GENEVA (16 March 2023) – The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances will conduct an official visit to the Republic of Honduras from 20 to 29 March 2023.

The Working Group, which visits Honduras at the invitation of the Government, will travel to Tegucigalpa and other regions of the country to meet state officials, the National Human Rights Institution, victims of enforced disappearance, their relatives and legal representatives, civil society organisations and individuals working on enforced disappearances.

The delegation – comprising human rights experts Ms. Aua Baldé (Chair-Rapporteur), Ms. Grażyna Baranowska and Mr. Luciano Hazan –, will examine matters related to the rights of victims to truth, justice and reparation in the context of enforced disappearances, efforts towards the preservation of memory, and measures aimed at preventing enforced disappearances, including in the context of migration and organised crime. It will also assess the legislative and institutional framework in place to address enforced disappearances.

The experts will share their preliminary observations at a press conference on Wednesday 29 March 2023 at 4:00PM local time at the Hyatt Place, Salón Hyatt III, Avenida La Paz, Paseo los Proceres, Tegucigalpa. Access will be strictly limited to journalists.

The Working Group will present a final report containing its findings and recommendations to the Human Rights Council in September 2023.

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

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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UN Human Rights, Country Page - Honduras