Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances

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/54/14, was adopted by the Human Rights Council in October 2023.

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.