Enforced disappearance: UN expert group to review 201 cases from 21 countries

GENEVA (9 May 2022) – The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances will hold its 127th session from 9 to 13 May 2022 to examine 201 cases in 21 countries.

The five independent experts will hold meetings with relatives of forcibly disappeared people, State representatives, civil society groups and other stakeholders to exchange information on individual cases and on structural issues and challenges related to enforced disappearances.

The experts will also examine allegations received regarding obstacles encountered in the implementation of the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (‘the Declaration’), such as regressive legislation and practices, or systemic failures in addressing cases of enforced disappearance, notably in the areas of truth and justice.

The Working Group will also discuss internal matters and future activities, including its next reports to the Human Rights Council, envisaged country visits and the special initiative marking the 30th anniversary of the Declaration. Issues related to disappearances perpetrated by non-state actors will also be discussed during the session.

During the session, the Working Group will host a hybrid expert meeting to inform its next thematic report on the linkages between enforced disappearances and new technologies.

The decisions made by the Working Group during the 127th session will be reflected in its next post-sessional report.

The sessions of the Working Group are held in private.

ENDS

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. Luciano Hazan (Argentina); and the Vice-Chair is Ms. Aua Balde (Guinea- Bissau); other members are Ms. Gabriella Citroni (Italy); Mr. Henrikas Mickevicius (Lithuania); and Ms. Angkhana Neelapaijit (Thailand).

The Working Group was established by the then UN Commission on Human Rights in 1980 to assist families in determining the fate and whereabouts of 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 whereabouts of persons who, having disappeared, are placed outside the protection of the law. It also provides assistance in the implementation by States of the UN Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

The Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms. Special Procedures mandate-holders are independent human rights experts appointed by the Human Rights Council to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. They are not UN staff and are independent from any government or organization. They serve in their individual capacity and do not receive a salary for their work.

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