The Government of Norway made a financial contribution to the work of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) this week. ICMP received 1,500,000 Norwegian Kroner (186,000 Euros) towards ICMP's identification project in Bosnia and Herzegovina.Since its establishment in 1996, ICMP has assisted the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina in addressing the issue of persons missing from the conflict. Using scientific methods, primarily DNA analysis in identification of mortal remains, ICMP has helped thousands of families to find the truth about what happened to their loved ones.

ICMP collects blood samples from relatives of the missing and receives bone samples from court appointed pathologists. These are archived and sent to ICMP laboratories for testing. Once the DNA is extracted DNA profiles are entered into ICMP's database and matched. To date ICMP's efforts have resulted in DNA-assisted identifications of 9,756 individuals missing from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

“Our work is not…

The governing structures of the Missing Persons Institute of Bosnia and Herzegovina (MPI) held their inaugural meeting today in Sarajevo. The meeting of the Steering and Supervisory Board, along with the Board of Directors, marked the start of the functioning of the MPI. It is a State-level organization co-founded by the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP).The MPI was inaugurated as a State-level body on 30 August 2005 and will take over all the responsibilities, staff and budgets of the current entity bodies. By creating a sustainable, state-level structure, Bosnia-Herzegovina is taking an important step forward in addressing the issue of the missing.

The Deputy Chief of Mission at the American Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Judith Cefkin, and the Consul at the Embassy, Paul Boyd, visited the facilities of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) in Tuzla today. Since its creation in 1996 at a G-7 Summit at the behest of then President Clinton, the United States continues to be one of the biggest supporters ICMP.

During a two day trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Interpol Secretary General, Ronald K. Noble visited the headquarters office of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) in Sarajevo and its facilities and programs in Tuzla. His visit was prompted by the successful work the two organizations had contributed to in providing assistance to the Government of Thailand following the December 2004 tsunami.

The Director-General of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), Kathryne Bomberger, received the Legion of Honor on Wednesday evening in Sarajevo. The French Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Maryse Berniau, awarded the honor as “the proof of attention and recognition of the French Government for the work of Kathryne Bomberger in her mission and exceptional achievements of ICMP.”

By appointing its members to the Steering Board of the Missing Persons Institute for Bosnia and Herzegovina (MPI) at today's session, the Council of Ministers overcame the final administrative hurdle that would allow the MPI to begin functioning.As the co-founder of the MPI, the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) welcomes today's decision and has agreed with the Council of Ministers on the appointment of the top candidates who will now comprise of the 6 member management body for the Institute.

The German Ambassador and current Presidency of the EU in BiH, H.E. Michael Schmunk, yesterday led a delegation of representatives from EU embassies and missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina in a visit of the Tuzla facilities of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP).

Accompanied by the ICMP Director-General, Kathryne Bomberger, they visited three facilities, including one where the mortal remains of Srebrenica genocide victims are re-associated, another where these mortal remains are stored and identified and the ICMP center where all blood samples collected by ICMP from relatives of the missing and all bone samples received from government authorities are archived and sent to ICMP labs for DNA-led analysis.

The Steering Board of the Missing Persons Institute (MPI) will be appointed next week at the latest, announced the Minister for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dr Safet Halilović, today following a meeting with Her Majesty Queen Noor, Commissioner of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP). The members of the MPI Board of Directors joined the meeting where implementation of the Law on Missing Persons and the Fund for Support to Family Associations was discussed. Minister Halilović announced that the agreement on appointing the highest ranking candidates will be respected. “The appointment will be on the agenda of the Council of Ministers either this week or next week”, he said.

Commissioner of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), Her Majesty Queen Noor, met with the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dr Nikola Spiric today in Mostar to discuss the issue of missing persons from the 1992-1995 conflicts in BiH. She requested that the Council of Ministers implement the Law on Missing Persons without delay, in particular the provisions relevant to the establishment of the Missing Persons Institute (MPI) and the Fund to Support Families of Missing Persons.

The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) hosted a two-day conference in Ohrid, Macedonia, which concluded with specific recommendations to government institutions and international organizations responsible for addressing the fate of the over 2,000 persons still missing from the Kosovo conflict. The Minister of Justice of the Kosovo Provisional institutions of self-governance, Jonuz Salihi, joined the conference today and stated that, “gatherings such as this one today must continue. Families of the missing need the opportunity to meet and work together.”