Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances to hold 91st session in Bosnia and Herzegovina

The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (*) will hold its 91st session from 22 to 25 June 2010, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Working Group encourages interested international, regional and civil society organizations to request meetings to discuss matters related to the question of enforced disappearance. In particular, the Working Group would like to learn from relevant regional organizations the extent to which States are fulfilling their obligations under the United Nations Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

Interested organizations can contact the Working Group’s Secretariat at the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva (Tel. 022 917 9336; Fax: 022 917 9006; E-mail: wgeid@ohchr.org) by 8 June 2010, to schedule an appointment.

(*) The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances is comprised of five independent experts from all regions of the world. The Chair-Rapporteur is Mr. Jeremy Sarkin (South Africa), and the other Expert-Members are Mr. Santiago Corcuera (Mexico), Ms. Jasminka Dzumhur (Bosnia and Herzogovina), Mr. Olivier de Frouville (France) and Mr. Osman El-Hajjé (Lebanon)

ENDS

The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances was established by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 1980 to assist families in determining the fate or whereabouts of their disappeared relatives. It endeavours to establish a channel of communication between the families and the Governments concerned, to ensure that individual cases are investigated, with the objective of clarifying the fate or whereabouts of the persons reported disappeared. The Working Group continues to address cases of disappearances until they are resolved. The Working Group also provides assistance in the implementation by States of the United Nations Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. For more information on the mandate and work of the WGEID, please visit: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/disappear/index.htm