United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina calls for sustained efforts to account for all missing persons

This year marks 20 years since the United Nations General Assembly adopted the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, on 20 December 2006. The Convention is the only universal treaty dedicated to the prevention of enforced disappearances, the investigation of cases, the establishment of the fate of missing persons, and the protection of victims’ and families’ right to truth, justice and reparation. Bosnia and Herzegovina ratified the Convention in 2012 and recognized the competence of the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances. 

More than three decades after the end of the conflict, Bosnia and Herzegovina remains deeply marked by the legacy of the 1992-1995 war. Approximately 31,500 people were reported missing during the war, of whom more than 75 per cent have since been identified and accounted for. The results achieved in Bosnia and Herzegovina in accounting for missing persons stand as an important example globally of what can be accomplished through sustained efforts to establish the fate and whereabouts of those who remain missing. 

Yet, significant work remains. More than 7,500 men, women, and children are still unaccounted for. Their families continue to seek information about their loved ones that remain missing, while living through the enduring suffering of their loss. With the passage of time, the search becomes increasingly difficult, and information and evidence that could help locate and identify the missing may be lost. Every case that is resolved represents not only an important step towards establishing the truth, but also the fulfilment of the rights of the victims and their families. 

On this International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, the United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina calls for continued and sustained efforts to search for and identify those who remain missing. Establishing the circumstances of the disappearance and fate of missing persons is essential to upholding the rights of victims and their families to truth, justice, remedies and reparation. It is also an important part of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s continued efforts to address the legacy of the conflict and build lasting peace and reconciliation. 

The United Nations in Bosnia and Herzegovina remains committed to supporting efforts to uphold the rights of victims and their families.

Resident Coordinator a.i., Renaud Meyer, on behalf of the United Nations Country Team in Bosnia and Herzegovina