International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances

The official opening ceremony was marked by a call for strengthened cooperation amongst all actors involved in the fight against enforced disappearances. Tribute was paid to the victims and to their families for their perseverance and resilience. A minute of silence was dedicated to the memory of all the disappeared.  The fundamental goal of the World Congress was to gather, for the first time ever, all actors committed to the fight against enforced disappearances at the global level : States – parties or not parties to the UN Convention, associations of families of the disappeared and survivors, international organizations, international NGOs, academics and others… Never before has there been such an opportunity for all those sharing the same concerns and objectives to exchange their experiences, coordinate their actions and develop common strategies. Thanks to the co-organizers of the Congress, and to the full commitment of all partners, the challenge was fully met. The results...

  This session was dedicated to existing and emerging mechanisms at the international level for holding perpetrators of enforced disappearance accountable . Panelists explored the reasons why the crime of enforced disappearance remains widely unprosecuted and presented related recommendations. The contributions highlighted the need for legal harmonization and adequate legal frameworks as well as robust regional and international cooperation to prosecute enforced disappearance cases and provide justice and reparation to victims The insightful presentations addressed the following themes:   • Persisting challenges to prosecution and investigation :Panelists examined challenges to ensuring accountability, including gathering and providing evidence for a crime that is secretive by nature, the lack of cooperation and political will from relevant State authorities, the fear of reprisals of investigating, prosecuting, and judicial authorities, their lack of awareness regarding t...

  This session aimed to provide a space for civil society organizations who support families and document cases of enforced disappearance to directly exchange with several United Nations bodies : WGEID, CED, Human Rights Committee and Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions. The discussion centred on how to encourage the reporting of enforced disappearance cases to UN mechanisms and more broadly on the contribution of victims and CSOs. Key issues raised included the following:   • Victim and CSO crucial contribution to UN mechanisms : Panelists from UN mechanisms highlighted the crucial contribution of victims and CSOs, “the engine” of their work. Victims and CSOs can contribute to the work of the relevant UN bodies in different ways: by documenting and submitting individual cases, submitting information in alternative reports, or during meetings, be they online, during sessions or during country visits.  • Challenges : Different types of challenges were menti...

  This panel explored advocacy strategies to make progress towards the goal of universal ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances (CED Convention) . With 77 States parties as of December 2024, adherence to the CED Convention is not as high as other international human rights treaties, such as the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT Convention) which has been ratified by 175 States. Panelists discussed strategies tailored to diverse political and social contexts to increase the number of States parties to the CED Convention.  Common issues across the interventions emerged:  • The crucial role of victims and civil society: Victims’ voices remain the most compelling tool for advocacy, offering authenticity and urgency to the call for ratification, as proven by the collaborative drafting process of the CED Convention. Its provision stems from the exper...

This session included insightful contributions from family members as well as organizations and institutions who support them in their quest for truth, justice and reparation . Panelists addressed the provision of legal and psychosocial support, victim and family participation, and network-building. Various contexts were presented, including the overlooked enforced disappearance of women in war-torn Sudan. The interventions highlighted the key role played by family members who search for their loved ones, not only within their family, but within their community and society as a whole. Common themes emerged:   • Gender dimension : The disproportionate impact of enforced disappearances on women and girls was examined both in their roles as family members left behind and as individuals subjected to disappearance themselves. In closed societies, the associated social stigma and the “burden of shame” contribute to the isolation of affected families, complicating efforts to provide...

  This session aimed to explore universal jurisdiction (UJ) as a tool to combat impunity . Panelists commented on several ongoing and concluded cases concerning enforced disappearances. The discussed proceedings took place in various countries, including Argentina, Switzerland, France, and Germany regarding crimes committed in Belarus, The Gambia, Syria, Ukraine. Discussions explored the evolution of UJ, practical solutions, and the balance between pursuing local justice mechanisms and resorting to UJ as a last measure.  Common themes:  • A timely moment for universal jurisdiction and enforced disappearance cases:  There appears to be a significant moment for UJ in the context of enforced disappearances. In Switzerland, ongoing proceedings concern the very first UJ case related to enforced disappearances. In France, a groundbreaking judgment was issued in 2024, and in Germany, the law on enforced disappearances was recently amended. These developments indicate that ...

  This session explored ways in which art contributes to justice by breaking the silence of untold stories , providing victims with alternative forms of expression, sensitising societies to issues related to past violence, justice and reform, galvanizing people to challenge authorities and demand justice and change, and building a collective memory that is conducive to healing and nonrepetition of past human rights violations. Panelists presented their victim-led art projects from various parts of the world: an award-winning animated film exposing the impact of enforced disappearances on families in Syria, a virtual museum on enforced disappearance in South Asia, Memory House in The Gambia, a book of short stories by 15 women relatives from Lebanon, and a book of favourite recipes of forcibly disappeared persons in Mexico by their loved ones. The rich and diverse contributions addressed the following key issues:  • Art as a way of reaching out to broad audiences and engaging y...

  This session was dedicated to search processes and to families’ inalienable right to know the truth regarding the circumstances of the enforced disappearance, the progress and results of the investigation and the fate of their loved ones. Panelists from various regions of the world shared their insights as experts and as family members involved in search processes. The session included powerful testimonies from women searching for their loved ones, lessons learned and recommendations regarding the following main issues Key issues raised  • Coordination between search and criminal investigation processes : This panel examined how search efforts can be effectively integrated with criminal investigations to ensure a holistic approach to truth and justice. States have a dual obligation (1) to search for and locate the disappeared and (2) to investigate, prosecute, and punish those responsible. These obligations are distinct yet interconnected. The search process can yield inform...

 This session included powerful testimonies from panelists who were affected by enforced disappearances as children . They shared their personal experiences, family histories, and expertise on the subject. Children can become victims of enforced disappearances in three distinct ways: first, when they themselves are forcibly disappeared by State forces, second when they are born in captivity, and third, when their family members are subjected to enforced disappearances. The contributions clearly demonstrated that guaranteeing the rights of children who are victims of enforced disappearances requires a comprehensive, integrated approach. The panelists shed light on various regions and contexts, while highlighting recurring patterns and similar challenges worldwide. Some of the common threads included :   • The continuing nature of enforced disappearances and transgenerational impact : The ongoing nature of enforced disappearances means that their impact persists into adult...

  This session focused on the growing trend of enforced disappearances in the context of migration, which prompted the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances to adopt its first General Comment on the matter. Panelists discussed key migration routes leading to the Global North, including the journey from South to Central America toward the United States, crossings from Africa to Europe via the Mediterranean or Atlantic routes, and movement through the Balkans into Western Europe. The discussion examined the factors contributing to enforced disappearances of migrants and explored responses from various stakeholders to address this critical issue. Common themes  • Contributing factors: Panelists mentioned factors that contribute directly or indirectly to the enforced disappearance of migrants, such as the lack of safe and regular migration routes, immigration detention at borders, “pushbacks”, increasingly militarized State policies and border management, and discrimination aga...

  This panel examined challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations for protecting at-risk individuals, including human rights defenders, lawyers, and journalists who are targeted for their work. It also addressed the threats faced by families of the disappeared and those who support them. Panelists, including victims of enforced disappearance, human rights defenders, lawyers, a journalist, and support organizations from various regions, shared powerful testimonies and experiences. Their contributions exposed the significant obstacles to both physical and legal protection for victims and those assisting them, while also offering key lessons and recommendations for improving protection efforts. Key lessons and recommendations for improving protection effort :  • Deteriorating security contexts and methods of repression Against a backdrop of rising conflicts and shrinking civic space, the presentations highlighted the deteriorating security contexts in which enforced disappe...

  Benefits of ratification:  • Speakers highlighted some of the benefits of being a party to the Convention : -Strengthen the national legal and institutional framework -Contributing to the global fight against impunity and demonstrating solidarity, even in countries without a history of enforced disappearance -Enhancing international cooperation and mutual legal assistance under key provisions of the Convention, to address situations where perpetrators flee to a non-State party to avoid prosecution or if a national disappears in a non-State party. International cooperation represents a huge potential as well as a necessity and the Convention needs to be universal for it to deploy its full potential.  • A collective effort : The fight against enforced disappearance requires a global collective effort, even in States that have no history of enforced disappearance. Platform such as this Congress, but also the Universal Periodic Review, provide opportunities to encourage Sta...

  The panel discussion included powerful testimonies from women searchers from different parts of the world who shared their personal experience as family members engaged in the search for their loved ones. The contributions highlighted the multidimensional impact of enforced disappearances on women’s rights, the challenges they face in their pursuit of truth and justice, but also the collective dimension of their struggle and their contribution to building peaceful societies.   The following common themes were addressed:  • Multifaceted impact on rights - Through personal experiences, panelists shed light on the multidimensional impact of enforced disappearance on their rights, including the legal and administrative hurdles due to the lack of legal recognition and a “certificate of absence” of the disappeared, the economic hardship when the breadwinner disappears, the social stigma associated with a disappearance, or the impact on their health because of the stress ...