Joint statement: 3rd Annual meeting of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances and the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances

GENEVA (15 November 2013) – The third annual meeting of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances and the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances took place in Geneva on Thursday, 7 November 2013.

During the meeting, the members of the two United Nations expert bodies working on the issue of enforced disappearance continued discussions on the complementarity of their procedures, in particular regarding urgent actions. The experts highlighted the need to continue and make their coordination of activities more effective with a view to strengthen efforts to combat enforced disappearances with a victim-centred perspective.

The experts reiterated their strong support to civil society and their vigilance to any form of intimidation and reprisals against civil society actors and families of disappeared persons. They welcomed the decision of the Human Rights Council to request the Secretary-General to designate, in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, a United Nations-wide senior focal point on reprisals and intimidation against those who cooperate with the UN in the field of human rights.

Also during the meeting both expert bodies exchanged information on past activities, including on country visits and the review of State parties, and agreed on continuous cooperation to coordinate their agendas, including on thematic priorities.

Furthermore, the experts highlighted the need to continue working collectively to achieve universal adherence to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and recognition of the competence of the Committee to receive individual and inter-State complaints.

ENDS

The Working Group was established by the 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. In view of the Working Group's humanitarian mandate, clarification occurs when the fate or whereabouts of the disappeared person are clearly established. The Working Group continues to address cases of disappearances until they are resolved. It 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 Working Group, visit:
http://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/wg-disappearances

The Working Group is comprised of five independent experts from all regions of the world. The Chair-Rapporteur is Mr. Ariel Dulitzky (Argentina), and the Vice-Chair is Mr. Osman El-Hajjé (Lebanon). Other Expert-Members are Mr. Olivier de Frouville (France), Ms. Jasminka Dzumhur (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and Mr. Jeremy Sarkin (South Africa).

UN Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance: http://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/declaration-protection-all-persons-enforced-disappearance

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The Committee on enforced disappearances was established in 2011 following the entering into force of the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance. The Committee can be seized with requests that a disappeared person should be sought and found as a matter of urgency (art. 30) and can receive complaints from individuals who claim to be victims of violations of the rights protected by the Convention (art. 31). The requests for urgent action may only be received if the enforced disappearance has occurred in a country that is a State Party to the Convention. The complaints can be received from the date in which the State Party has recognized the competence of the Committee to do so. The Committee reviews reports of States parties on their implementation of obligations under the Convention (art. 29), can carry out visits in case of information that a State party is seriously violating the Convention (art. 33) and can urgently size the General Assembly in case it receives information that a State party is practicing enforced disappearances on a widespread or systematic basis (art. 34).For more information on the Committee, please visit: http://www.ohchr.org/en/treaty-bodies/ced

The Committee is comprised of ten independent experts from all regions of the world. The Chair of the Committee is Mr. Emmanuel Decaux (France), and other Expert-members are Mr. Mohammed Al-Obaidi (Iraq), Mr. Mamadou Badio Camara (Senegal), Mr. Santiago Corcuera Cabezut (Mexico), Mr. Alvaro Garcé García Y Santos (Uruguay), Mr. Luciano Hazan (Argentina), Mr. Rainer Huhle (Germany), Ms. Suela Janina (Albania), Mr. Juan José López Ortega (Spain) and Mr. Kimio Yakushiji (Japan).

UN International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances: http://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/international-convention-protection-all-persons-enforced

For more information and media requests on the Working Group, please contact Ugo Cedrangolo (Tel.: +41 22 917 9286 / email: ucedrangolo@ohchr.org) or write to wgeid@ohchr.org

For more information and media requests on the Committee on enforced disappearances, please contact Maria Giovanna Bianchi (Tel: +41 22 917 9189 / email: mgbianchi@ohchr.org) or write to ced@ohchr.org