Karla Quintana of Mexico was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres as Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic in December 2024, assuming office in January 2025. A distinguished human rights expert and legal scholar, Quintana has extensive experience in international human rights law, transitional justice, and constitutional law.
As Mexico’s former National Commissioner for the Search of Missing Persons, she led efforts to address more than 100,000 disappearance cases and over 70,000 unidentified bodies. She established the National Registry of Missing Persons and developed key public policies promoting fieldwork, forensic interventions, and family participation.
Previously, Quintana served as Head of the Victims’ Federal Public Defense, advancing access to justice and reparations for victims of crimes and human rights violations. She also worked at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, litigating cases before the Inter-American Court, and as an Anti-Corruption Investigator at the World Bank.
Quintana holds a Doctorate in Law (SJD) from UNAM, an LL.M. from Harvard University, and a Master’s in Gender Studies from the University of Barcelona. She is fluent in Spanish and English, with working knowledge of Italian and French.