Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
About the mandate
One of the Working Group's primary tasks is to assist families in determining the fate or whereabouts of their family members who are reportedly disappeared. In that humanitarian capacity, the Working Group serves as a channel of communication between family members of victims of enforced disappearance and other sources reporting cases of disappearances, and the Governments concerned.
To achieve this, the Group:
- receives, examines and transmits to Governments reports of enforced disappearances submitted by relatives of disappeared persons or human rights organizations acting on their behalf;
- requests Governments to carry out investigations and to inform the Working Group of the results;
- follows up those requests of information on a periodic basis;
- has a preventive role, by assisting States in overcoming obstacles to the realization of the Declaration on the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance. This is done both while carrying out country visits and by providing advisory services, when requested.
The most recent resolution renewing the mandate of the Working Group, A/HRC/RES/54/14, was adopted by the Human Rights Council in October 2023.
About the members
The Working Group is composed of five independent experts of balanced geographical representation. Together, they investigate individual cases and produce reports and opinions in order to fulfil the mandate. They meet three times a year in Geneva.
Key documents
Calls for Input
Latest thematic reports
Contact Information
Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
OHCHR-UNOG, 8-14 Avenue de la Paix, 1211 Geneve 10, Switzerland
Tel: (41-22) 917 90 00
Fax: (+41-22) 917 90 06
Email: hrc-wg-eid@un.org
Activities
Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances concludes its 131st session
28 September 2023
Side-Event to present the thematic study on “New Technologies and Enforced Disappearances”
27 September 2023
Enforced disappearance: justice must be guaranteed without delay to all victims, say the IACHR, experts of the UN, of the ACHPR and of the ASEAN (English | Français | Español)
Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances concludes its 130th session
12 May 2023
Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances concludes its 129th session (English | Español)
10 February 2023
Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances concludes its 128th session
29 September 2022
WGEID public event to present its thematic study on the 1992 Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance
23 September 2022
WGEID public event to present its thematic report on enforced disappearances in the context of transnational transfers
24 September 2021
CED and WGEID joint webinars on search and investigation of enforced disappearances (Part I and Part II)
23 September 2020
WGEID comments to the draft articles on Crimes Against Humanity
3 December 2018