The first World Congress on Enforced Disappearances will convene from January 15-16 in Geneva, marking a pivotal step in the global fight to prevent and eradicate this egregious human rights violation.
This historic event will bring together governments, victims, civil society organisations that support their daily fight, and international bodies to foster dialogue and chart a collective path forward to end enforced disappearances worldwide, according to a media advisory issued by the UN Treaty Bodies from Geneva.
Over the course of the two-day event, panel discussions will be held on topics such as international responsibility for the forcibly disappeared, strengthening search procedures, and protecting victims, rights defenders, lawyers and journalists.
The Congress, open to the press and the public, is co-organised by the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED), the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID), the UN Human Rights Office, and the Convention Against Enforced Disappearances Initiative (CEDI).The event will take place at the Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG).
The Committee on Enforced Disappearances monitors States parties’ adherence to the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance, which as of to date, has been ratified by 77 States parties. The Committee is made up of 10 members who are independent human rights experts drawn from around the world, who serve in their personal capacity and not as representatives of States parties.