Monthly Archives: August 2014

Iraqi Families of Missing Persons Conclude Visit to ICMP

Iraqi delegation from "Ship of Life" NGO at Sarajevo's Liberation Square
Iraqi delegation from "Ship of Life" NGO at Sarajevo's Liberation Square

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30 August 2014: A delegation of thirteen women from Iraq, who are family members of missing persons, completed a five day visit to ICMP in Bosnia and Herzegovina. During their visit they attended ceremonies to commemorate the International Day of the Disappeared in Sarajevo.

The group comes from different parts of Iraq, including Basra, Iraqi Kurdistan, Diyala, Anbar and Salahaldin, and represent Kurdish, Shia and Sunni women. The group are members of a non-governmental organization called the Ship of Life. The goal of the visit was for the group to was to enhance their knowledege of mechanisms and methodes to address the issue of missing persons.

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Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia sign ICMP’s Declaration on Missing Persons

During the Declaration signing ceremony.
During the Declaration signing ceremony.

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“The International Declaration is an historic document which defines for the first time the responsibility of States in accounting for the missing”

Mostar, August 29, 2014 – In an historic event hosted by the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bakir Izetbegović, President of the Republic of Croatia Ivo Josipović, President of Montenegro Filip Vujanović and President of the Republic of Serbia Tomislav Nikolić signed a “Declaration on the Role of the State in Addressing the Issue of Persons Missing as a Consequence of Armed Conflict and Human Rights Abuses” in Mostar’s City Hall today.

The purpose of the Declaration is to define the role of States in accounting for the missing from conflict and human rights abuses. The first signatories to the international Declaration include those countries and their successor States that were a party to the Dayton Peace Agreement. Of…

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Families across the Western Balkans mark the International Day of the Disappeared

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Sarajevo, August 30, 2014  The families of missing persons from the countries of the former Yugoslavia today and yesterday organized commemorative events to mark the International Day of the Disappeared, 30 August. The ICMP applauds the efforts of the families of the missing to mark this day, to raise awareness about the issue of missing persons, to demand accountability from the state, and to jointly pay tribute to the missing regardless of nationality, ethnicity or religion.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, unlike in previous years when one central event was organized on 30th August, this year the family associations of missing persons marked the International Day of the Disappeared in their respective municipalities. Family associations of the missing from 20 municipalities throughout BiH installed an identical symbolic installation at their street gatherings, a carved styrofoam silhouette representing a missing person. Passersby had the opportunity to write messages and place them on…

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Message from the ICMP Director General Kathryne Bomberger on the occasion of the International Day of the Disappeared

Kathryne Bomberger speaks at the ICMP convention in The Hague, Netherlands.

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Declaration “On the Role of the State in Addressing the Issue of Persons Missing as a Consequence of Armed Conflicts and Human Rights Abuses”

28 August 2014: Around the world there are millions of reported cases of missing persons from armed conflict and human rights abuses. In addition, thousands of persons go missing every year as a result of disasters, human trafficking, organized crime and other causes. Yet the issue is a silent one.

Tomorrow in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on the eve of the International Day of the Disappeared, the heads of state of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia will mark an historic occasion.  They will become the first signatories of a Declaration “On the Role of the State in Addressing the Issue of Persons Missing as a Consequence of Armed Conflict and Human Rights Abuses.”

The Declaration seeks to highlight the primary responsibility of State authorities in addressing…

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