Thank you, Chair.

Germany aligns itself with the EU Statement.

We appreciate the timely convening of today’s meeting and we thank Ms. Karla Quintana for the insightful briefing and for her important work. We commend her for the very significant progress the Independent Institution has made in the short time since its establishment.

Germany reaffirms its full support for IIMP and its mandate. In light of the extraordinary developments currently unfolding in the Syrian Arab Republic, we believe there is a critical window of opportunity to provide long-overdue answers to the families of missing persons – many of whom have sought refuge in Germany.

While we underscore the fundamentally humanitarian nature of the Institution’s mandate, we also wish to emphasize that uncovering the fate and whereabouts of missing persons is a vital prerequisite for meaningful reconciliation and an essential element of the transitional justice process. The families of the missing have a right to know.

Germany welcomes the bold steps taken by the Syrian government, in particular the recent establishment of the National Commission for the Missing. We fully support the objective of a nationally owned and internationally supported process. Close and sustained cooperation between national institutions, the IIMP and other UN institutions will be essential to ensuring the effectiveness of this effort. This should also pave the way for the institution’s future evolution into a hybrid and ultimately national institution.

We greatly appreciate the expressions of support from Syrian representatives and call on the government to grant the Independent Institution full and unhindered access, including the prompt establishment of a field office in Damascus.

In conclusion, Germany is proud to be among the first contributors to the IIMP Trust Fund. Given current budgetary constraints, we recognize the urgent need for continued and increased financial support. We therefore encourage all Member States to also contribute in order to ensure the Institution’s full operational capacity.

Thank you.