United Nations announces first official death toll in Syria since 2014
September 25, 2021, 4:27 am

United Nations announces first official death toll in Syria since 2014

Syria war

The BBC reported, the UN says in its first official death toll since 2014, at least 350,209 people have been killed in 10 years of war in Syria.

The BBC said, UN human rights chief cautioned the figure is "certainly an under-count of the actual number of killings".

A leading but unofficial UK-based monitoring group recently put the death toll at over 606,000.

The BBC said, the UN officially stopped counting deaths in the conflict in January 2014 because it had become impossible to accurately document the constantly growing toll, relying as it had been on the co-operation of a diminishing number of non-governmental groups on the ground to do so.

In March this year, when the war reached its tenth year, the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) requested the human rights office resume trying to determine the number of people killed.

Reporting to the HRC on Friday, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said "complex and painstaking work" had established that 350,209 identified individuals - civilians and combatants - had been killed between March 2011 and March 2021.

Ms Bachelet said of those deaths, women accounted for about eight per cent, as did children.

"Behind each recorded death was a human being, born free and equal, in dignity and rights," she said. "We must always make victims' stories visible, both individually and collectively, because the injustice and horror of each of these deaths should compel us to action."

Ms Bachelet pointed out that the headline figure was not "a complete number of conflict-related killings... indicates a minimum verifiable number, and is certainly an under-count of the actual number of killings".

She said records with only partial information had been excluded from the toll, indicating a wider number of killings which have yet to be documented, along with many other cases where victims have been killed without a trace.

BBC correspondent Bethany Bell says establishing the true scale of deaths is a complicated and difficult undertaking, but UN officials say it is crucial to enable people to seek accountability.

It is also part of efforts to account for the huge number of missing people, a cause of anguish and uncertainty for families and communities, she adds.

Earlier this year, UN investigators said tens of thousands of civilians were still unaccounted for after being detained arbitrarily during the war.

Thousands more had been tortured or killed in custody, according to their report detailing alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Source: BBC

Taliban announces executions and amputations will resume in Afghanistan Libyan PM pledges to end war, division in Libya

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has announced its sponsorship of the “Innovation and Sustainable Technology Solutions Competition (GU - IST Solutions), hosted by Gulf University at its main campus.
This strategic sponsorship reflects BENEFIT’s active role in advancing technological innovation and fostering sustainable solutions to future challenges. It also seeks to empower Bahraini youth by enhancing their skills, capabilities, and competitiveness in innovation and solution development—contributing meaningfully to the broader goals of sustainable development across all sectors.
As part of BENEFIT’s active involvement in the competition, the company has announced that Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Communication, will serve on the competition’s supervisory committee. Her upcoming participation reflects BENEFIT’s forward-looking commitment to championing academic and professional excellence.
Commenting on the occasion, Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Communication at BENEFIT, said, “We are privileged to support this pioneering initiative, which aligns seamlessly with BENEFIT’s enduring commitment to fostering innovation and nurturing the potential of Bahrain’s youth. Our participation is rooted in a deep sense of social responsibility and a firm belief in the pivotal role of innovation in shaping a sustainable future. Through such platforms, we seek to empower the next generation with the knowledge, skills, and foresight required to develop impactful solutions that address future challenges, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030.”
Dr. Aseel Al Ayash Dean of the College of Engineering in Gulf University commented, “We extend our sincere gratitude to BENEFIT for their generous sponsorship and support of the Innovation and Sustainable Technology Solutions Competition. This contribution plays an instrumental role in helping us achieve the strategic goals of this initiative, namely, cultivating a culture of innovation and sustainability, encouraging efforts that address the imperatives of sustainable development, and enhancing the practical and professional capabilities of our students and participants.”
The event will bring together a diverse spectrum of participants, including secondary school students, university undergraduates, engineers, industry professionals, entrepreneurs, academic researchers, and subject matter experts representing a wide range of disciplines.
The competition seeks to inspire participants to develop and present innovative, sustainable technologies aimed at addressing pressing environmental, social, and economic challenges. It encourages the formulation of business models that integrate advanced technological solutions with core principles of sustainability. Moreover, it serves as a platform for emerging leaders, entrepreneurs, and innovators to contribute to the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals, promote the ethos of responsible technology, and demonstrate its transformative potential across various sectors.
Attendees will have the opportunity to view a series of project presentations submitted by participants, covering diverse areas such as eco-friendly product design, smart and sustainable innovations, renewable energy technologies, water conservation and management, waste minimisation and recycling, green architectural solutions, and sustainable transportation systems. Outstanding projects will be formally recognised and awarded at the conclusion of the event.