Committee on Enforced Disappearances Closes Twenty-Second Session after Adopting Concluding Observations on Reports of Greece and Niger

The Committee on Enforced Disappearances this afternoon closed its twenty-second session after adopting its concluding observations on the initial reports of Greece and Niger.

Carmen Rosa Villa Quintana, Committee Chairperson, said that the session had been conducted in the context of great concern, in which thousands of people were fleeing from the horror in Ukraine, highlighting serious cases of enforced disappearances. The Committee had held constructive dialogues with Greece and Niger and adopted concluding observations on their reports. The Committee’s visit to Mexico in November 2021 had been the first visit that the Committee had conducted to a State party, was an experience which would stay with the Committee forever. The dialogue between the State, victims and civil society organizations had been enriching and enabled the Committee to understand the scope of enforced disappearances in the country.

Ms. Villa Quintana said that over the course of the session, various reports had been adopted, including on urgent actions. Thanks to the immediate intervention of the Committee, 400 persons had been found alive, which was the very essence of the procedure. The Committee had also decided on a visit to Iraq, which would be carried out in the second half of the year and would enable the Committee to better understand the reality in the country, and identify avenues to make progress towards enforced disappearances. There were now 68 States parties to the Convention and it was vital for the Committee to be granted an additional session to cover the work.

Juan Pablo Alban Alencastro, Committee Rapporteur, presenting the report of the session, which was held from 28 March to 8 April, said the Committee had adopted its concluding observations on the initial reports of Greece and Niger. In preparation for future consideration of reports, the Committee had adopted lists of issues relating to the reports submitted by Nigeria, Cambodia and Gambia.

The Rapporteur said that the Committee had discussed its working methods, strategies for increasing State membership in the Convention, the urgent actions mechanism, the analysis of information on alleged systematic or generalised practices of enforced disappearance, the conduct of a future visit to Iraq, and other items. The Committee had also adopted its annual report and its draft agenda for the twenty-third session, to be held in September this year. Notably, the Committee had decided to continue with the process for the future adoption of a general comment on enforced disappearances in the context of migration and approved the concept note prepared by the Rapporteurs.

All documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage, where documents relating to the Committee’s reviews of Greece and Niger will soon be available.

The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings can be accessed at http://webtv.un.org/. The meetings coverage releases can be found here.

The Committee’s twenty-third session will be held in September 2022 but the exact dates as well as the country reports to be reviewed will be announced later.

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CED22.004E