Committee on Enforced Disappearances Opens Twenty-Ninth Session, Elects New Chair and Bureau

The Committee on Enforced Disappearances this morning opened its twenty-ninth session, during which it will examine the reports of Benin, Sri Lanka and Montenegro on their implementation of the provisions of the International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.  During the opening, the Committee heard from the Representative of the Secretary-General, elected a new Chair and Bureau, and watched a video on the World Congress on Enforced Disappearances which took place in Geneva in January this year.  Four new or re-elected Committee members also made their solemn declaration before the Committee. 

Olivier de Frouville, outgoing Committee Chair, welcomed the new or re-elected Committee members: [Juan Pablo Alban Alencastro (Ecuador)], Marija Definis (Croatia); Elias Ricardo Solis Gonzalez (Panama); Paulo de Tarso Vannuchi (Brazil); and absent today but arriving later, Jean de Dieu Yakouma Bambara (Burkina Faso).  Mr. de Frouville said he was coming to the end of his term as Chair, and it had been an honour to serve the Committee. During his time as Chair, he had defined three strategic goals for the Committee, including the promotion of the Convention, improvements for the Committee’s reporting procedure, and focusing on thematic issues within the context of the Convention.  He thanked his colleagues, the Secretariat, and the Petitions Unit for their support.

Mahamane Cissé-Gouro, Director of the Human Rights Council and Treaty Mechanisms Division, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Representative of the Secretary-General, welcomed all new and re-elected Committee members.  Mr. Cissé-Gouro also acknowledged the role played by Mr. de Frouville, whose mandate as Chair of the Committee was ending. The shortening of the meeting time of the Committee’s twenty-ninth session due to the liquidity crisis was far from optimal.  The Committee’s work was increasing; the number of urgent actions registered with the Committee between September 2020 and today had increased by more than 120 per cent over the last five years, growing from 969 to 2,133, including 145 since the last session. 

Unfortunately, all indications pointed to a continuation of the difficult financial situation for the foreseeable future.  Currently, the financial organs of the United Nations were reviewing the revised 2026 budget, which reflected an approximately 15 per cent cut in the revised programme budget and nearly 19 per cent in posts compared with 2025. Once the Member States had discussed and approved the next year’s budget, there would be a clearer indication of how this impacted the treaty bodies.  In June, the Chairs of the Treaty Bodies held their annual meeting in Geneva, which was dominated by the United Nations liquidity situation. 

Mr. Cissé-Gouro said during the session, the Committee would hold dialogues with Benin, Sri Lanka and Montenegro, adopt lists of issues for Finland, Oman and Slovenia, and lists of priority themes for Ecuador and Iraq, as well as the periodic report on urgent actions.  The Committee would also continue discussions on Mexico under the article 34 procedure of the Convention, and on the draft general comment on women, girls and enforced disappearances.  Mr. Cissé-Gouro wished the Committee every success in their session.

Wan Hea Lee, Chief of the Section for Civil, Political, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and Urgent Actions, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, proceeded with the delivery of solemn declarations by the newly elected and re-elected members.  Juan Pablo Alban Alencastro, Marija Definis, Elias Ricardo Solis Gonzalez, and Paulo de Tarso Vannuchi, made their solemn declaration to the Committee, with Jean de Dieu Yakouma Bambara to make his at a later date. 

The Committee then elected a new Bureau including Juan Pablo Alban Alencastro as Committee Chair; Olivier de Frouville (until June 2026, who will then be replaced by Barbara Lochbihler), Matar Diop, and Carmen Rosa Villa Quintana as Vice Chairs; and Marija Definis as Rapporteur.

The Committee also adopted its agenda for the session.

Juan Pablo Alban Alencastro took the floor for the first time as Committee Chair and said he was assuming his position with gratitude, responsibility and hope.  The Committee was strongly committed to ensuring that no case of enforced disappearance was forgotten and that victims and their families received truth, justice and reparation.  Over the past 15 years since the Convention's entry into force, progress had been made through increased ratifications, legal reforms, and successful responses via the urgent actions mechanism, which had helped locate missing persons and support families. 

However, serious challenges persisted, including the continued use of disappearances as a tool of repression, the rise of short-term disappearances targeting activists and journalists, the involvement of non-State actors, and the disappearance of migrants.  Structural issues, including legal gaps, and under-resourced United Nations mechanisms hindered effective response.  Mr. Alban Alencastro called on States to fully implement the Convention, provide adequate resources, and uphold their responsibilities.  Each resolved case showed justice was possible.

The Committee then watched a video summarising the first World Congress on Enforced Disappearance which took place in January this year in Geneva.  Mr. de Frouville, Committee Vice Chair, recalled the importance of the Conference which brought together all stakeholders involved in fighting enforced disappearances together for the first time.  Around 620 in-person participants and more than 1,400 online participants from 118 countries attended the Conference.  Pledges were made at the Conference around a proposed plan of action.  Mr. de Frouville also outlined several important meetings and initiatives which had taken place over the year in relation to the Convention and enforced disappearance, as well as some upcoming events which would take place in Geneva. 

All the documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage.  Webcasts of the meetings of the session can be found here, and meetings summaries can be found here.

The Committee will next meet in public at 3 p.m. this afternoon, Monday, 22 September, to review additional information on the report of Montenegro (CED/C/MNE/AI/1).

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