By Kathryne Bomberger, Director-General, the International Commission on Missing Persons
More than three quarters of a million refugees have set out for Europe by sea in 2015 and of this number almost 3,500 have perished. Many of the missing and dead have not been located; many have not been identified.
Those who disappear on the world’s migration routes are a tragic component of a global missing persons crisis that also encompasses conflict, crime, human rights violations and natural disasters. It has become clear that this global crisis requires a global response – and in order to be effective, that response must be coordinated, multi-disciplinary, and based on principles that are understood and accepted by all stakeholders.
The decision by the governments of the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium and Luxembourg to sign an Agreement in December last year granting the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) the status of an intergovernmental organization with a mandate to tackle the missing persons issue around the world – the only international organization focused exclusively on this issue – reflects a new international consensus.
The Agreement stipulates that ICMP’s new international headquarters will be in The Hague. Foreign Minister Bert Koenders and I signed a host nation agreement on 5 October, and the process of setting up an ICMP office here is now well advanced. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the City of The Hague for the proactive practical assistance they have given us in this exercise.
On 29 October at the Dutch Foreign Ministry the UK chaired the first Conference of ICMP State Parties – a body mandated by the 2014 Agreement. In addition to representatives of countries that have signed the Agreement, representatives of El Salvador, Germany, the US, Interpol and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) attended as observers.
The CSP discussed ICMP’s plan of work through 2018. Among key activities for the period, ICMP will host the first meeting in November of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on Missing Persons, whose initial focus will be on the issue of missing migrants and refugees. In 2016 ICMP will convene the first meeting of the Global Forum, which will bring together policymakers, legal experts, academics, civil society activists and others to advance an international discourse on missing persons.
During the coming three-year period, ICMP will harness new scientific methods to enhance its standing capacity in DNA-based human identification and it will establish a Center of Excellence for Training in The Hague. In addition, ICMP will expand access to its Identification Data Management System (iDMS) so that it can be utilized online from anywhere in the world. And it will operate programs in Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas.
Also on 29 October at the Foreign Ministry, we briefed around 30 country representatives on ICMP’s activities, explaining among other things that through signing the Agreement, countries are able to contribute to the organization’s development and strategy, as well as further advance the process of addressing the global problem of missing persons. Countries do not assume any funding or other financial obligations by signing.
Originally established in 1996 at the initiative of US President Bill Clinton to help governments in the Western Balkans account for the 40,000 people missing as a result of the conflicts in former Yugoslavia, ICMP spearheaded an effort that made it possible to account for more than 70 percent of these people.
In 2001 ICMP pioneered a DNA-led process that resulted in an exponential rise in the number of identifications. ICMP was invited to work beyond the Western Balkans for the first time in 2005, following the Southeast Asian Tsunami and since then it has been asked by governments and organizations to work in countries throughout the world. With a standing capacity to process 10,000 DNA profiles per year, ICMP has been able to make around 20,000 DNA identifications worldwide.
ICMP employs a rule of law approach and helps states to develop public law institutions to investigate missing persons cases. In the course of two decades we have found that this is more effective than an ad hoc humanitarian approach. ICMP also works with families of the missing to help them lobby effectively for their rights.
Having our headquarters in The Hague will make it possible for ICMP to work more closely with diplomatic missions, international courts and other organizations that are based here. We look forward to developing constructive relations in the City of Peace and Justice with a community of people who are committed to delivering solutions to major global challenges.
For more information please visit www.icmp.int
