UN rapporteur to meet Syria regime officials, assess sanctions impact

The United Nations' Human Rights Council is sending a rapporteur to Syria on Sunday to assess the impact of sanctions on the country.

Alena Douhan is due to visit the war-torn country from 30 October till 10 November, the UN said in a statement Thursday.

Syria is subject to strict Western sanctions due to the regime’s war crimes on its own people during a decade-long war that began with its crackdown on pro-democracy activists.

"I am looking forward to engaging with the Government and non-governmental stakeholders in a spirit of dialogue, cooperation and impartiality, with the view to gather first-hand information on the impact of unilateral coercive measures on the full realization of all human rights," Douhan said.

The rapporteur will focus on "secondary sanctions, sanctions over-compliance and the sanctions-induced obstacles to the realisation of the sustainable development goals and the right to development" during her visit.

She plans to convene with senior government officials, parliament and judiciary members, representatives of international organisations, and the diplomatic community, among others, according to the statement.

Over 500,000 people have died since the war in Syria began, and more than half of the country's pre-war population have left to seek refuge abroad or are displaced within Syria.

For the Syrians who remain, sanctions and other consequences of the war have "crippled people’s buying power", as two-thirds of Syria’s population do not have enough to eat, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.