Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking with (a) international organisations and (b) other countries to ensure that those responsible for international war crimes in Syria are held to account.

The UK is committed to highlighting the appalling violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in Syria including those committed by Daesh and to pursuing accountability for the most serious crimes. At the Human Rights Council, we have raised our concerns about war crimes being committed by Russian-backed regime forces and by terrorist groups citing reports by the UN Commission of Inquiry. We continue to support the UN Commission of Inquiry's investigations into human rights violations and abuses in Syria and the work of the UN International Impartial and Independent Mechanism which is gathering evidence for the prosecution of persons responsible for the most serious crimes under international law in Syria. We have also called for follow up to the findings of the UN Board of Inquiry, created last year following UK-led lobbying. The UK has contributed over £13 million since 2012 in support of Syrian and international efforts to gather evidence and assist victims of human rights abuses and violations.