HC Türk briefs General Assembly on missing persons: “We must do more for truth & justice, in solidarity with victims”

Mr. President,

Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates,

 I am pleased to address you today.

  Relationships and connection are central to what makes us human.

When a loved one goes missing, it leaves families and communities with a deep sense of loss and desperation. They alternate between hope and anguish about where their loved ones might be, whether they are safe, how they are feeling, and whether they will ever see them again.

As High Commissioner for Human Rights and in previous roles, I have met families of missing people from around the world. Earlier this year in Damascus, I met with former inmates of the notorious Sednaya prison and their families. I was deeply moved by their accounts and that I am able to talk about what has happened to them since the fall of the regime.

The pain of not knowing the fate of loved ones is one of the worst things that can ever happen to anyone. It never eases, no matter how much time has passed. 

Without the truth about a loved one’s whereabouts, and without justice, cycles of harm churn on, fracturing societies for generations.

In 2024, the International Committee of the Red Cross registered 56,559 new cases of missing people. This is the highest increase in at least twenty years. An unprecedented number of large-scale conflicts and the disregard for international humanitarian law are resulting in vast numbers of people going missing.

In war, missing people are killed, tortured and mistreated, kidnapped, arbitrarily detained. They may also go missing while fleeing the fighting.

Persistent impunity for violations of international humanitarian law fuels more abuses.

This meeting is focused on people who go missing in armed conflict. But, outside of war, over decades, military dictatorships have disappeared people, whose fate is still unknown. Accountability for those violations is crucial. And today, people go missing as a result of State repression, including in connection with anti-terrorism measures. Those who express dissent or expose human rights violations and abuses are often directly targeted.

Or people may go missing on migration and trafficking routes.

It is precisely in circumstances of conflict, instability, and repression that people are likely to go missing.

Mr. President,

The scale is enormous. Figures range from tens of thousands of people missing in some countries, to well over 100,000 in others.

Over the past 45 years the Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances has dealt with over 62,000 cases of enforced disappearances in 115 States.

Sadly, this is just the tip of a very large iceberg.

But States are coming together to address this heartbreaking issue. Today’s meeting is one such example. And earlier this year States, victims’ groups, civil society and others gathered at the First World Congress on Enforced Disappearances. This was a momentous event of solidarity with victims and families globally, who have persevered in pursuit of truth and justice. Several States demonstrated their commitment to tackling this crime by announcing pledges for concrete action.

As we meet today, I would like to set out three areas where action can have a lasting impact on victims, including family members, and survivors. 

First, we need to commit to strengthening and implementing the human rights framework around missing people.

The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance was adopted in 2006 and is the key global agreement on this issue. To date, only 77 States have ratified it. I urge all States to ratify the Convention, to integrate it into their national laws, and implement it effectively, together with their other international human rights obligations.

This Convention enshrines the right to know the truth about the circumstances of enforced disappearances, the progress and results of investigations, and the fate of disappeared people. In short, exactly what family members need and demand.

The United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances, which is the treaty body of this Convention, as well as the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances are part of the institutional framework on this issue and are a valuable resource for States and victims. They continue to monitor national laws and practices, make recommendations, and provide avenues of support for victims.

Last year’s resolution by this body on a legally binding instrument to prevent and punish crimes against humanity is also a crucial step. It strengthens the legal framework on enforced disappearances, where they are part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilians.

Some States have strengthened their laws and policies to address the issue of missing people. For example, they have improved alert systems, and support to family members. But more is needed at the national level. For example, States can criminalize enforced disappearance and ensure that amnesties and statutes of limitations do not foster impunity. States can also establish registers of people who have been detained or who are missing, and step-up search and rescue operations along migration routes. These measures are important to stem this scourge.

Mr. President,

Second, we must pursue justice and other forms of accountability.

Urgent efforts are needed within and between countries to deliver justice for victims, to tackle impunity, and to make sure these violations don’t happen again.

Impunity persists, and lack of access to justice and reparations for victims are a significant challenge worldwide.

For families, accountability begins with knowing the truth about the fate of their loved ones, regardless of how they went missing.

Truth, reparations to victims, and guarantees of non-recurrence are essential.

At the national level, States must search for all missing people, investigate violations thoroughly and impartially, and bring perpetrators to justice. This work requires strong law enforcement and judicial and forensic institutions, including to recover and identify remains. 

Third, victims must be at the core of how we tackle this issue.

We need to listen to them, to hear them out and to learn from them what is in their best interest. Their first-hand knowledge and experience are crucial to search and investigation efforts and to developing mechanisms for justice.

Although most of the missing are men, women and children are hugely affected.  As wives, daughters and sisters, women often lead the search for their loved ones, and often in dangerous circumstances. Yet, they continue to be stigmatized, they may have to become the family breadwinner, they may fall into poverty. In some cases, the law prevents them from obtaining the documents needed to exercise their rights to health, to education, or to property, among others.

Family members are often doubted or ignored; or at worst, intimidated and threatened, left wondering if they may suffer the same fate as their loved ones.

They must feel able – and safe - to speak out for their missing relatives, at home and abroad.

Concretely, States have an obligation to protect them, as well as those defending their rights, against threats and violence, including harassment, blackmail, mistreatment and intimidation.

Finally, we know that international efforts can make a difference.

Your decision in 2023 to establish the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic was a landmark moment. It was established to clarify the fate and whereabouts of all missing persons in the Syrian Arab Republic, and to support victims, survivors and the families of those missing. It recognised that addressing the issue of missing people is crucial for national reconciliation and sustainable peace.  In February, the head of the institution visited Damascus for the first time and met with dozens of families - some of whom had never been asked about their missing loved ones before.

I urge all stakeholders to cooperate with it.

Mr. President,

Distinguished participants,

My Office is committed to supporting victims, and to working with States to meet their human rights obligations.

Our teams around the world promote ratification of the Convention, its effective, practical implementation and follow up to the recommendations of UN human rights mechanisms. We call for investigations to bring perpetrators to justice. We follow up on individual cases and connect victims with the Committee and the Working Group on Enforced Disappearances. And we amplify the voices of families of the missing.

We all have a role to play, and we must commit – together - to doing more for truth and justice, in solidarity with victims everywhere.

Our common humanity demands it.