A/HRC/RES/38/16 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 19 July 2018 Original: English Human Rights Council Thirty-eighth session 18 June–6 July 2018 Agenda item 4 Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 6 July 2018 38/16. The human rights situation in the Syrian Arab Republic The Human Rights Council, Guided by the Charter of the United Nations, Reaffirming all its previous resolutions on the Syrian Arab Republic, Reaffirming also its strong commitment to the full respect of the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic, Demanding that the Syrian authorities meet their responsibility to protect the Syrian population, Condemning the grave situation of human rights across the Syrian Arab Republic, Condemning also the indiscriminate or deliberate targeting of civilians in violation of international humanitarian law, and recalling the obligation of all parties to the conflict to take all feasible precautions to avoid, and in any event minimize, harm to civilians and civilian objects, such as schools, as well as medical facilities, and the prohibition on attacking, removing, destroying or rendering useless objects indispensable to the survival of the civilian population, including drinking water installations, supplies and food stuffs, Expressing deep concern at the situation of women, children and internally displaced persons, who remain among the most vulnerable to violence, Reiterating that the only sustainable solution to the current conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic is through an inclusive, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process under the auspices of the United Nations, including with the equal voice and full and meaningful participation of women in all efforts and decision-making, in accordance with the Geneva communiqué of 30 June 2012 and Security Council resolutions 2118 (2013) of 27 September 2013 and 2254 (2015) of 18 December 2015, with a view to establishing credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governance, and supporting the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria is his efforts towards this end, Welcoming Security Council resolution 2336 (2016) of 31 December 2016, and stressing the need to respect the de-escalation areas in order to achieve a sustained reduction in violence as a step towards a comprehensive nationwide ceasefire, and emphasizing that humanitarian access must be part of such efforts, GE.18-11931(E) 