Question of Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances

A/RES/53/150No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, published in 1999.

What other versions does this mandate have?

17 versions · 1983–2005

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/59/200

2005A/RES/59/200Question of enforced or involuntary disappearancesLatestCompare with previous version
2003A/RES/57/215Question of enforced or involuntary disappearancesCompare with previous version
2001A/RES/55/103Question of enforced or involuntary disappearancesCompare with previous version
1999A/RES/53/150Question of enforced or involuntary disappearancesCompare with previous version
1997A/RES/51/94Question of enforced or involuntary disappearancesCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What subjects does this mandate have?

7 topics

Commissions of Inquiry Declarations Disappearance of Persons Fact-Finding Missions Impunity Information Dissemination Prosecution

What does this mandate say?

22 operative paragraphs

Reaffirms that any act of enforced disappearance is an offence to human dignity and a grave and flagrant violation of the human rights and fundamental freedoms proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights1 and reaffirmed and developed in other international instruments in this field, as well as a violation of the rules of international law;

Reiterates its invitation to all Governments to take appropriate legislative or other steps to prevent and suppress the practice of enforced disappearances, in keeping with the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, and to take action to that end at the national and regional levels and in cooperation with the United Nations, including through technical assistance;

Calls upon Governments to take steps to ensure that, when a state of emergency is introduced, the protection of human rights is ensured, in particular as regards the prevention of enforced disappearances;

Reminds Governments of the need to ensure that their competent authorities conduct prompt and impartial inquiries in all circumstances, whenever there is a reason to believe that an enforced disappearance has occurred in territory under their jurisdiction, and that, if allegations are confirmed, perpetrators should be prosecuted;

Once again urges the Governments concerned to take steps to protect the families of disappeared persons against any intimidation or ill-treatment to which they might be subjected;

Encourages States, as some have already done, to provide concrete information on measures taken to give effect to the Declaration, as well as obstacles encountered;

Requests all States to consider the possibility of disseminating the text of the Declaration in their respective national languages and to facilitate its dissemination in local languages;

Notes the action taken by non-governmental organizations to encourage implementation of the Declaration, and invites them to continue to facilitate its dissemination and to contribute to the work of the Subcommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities of the Commission on Human Rights;

Expresses its appreciation to the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances of the Commission on Human Rights for its humanitarian work;

Requests the Working Group, in the continued exercise of its mandate, to take into account the provisions of the Declaration and to modify its working methods, if necessary;

Recalls the importance of the Working Group, the primary role of which is, as described in its reports, to act as a channel of communication between the families of disappeared persons and the Governments concerned, with a view to ensuring that sufficiently documented and clearly identified individual cases are investigated, and to ascertain whether such information falls under its mandate and contains the required elements, and invites the Group to continue to seek the views and comments of all concerned, including Member States, in preparing its report;

Invites the Working Group to identify obstacles to the realization of the provisions of the Declaration, to recommend ways of overcoming those obstacles and, in this regard, to continue a dialogue with Governments and relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations;

Encourages the Working Group to continue to consider the question of impunity, in close collaboration with the rapporteur appointed by the Subcommission and with due regard for the relevant provisions of the Declaration;

Requests the Working Group to pay the utmost attention to cases of children subjected to enforced disappearance and children of disappeared persons and to cooperate closely with the Governments concerned to search for and identify those children;

Appeals to the Governments concerned, in particular those which have not yet replied to the communications transmitted by the Working Group, to cooperate fully with it and, in particular, to reply promptly to its requests for information so that, while respecting its working methods based on discretion, it may perform its strictly humanitarian role;

Encourages the Governments concerned to give serious consideration to inviting the Working Group to visit their countries so as to enable the Group to fulfil its mandate even more effectively;

Expresses its profound thanks to the many Governments that have cooperated with the Working Group and replied to its requests for information and to the Governments that have invited the Group to visit their countries, asks them to give all necessary attention to the recommendations of the Group, and invites them to inform the Group of any action they take on those recommendations;

Calls upon the Commission on Human Rights to continue to study this question as a matter of priority and to take any steps it may deem necessary to the pursuit of the task of the Working Group and to the follow-up of its recommendations when it considers the report to be submitted by the Group to the Commission at its fifty-fifth session;

Renews its requests to the Secretary-General to continue to provide the Working Group with all the facilities it requires to perform its functions, especially for carrying out missions and following them up;

Requests the Secretary-General to keep it informed of the steps he takes to secure the widespread dissemination and promotion of the Declaration;

Also requests the Secretary-General to submit to it at its fifty-fifth session a report on the steps taken to implement the present resolution;

Decides to consider the question of enforced disappearances, and in particular the implementation of the Declaration, at its fifty-fifth session under the sub-item entitled “Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms”.

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