The ICRC has been present in Syria since 1967, working to ensure that victims of armed conflict receive the humanitarian protection and assistance they are entitled to and help vulnerable communities meet their essential needs.
In Syria, the ICRC focuses on supporting vulnerable communities that have been suffering the effects of over a decade of armed conflict and devastating earthquakes.
Over the past 13 years, the ICRC has registered 35,000 cases of missing persons in Syria (with a further 8,000 cases registered in January 2025 alone) — a figure that reflects only the families who have sought our help. The actual number is far higher.
Behind each case is a family enduring unbearable pain that deepens with time. Throughout these years, the ICRC has remained steadfast in its mission to bring families the answers they desperately seek. Upholding families' right to know remains our unwavering priority.
Leveraging decades of expertise, the ICRC has offered its assistance to all authorities in Syria to locate the missing. This includes providing technical support to preserve records, safeguard gravesites, protect personal data, and ensure professional forensic practices that align with international standards.
At the same time, we continue to support families of the missing by addressing their urgent needs, offering mental health support and healthcare services, economic assistance and legal and administrative aid (through our partners the Syrian Arab Red Crescent).
The search for missing persons is a complex, long-term effort that requires coordination and support from authorities, conflict parties, civil society, and international actors.
After 14 years of registering more than 35,000 people as missing, the International Red Cross can finally bring some solace to families on the fate and whereabouts of their missing loved ones in Syria. We sit down with the head of the Syria delegation, Stephan Sakalian, to talk about how the International Committee of the Red Cross is working to provide some consolation to those seeking missing loved ones and what it will take to rebuild the country under the new government.
For more than a decade, Syria has endured relentless conflict, leaving millions in despair.
The ICRC carries out its activities in Syria in cooperation with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, improving access to food and health care, repairing and refurbishing water and sanitation networks across the country, and helping people gradually restore their livelihoods.
