Missing Persons Project

The impact of disappearances on individuals, families and communities at large is one of the most damaging and long lasting humanitarian consequences of conflict, other situations of violence, migration and natural disasters. Disappearances not only represent immeasurable tragedies for the families and communities affected, but also constitute a major obstacle to peace. The problem of the Missing takes on a truly global dimension in its overlap with migration. Thousands of people disappear every year along precarious migratory routes around the world. The vast majority of these remain unidentified. Improving the response to these challenges in order to provide answers to families of missing persons requires coordination and harmonization of practices among a wide range of actors across multiple countries, regions and even continents. For the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the status quo cannot be an option. Having been entrusted with a conventional and statutory mandate to prevent and resolve the Missing issue, the ICRC is determined to improve the global response to the Missing and their families by mobilizing and coordinating an unprecedented community of experts, practitioners and stakeholders in order to establish commonly accepted standards and practices.