The Hague, 30 June 2023: The resolution adopted by the 77^th session of the UN General Assembly this week establishing the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic is a “testament to the relentless efforts of Syrian Civil Society and families of the missing,” the Director-General of the International Commission on Missing Persons, Kathryne Bomberger, said today. She added, “it is crucial that governments and international organizations get behind the Independent Institution and help it to succeed.”

The Independent Institution is to have “the full and meaningful participation and representation of victims, survivors and the families of missing persons”, according to the Resolution, and is to build “on existing capacities and survivor-informed best practices.”

Bomberger said the debate in the General Assembly had shown that countries understand the importance of this issue. “The 83 states that voted in favor of the Resolution did so because they know that…

The Hague, 30 June 2023 – On the occasion of its 27th anniversary, the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) today published its Annual Report for 2022. The report, which can be accessed on the ICMP website, provides detailed information about ICMP’s programs and plans, as well as a comprehensive survey of missing persons issues around the world.

Highlights from ICMP’s operations in 2022 include new programs in Ukraine, Vietnam, Libya, the Caucasus, and Albania, with developments also noted in ICMP’s operations in Iraq, Syria-MENA, the Western Balkans, and Albania. During the year, work began on refurbishing ICMP’s Human Identification laboratory in The Hague, which serves as a strategic resource for governments around the world, with a standing capacity to process DNA samples at high volume. And two new Board members, Barbara Haering from Switzerland, and Thao Griffiths from Vietnam, brought the number of ICMP Commissioners up to eleven: five…

The Hague, 28 June 2023: Experts from Libyan institutions have completed a two-day visit to the Headquarters of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) in The Hague. Representatives included experts from the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Justice (Technical Permanent Committee on Mass Graves and Missing Migrants). During the study visit, the experts were briefed on measures to enhance their work in locating missing migrants and other missing persons and investigating disappearances in line with the rule of law.

Participants were able to see at first hand ICMP’s Integrated Data Management System (iDMS), which has helped to account for tens of thousands of people globally. They also attended presentations on methodologies for collecting and analyzing missing persons data, and during a tour of ICMP’s Human Identification laboratory they were briefed on the latest DNA identification techniques.

“This visit enhanced…

The Hague, 28 June 2023: The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) has concluded a series of strategic discussions and consultations in The Hague to advance its programs around the world.

ICMP’s Board of Commissioners held its annual meeting at ICMP Headquarters on 20 June, during which Former Norwegian Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek was elected as Chair, taking over from retired US Ambassador Thomas Miller, who has led the Board ICMP since 2011.

At a Profiles of the Missing event held the same day, representatives of families of the missing, civil society activists and senior policymakers from Ukraine discussed strategies to develop an effective missing persons process. Joining the discussion from Kyiv, Ukraine’s Minister of Justice, Denys Maliuska, highlighted the central role of accounting for the missing in the collective effort to uphold international and domestic law. During the event, several speakers encouraged the Ukrainian Government to conclude a pending Cooperation…

The Hague, 27 June 2023 – Chancellor Khaled Diab from the Center for Judicial Expertise of Libya’s Ministry of Justice, Dr. Elias Elhammruni from the Permanent Technical Committee on Mass Graves and Missing Migrants & Ambassador Thomas Miller Chairperson of the International Commission of Missing Persons (ICMP) have signed a Technical Cooperation Agreement in The Hague.

“The agreement paves the way for ICMP to help the authorities in Libya establish an impartial and effective process to account for large numbers of missing persons,” ICMP Director-General Kathryne Bomberger said. ”It will continue the work that ICMP undertook in Libya a decade ago, and it will provide the relevant agencies with tools to account for Libyans who have gone missing as a result of conflict and political instability, as well as migrants who have gone missing in their efforts to reach Europe .”

“We hope that this agreement between the Center for Judicial…

The Hague, 23 June 2022:  Former Norwegian Foreign Minister Knut Vollebaek has been elected as the new Chair of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) Board of Commissioners. Mr Vollebaek, who has been a member of the Board since 2013, replaces former US Ambassador Thomas Miller, who has served as Chair since 2011.

Ambassador Vollebæk was the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities from 2007 to 2013. Prior to that, he was Norway’s Ambassador to the United States between 2001 and 2007 and Foreign Minister from 1997 to 2000. He was Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE in 1999.

“I am honored to be selected to fill this role and look forward to working with my fellow board members and ICMP staff to continue ICMP’s efforts to address the global challenge of missing persons,” Mr Vollebæk said following his appointment by the Board of Commissioners on 20 June.

ICMP Director-General Kathryne Bomberger said…

National Indigenous Peoples Day: Helping Survivors Investigate Suspected IRS Crimes

The Hague, 21 June 2023: The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) recognizes on this Indigenous Peoples Day the tremendous weight that Survivors and communities continue to carry on the issue of Missing Indigenous Children and Unmarked Graves from the former Indian Residential Schools (IRS) across Canada. ICMP looks forward to working with families and survivors on their journey to obtaining answers and securing justice.

The First Nations leadership, including through a resolution by the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) Chiefs, mandated the AFN to invite ICMP to facilitate and support an Indigenous-led process to explore options for addressing the issue of unmarked burials. Accordingly, the Technical Arrangement signed between Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) and ICMP in January 2023 envisaged ICMP working with Indigenous survivors and families, including working with Metis and Inuit Survivors and families.

ICMP welcomes the…

Гаага, 20 червня 2023  – З огляду на величезне зростання кількості зниклих безвісти, Україна «має розробити ефективнішу та гуманнішу державну стратегію щодо зниклих безвісти, щоб люди, які опинились у цій жахливій ситуації, не були самотніми», заявила лауреатка Нобелівської премії миру Олескандра Матвійчук на зустрічі, організованій Міжнародною комісією з питань зниклих безвісти (МКЗБ) у її штаб-квартирі в Гаазі.

Під час публічного обговорення зусиль із запровадження ефективного процесу розшуку зниклих безвісти в Україні пані Матвійчук, яка є головою Центру громадянських свобод у Києві, наголосила на масштабі проблеми, оскільки десятки тисяч людей вважаються зниклими безвісти після російського вторгнення у лютому минулого року, додавши до тих, хто вже перебував у розшуку після початку російської агресії в 2014 році.

Під час заходу – «Профілі зниклих безвісти: голоси українських родин» – родичі зниклих безвісти розповідали про свій досвід і закликали до сталого процесу щодо зниклих безвісти як життєво важливої інвестиції в мир і справедливість.

Її Величність Королева Нур,…