their fate and whereabouts documented, and their mortal remains handled respectfully and returned to their families according to their customs.
I. Introduction
1. In its resolution 50/11, the Human Rights Council requested the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to prepare a comprehensive report on the impact of casualty recording on the promotion and protection of human rights.
2. In preparing this report, OHCHR benefited from the collaboration and input of States, United Nations entities, including United Nations missions and field presences involved in casualty recording work, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations (particularly members of the Casualty Recorders Network, coordinated by Every Casualty Counts), academia and independent experts. More than 50 respondents who have been documenting casualties over many years, in various contexts and in challenging circumstances, submitted inputs.
3. In examining the submissions, OHCHR sought to highlight examples that demonstrated the breadth and depth of uses to which casualty recording is put and the positive impact it has on the protection of human rights. OHCHR received submissions from a range of entities employing a variety of approaches to recording casualties. To the extent that entities providing information for this report set out their methods, objectives and scope transparently, examples from their work were included in the report even when not fully reflecting OHCHR methodology.
4. Casualty recording is an important and effective means of delivering on a range of fundamental human rights. The examples included illustrate a variety of human rights impacts that casualty recording enables, whether for individual victims and families, or at the community level. Impacts are realized in the rights to life, health, education and an effective remedy, among others. Casualty recording can facilitate measures aiming at accessing food, protection of vulnerable populations, prevention, accountability and freedom of movement. It can also identify patterns of harm and shed light on behaviours that have the most adverse effect on human rights.
5. While casualty recording provides information about individuals, and permits individual case follow-up, it also serves as an evidence base to understand the broader situation and changing dynamics. Often conducted in real time and made publicly available, the information produced is used to inform decisions at multiple levels and by a range of actors, including local communities, civil society and humanitarian organizations, armed actors, authorities, the United Nations and the diplomatic community. The analysis and information is used, among other things, to guide efforts to protect civilians and ensure the enjoyment of their rights and to prevent, and in some cases address, violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.
6. Casualty recording efforts are not new. Within the United Nations, the longeststanding system was established by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in 2007. Since then, United Nations casualty recording systems have operated in conflict and non-conflict situations, in country and remotely, including in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, Ukraine, Yemen and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, among others. Building on its unique experience as the United Nations entity carrying out casualty recording, as well as the experience of other practitioners, in December 2019, OHCHR issued its guidance on casualty recording. Casualty recording also contributes to the engagement of OHCHR with the Protection of Civilians Agenda of the Security Council and to its work as a custodian for the Sustainable Development Goal indicator on conflict-related deaths (16.1.2).
7. Casualty recording is also carried out by a multitude of actors outside the United Nations. In this report, OHCHR acknowledges the breadth of casualty recording work carried out across the globe, which the text is only able to capture in part. OHCHR acknowledges and extends its gratitude.