International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances

The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) today published its findings from its recent visit to Colombia, identifying specific areas of concern and offering a comprehensive roadmap to support the State in addressing the persistent heinous crime of enforced disappearances. The CED visited Colombia from 21 November to 5 December 2024. It went to Bogotá, Cali, Cúcuta, Medellín, Santa Marta and Villavicencio, where it held 55 meetings with more than 80 authorities from all branches of government, and 61 meetings with victims, victims’ collectives and civil society organisations. It also visited five places of deprivation of liberty. The Committee welcomed the cooperation and facilities provided by the State authorities before and during the mission, emphasising that the visit marks a new milestone in its constructive dialogue with Colombia. In its report, the Committee noted that the phenomenon of enforced disappearances in Colombia did not end with the 2016 peace accords. On th...

With the aim of clarifying its procedure under article 34 of the Convention, the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) today issued the following statement: “At the closing of its 28th session on 4 April 2025, in compliance with the usual practice, the Chairperson of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances announced publicly the decisions taken by the Committee during that session. Among other announcements, the Chairperson explained that the Committee has decided to activate the procedure of article 34 of the Convention with regard to the situation of Mexico. Article 34 of the Convention provides that “if the Committee receives information which appears to it to contain well-founded indications that enforced disappearance is being practiced on a widespread or systematic basis in the territory under the jurisdiction of a State Party, it may, after seeking from the State Party concerned all relevant information on the situation, urgently bring the matter to the attention of t...

The United Nations  Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) today issued its findings on Belgium, Central African Republic, Gambia, Malta, and Serbia, after reviewing the five States parties during its latest session. The findings contain the Committee’s main concerns and recommendations on the implementation of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance , as well as positive aspects. Belgium The Committee welcomed the introduction of a pilot digital register of people deprived of their liberty, and the steps taken since 2022, toward establishing a centralized system. It however, remained concerned about the absence of a unified register across federal and local police districts. The Committee urged the State party to expedite the adoption of the royal decree on the centralized register of people deprived of liberty. The Committee recommended that Belgium strengthen the investigation into the alleged illegal intercountry adoptio...

The Committee on Enforced Disappearances this afternoon closed its twenty-eighth session after adopting concluding observations on the reports of the Gambia and Malta under the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance , reports on additional information from Belgium and Serbia, reports on stand-alone requests for additional information from Peru and Argentina, and on the implementation of the Convention by the Central African Republic, considered in absence of a report. Juan Pablo Albán Alencastro, Committee Rapporteur, said the Committee had adopted concluding observations on the Gambia, Malta, Belgium, Serbia, Peru, Argentina and the Central African Republic after public dialogues with all these States, apart from Argentina, for which a desk review of the State’s written response was conducted. The concluding observations, which would be made public next Tuesday, identified positive aspects, pointed out areas of concern, and presented the...