Families walking to the cemetery before the exhumation of the bodies of the missing persons in Huanta City, Peru © José Atauje / ICRC

Global Alliance for the Missing

On 7 April, a high-level meeting will take place in Geneva on the topic of Missing Persons. It will be organized by the ICRC and Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
Article 01 April 2022

The Global Alliance for the Missing was launched on 11 May 2021 on the margins of the 150th anniversary of the Central Tracing Agency by ICRC President Peter Maurer and Swiss Secretary of State Livia Leu.

Watch the video launch of the Alliance for the Missing at the 150th CTA Anniversary

 

The alliance aims to bring to bear the collective influence and diplomatic, political and financial capacities of states to improve the prevention of, and the response to, cases of separated and missing persons.

Collectively, the alliance will endeavour to:

  • raise awareness on the question of missing persons globally and regionally, including in its humanitarian and human rights dimensions, and develop links with peacebuilding, conflict prevention and sustainable development agendas
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  • promote the implementation of global commitments relating to missing persons, such as UN Security Council Resolution 2474 (2019) on missing persons in armed conflict
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  • promote collaboration and share best practices, guidance and technical recommendations to improve the prevention of, and response to, cases of missing persons at the national, regional and global level
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  • ensure the Central Tracing Agency is sufficiently funded and equipped to develop guidance, research and innovative approaches, as well as to provide advice and support to states and other actors to prevent and respond to cases of missing persons.
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Members of the alliance will achieve these goals by working together and making their case bilaterally to other governments and in multilateral forums.

Membership

To date, the alliance has ten Member States, namely: Argentina, Azerbaijan, Estonia, the Republic of Korea, Kuwait, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Peru and Switzerland.

Upcoming Events

The alliance's first high-level meeting will take place on 7 April 2022. It will be organized by the ICRC and Switzerland's Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

Previous Events

The Global Alliance for the Missing was launched on 11 May 2021 on the margins of the 150th anniversary of the Central Tracing Agency. Find out more on our event webpage.