About the mandate
One of the Working Group's primary tasks is to assist families in determining the fate or whereabouts of their family members who are reportedly disappeared. In that humanitarian capacity, the Working Group serves as a channel of communication between family members of victims of enforced disappearance and other sources reporting cases of disappearances, and the Governments concerned.
To achieve this, the Group:
- receives, examines and transmits to Governments reports of enforced disappearances submitted by relatives of disappeared persons or human rights organizations acting on their behalf;
- requests Governments to carry out investigations and to inform the Working Group of the results;
- follows up those requests of information on a periodic basis;
- has a preventive role, by assisting States in overcoming obstacles to the realization of the
Declaration on the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance. This is done both while carrying out
country visits and by providing advisory services, when requested.
The most recent resolution renewing the mandate of the Working Group,
A/HRC/RES/45/3, was adopted by the Human Rights Council in October 2020.
About the members
The Working Group is composed of five independent experts of balanced geographical representation. Together, they investigate individual cases and produce reports and opinions in order to fulfil the mandate. They meet three times a year in Geneva.
More on the members of the Working Group.
Key documents
WGEID and CED – Key Guidelines on COVID-19 and Enforced Disappearances
Fact Sheet no. 6 Rev.3 - Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
PDF:
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Revised methods of work of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, adopted on 7 February 2014
Flyer on WGEID’s procedures
PDF:
English
Latest reports
Annual report of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances: This report reflects the activities of the WGEID, communications and cases that it processed during the reporting period 2020-2021. It also addresses the issue of enforced disappearances in the context of transnational transfers. View document
A/HRC/48/57
Report of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances on standards and public policies for an effective investigation of enforced disappearances: In this report, the Working Group draws the attention of the international community to impunity as a distinctive trait of enforced disappearances. It continues to observe alarming patterns of impunity, both in relation to past acts of enforced disappearance and to new disappearances occurring across the world. View
report page | View document
A/HRC/45/13/Add.3
Country visits
Mission to Tajikistan (1 to 5 July 2019)
View document
A/HRC/45/13/Add.1
Press release in
English |
Tajik
Mission to Kyrgyzstan (25 to 30 June 2019)
View document
A/HRC/45/13/Add.2
Press release in
English |
Kyrgyz |
Russian 