Secretary-General appoints Ms. Karla Quintana of Mexico as Head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Karla Quintana of Mexico as Head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic, established by the United Nations General Assembly in June 2023 to clarify the fate and whereabouts of all missing persons in the Syrian Arab Republic and to provide adequate support to victims, survivors and the families of those missing, in close cooperation and complementarity with all relevant actors.
Ms. Quintana is a human rights expert and legal scholar with extensive experience in international human rights law, transitional justice and constitutional law. As the former National Commissioner for the Search of Missing Persons in Mexico, she led efforts to address over 100,000 cases of disappearances and more than 70,000 unidentified bodies. During her tenure, she established the National Registry of Missing Persons and spearheaded key initiatives such as forensic interventions and contextual analysis.
Prior to this role, Ms. Quintana served as Head of the Victims’ Federal Public Defense in Mexico, where she led initiatives to enhance access to justice, psychological assistance and reparations for victims of crimes and human rights violations. Earlier in her career, she served as a law clerk at the Supreme Court of Justice of Mexico.
At the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Ms. Quintana litigated cases of systemic human rights violations before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Additionally, she worked as an Anti-Corruption Investigator in the Integrity Vice Presidency of the World Bank, strengthening accountability in international development projects.
Ms. Quintana is currently an Associate Researcher at El Colegio de México, focusing on transitional justice and disappearances. She holds a Doctorate in Law (SJD) from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico, a Master of Laws (LLM) from Harvard University, US, and a Master’s degree in Gender Studies from the University of Barcelona, Spain. Ms. Quintana is fluent in Spanish and English and has basic proficiency in Italian and French.