The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) provided a special, in-depth presentation of its work to a high-level delegation of 20 national and International Prosecutors from the Special Department for War Crimes of the Prosecutors’ Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The objective of the ICMP seminar was to provide prosecutors with an overview of the technical assistance that ICMP provides to governments in locating, recovering and identifying the mortal remains of persons missing from armed conflict, crimes against humanity and other violations of human rights.  Given that ICMP assistance in this regard is also relevant to criminal prosecutions, it is also important that prosecutors understand the scope of ICMP’s work and the type…

A high-level delegation of 19 experts working on the issue of enforced disappearances in Colombia visited the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) at its headquarters in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 20^th to 25^th November, 2008.

The Colombian delegation received in-depth presentations of ICMP experiences and expertise, in strengthening institutional capacity, creating viable legislation and enhancing the technical means to locate, recover and identify missing persons.  In addition, ICMP stressed the importance of including civil society in all aspects of the process and ensuring that family associations of the missing in particular are fully educated and informed about the process.

The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) hosted a conference in Belgrade, Republic of Serbia from 28th to 30th November, where more than a hundred representatives of associations of families of missing persons, relevant government institutions from the region, as well as parliamentarians and human rights organisations met together for three days to discuss issues pertinent to determining the fate of missing persons from the armed conflicts of the 1990’s in South Eastern Europe.

A mutual determination to find resolution to the long-standing problem of people missing from the conflicts of the 1990s in the former Yugoslavia saw family associations, key representatives of regional governments, parliamentarians, diplomats and human rights organizations united at the three-day 11th annual ‘Regional Networking Conference on the Missing Persons Issues’ being held by the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) in Belgrade, Republic of Serbia from 28th to 30th November.

The German Government continues its vital support to the work of the International Commission on Missing Persons with an important contribution this year of 600,000 Euros. This donation will support ICMP’s DNA-assisted identification program, which has already helped in accurately identifying almost 12,000 persons missing from the armed conflicts of the 1990’s in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

US Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, H.E. Charles L. English visited the DNA Laboratory of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP).  He was accompanied in his visit by the Director-General of ICMP, Ms. Kathryne Bomberger. 

“I continue to be impressed by the achievements of the ICMP in assisting this country with addressing the issue of missing persons,” said Ambassador English. “With the assistance of ICMP, almost 12,000 persons missing from the conflicts of the 1990’s in Bosnia and Herzegovina have been recovered and identified, bringing a vital sense of closure to their families”. 

INTERPOL and the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) today announced the 122nd victim identification following Typhoon Frank during which an estimated 1,330 people lost their lives, including 820 passengers and crew from the Princess of the Stars ferry.The Disaster Victim Identification teams in Cebu City, made up of experts from the Philippines National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), ICMP and INTERPOL and its member countries from around the world, announced 34 new identifications today – all made utilizing the most modern DNA-matching techniques at the ICMP.

The current total of 122 DNA-assisted identifications is more than double the target of 10 per week set by the NBI, INTERPOL and ICMP on August 17 when the first DNA-identified victims were returned to…

Mr. Dirk Lange, Head of Unit for Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina within the European Commission’s Directorate General for Enlargement visited the facilities of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) in Tuzla today.

His visit included a tour of ICMP’s Podrinje Identification Project (PIP) where forensic anthropologists and pathologists examine, store and make final identifications of the mortal remains of persons missing from the 1995 fall of Srebrenica.