Major migrations, war, political instability and organized crime all contribute to persons going missing. Efforts to advance the rule of law, and technological progress especially in the fields of informatics and the forensic sciences have given investigators powerful tools to locate the missing, often under enormously difficult conditions and after a substantial passage of time. The experience of ICMP shows that effective assistance can be deployed quickly and efficiently anywhere in the world. 

ICMP operates in diverse societal, political and cultural environments, engaging in all aspects of locating and identifying missing persons, from fostering the involvement of civil society, to providing technical assistance and building institutional capacity. ICMP has been active in some 40 countries that have faced large numbers of missing persons as a result of natural and man-made disasters, wars, widespread human rights abuses, organized crime and other causes.

This section examines where persons are missing, by country and region, the circumstances of disappearances and what is being done to address the issue in a given context.