6 March 2012

HONORABLE JEREMY SARKIN

Chairperson

United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances

Palais Wilson

Geneva, Switzerland

Dear Honorable Sarkin,

Warm greetings from the International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED)!

The ICAED is aware that December 18, 2012 marks the 30th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances, which is a crucial reference to the work of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (UN WGEID). While we thank you for a job well done in helping us reclaim stolen lives of those who are made to disappear, we also express some concerns in as far as efficient and effective carrying out of your mandate is concerned due to inadequacy of the resources allotted to ensure a full implementation of your mandate.

On the occasion of your 96th Session to be held in Geneva, Switzerland on March 12-16, 2012, our Coalition would like to express some concerns on the present state of the UN WGEID. Our concerns boil down to the imperative to boost the resources of the UN WGEID to ensure full functioning.

We have read with attention your 2011 report which will soon be presented to the UN Human Rights Council this month. We are concerned that the said report is available only in English, thus, not easily accessible to civil society, especially to our forty member-organizations and their constituents from various parts of the world.

Furthermore, we are worried about the denunciation contained in your report in the sense that the report’s substance is consequently constrained by the UN’s imposition of the limit of 10,700 words. We believe that the refusal of the UN to waive this limit will greatly affect the report’s content, which is supposed to reflect the complex phenomenon of enforced or involuntary disappearances in 82 countries. Accordingly, we highlight the importance that in the future, the said waiver be granted as it was in the past.

Moreover, your 2011 report states that the Working Group denounces the fact that “many communications are not translated on time, thus delaying their consideration by the WGEID and limiting its humanitarian mandate.” We are aware that the Working Group’s reason for existence is to save lives. Delays in the translation of urgent communications pose great risks to the precious lives of disappeared persons. We are sad to say that the current situation would somehow defeat the very purpose of the Working Group.

Aware of the skeletal nature of your Secretariat that is responsible for a huge number of cases from at least 82 countries, we find it illogical if the United Nations continues to ignore your plea to allocate adequate human resources for this purpose.

Hence, the International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances expresses its oneness with you in reiterating your call to the United Nations to instead, finally allocate adequate resources to this important thematic mechanism that aims to save lives of disappeared people.

Further, we do appreciate the country visits you conduct as an integral part of your mandate. However, we reckon that to make full utilization of the reports produced after your country missions, follow-up must be conducted consistently and regularly through, for instance, meetings of the UN WGEID with representatives of governments and of civil society for the purpose of following-up the recommendations as well as getting updated information.

Rest assured that in as much as we continue our work to campaign for as many signatures and accessions to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, we are equally aware of the importance to continue our cooperation with you in your humanitarian mandate to save lives of disappeared people. In this endeavour, we express our solidarity with you in your incessant call for attention and support from the United Nations.

In the name of the ICAED, I remain

In solidarity,

Focal Person

International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED)

c/o Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD)