Enforced disappearances

Organizations call for renewal of Committee on Enforced Disappearances

In 2015, the UN received an enormous number of complaints of enforced disappearances in 88 different States. Accordingly, more than 270 civil society organizations from 27 countries released a statement calling for the renewal of the mandate of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances. The renewal was confirmed by the UN on December 19, 2016.

Since its establishment in December 2010, the Committee has analyzed cases of enforced disappearances by reviewing 341 urgent actions, issuing 83 interim measures and in 11 cases requesting that States protect mass graves and evidence in connection with urgent actions. As a result, the organizations believe that the Committee should continue its work to give continuity to this mission of prevention and protection.

“In this context, and given the urgent need for the international community to confront the serious problem of disappearances, it is crucial to renew the mandate of the Committee,” said the organizations in the statement. “The alternative of combining its mandate could seriously limit the capacity of the international mechanisms to respond to the large number of urgent actions, cases and assessments that are presented,” they added.

The statement signed by Conectas and another 270 organizations was sent to the delegations of UN Member States before the decision that was taken on December 19.

Click here to read the statement in full.