ICAED and Convention on DisappearancesON THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE ANTI-DISAPPEARANCE TREATY, ICAED EXPRESSES ITS CONCERNS OVER THE LACK OF NEW RATIFICATIONS
23 December 2011 - The International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED) commemorates today the first anniversary of the entry into force of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (the Convention). The new Committee on Enforced Disappearances (the Committee) held its first session in November 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland. The ICAED members who participated in a meeting between NGOs and the new Committee has expressed its willingness to cooperate with civil society.
The ICAED is deeply concerned about the continuing rise of enforced disappearances cases in many parts of the world as its member-organizations reported during its November 2011 international conference in Geneva. Families and relatives of the disappeared continue to suffer devastating effects of the enforced disappearance. Ironically, only ten more states have ratified the Convention since its entry into force in December 2010. Furthermore, of the 30 States Parties, only 12 have recognized the competence of the Committee to receive and examine both individual and inter-State communications.
The ICAED reiterates its call on all States to ratify and fully implement the Convention and to recognize the competence of the CED pursuant to Articles 31 and 32 of the Convention systematically included among the criteria applied by the Universal Periodic Review. Moreover, the ICAED calls on all States to adopt domestic legislation to criminalize enforced disappearance and to ensure the prevention and punishment of this crime.
The ICAED recalls that the families of victims of disappeared from Latin America were the first advocates for a convention against enforced disappearance, during FEDEFAM’s Congress in San Jose, Costa Rica in 1981. As the year 2011 draws to a close, taking root from past achievements, the ICAED decides to step up its efforts to intensify its campaign to disseminate the core values of the Convention to fight against the abominable crime of enforced disappearance. It continues to cooperate with the 30-year old UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances, whose mandate, established by 1992 UN Declaration for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance is essential, especially for all States that did not ratify the Convention. It also equally commits to work with the new Committee on Enforced Disappearances whose mandate is to ensure the treaty’s implementation in governments that have ratified it.
Media contact:
MARY AILEEN D. BACALSO
Focal Person
International Coalition Against Involuntary Disappearances
Rooms 310-311 Philippine Social Science Center Bldg.
Commonwealth Ave., Diliman, Quezon City
Mobile Number: 00-63-9177924058
Geneva Activities
International Conference on Enforced Disappearances
November 7-10, 2011
Geneva, Switzerland
In relation to the project entitled: “A New Initiative of Linking Solidarity In Support of the Struggle Against Enforced Disappearance,” the International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED), through the coordinatorship of its new focal point, the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) carried out activities intended to support the re-launching of the Linking Solidarity (LS) Program. A major component of the project is the implementation of Learning History Research that sought to understand the strengths, weaknesses and prospects of the LS program in all its aspects. It is also aimed at learning from the valuable features and experiences and improving on the weaknesses of the program in the Coalition’s prospect of developing a new comparable initiative owned by the ICAED and rooting it from within the group of main beneficiaries – the relatives and human rights organizations based in countries where enforced and involuntary disappearances occur.
In conjunction with the conduct of the Learning History research, the ICAED undertook another major activity by convening its member-organizations in the first ever International Conference on Enforced Disappearances it conducted. Aptly themed “LINKING OUR SOLIDARITY: Strengthen our Unity; Renew our Commitment Towards the Ratification of the International Treaty Against Enforced Disappearances”, the Conference served as venue to four key meetings for the Coalition on November 7-10, 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland. On the occasion too, the Coalition presented a Posthumous Award to Mr. Patricio Rice, ICAED’s second Focal Person.
For its internal conference held on November 7-8 at the John Knox Center, the ICAED brought together fifty (50) individuals, most of whom are representatives of ICAED member-organizations from Africa, Asia, Europe, Euro-Mediterranean, Northern and Latin America. Presentations on the Coalition’s Accomplishment Report, background of the Linking Solidarity Program, initial results of the LH research, the Convention and the challenges ahead for ICAED, formed part of the conference. These inputs hopefully gave the ICAED and member-organizations an international perspective in charting the immediate future of the Coalition and the Linking Solidarity initiative.
Equally important are the participants’ presentations on their organization’s profile, the current status of enforced disappearances in their country, and their respective organization’s milestones and challenges in promoting The Convention. Most organizations drew attention to issues that they have to contend with – issues relating to the resistance of their government to ratify the anti-disappearance Convention; failure of their governments to address enforced disappearances; the lack of domestic bills or laws criminalizing enforced disappearance; and impunity. Workshop discussions by geographical regions were conducted to draw out inputs for the Coalition’s concrete plan of action in the next two years. These inputs are currently processed to include objectives, strategies and timeline by the Steering Committee and its observers. A final plan of action will be circulated to member-organizations in January 2012 and will serve as basis of ICAED’s activities and fund raising and sustainability efforts. As such, the conference became venue for the Coalition to discuss vital organizational/coalitional concerns and prospects as well as country situations and corresponding interventions to address the phenomenon of enforced disappearance which were reflected in the various statements released by the ICAED after the Conference.
A UN Side Event, held on November 9 at the Palais des Nations, was attended by more than a hundred individuals from the government missions in Geneva, members of the UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances (UN WGEID) and the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (UN CED) and representatives of the ICAED’s member organizations. Having the chairpersons of both UN bodies in the panel, the occasion presented a fitting opportunity to advocate concrete means and areas of cooperation between and among these institutions and the Coalition. This event also contributed to the continuing visibility of the ICAED vis-à-vis the Permanent Missions of these different governments to the UN in Geneva.
The Coalition’s the focal person (FP), observers and representatives of its member-organizations attended the UN WGEID Session and the UN CED Meeting with the NGOs on November 10, 2011 at the Palais Wilson. On behalf of the Coalition, the ICAED FP delivered official statements written especially for the WGEID and CED. The conference and meetings in Geneva were particularly scheduled to coincide with the official session of the UN WGEID and the very first meeting of the new CED. The separate meetings with each of these UN bodies were an opportune time to express the ICAED’s commitment to cooperate with them given their two distinct mandates and given the common objective of addressing the phenomenon of enforced disappearances.
On the part of the ICAED and its member-organizations, the series of activities was a major boost to the campaign and advocacy (1) at the seat of the United Nations in Geneva through the chance to be seen and heard in the appropriate international bodies; and, (2) in the country where the ICAED Focal Point is based, i.e. in the Philippines. The initial initiative of the ICAED group in Manila to visit foreign embassies had resulted in a collective lobbying by States Parties, e.g. Spain (as the lead country inviting other States Parties); France; Argentina, Belgium which urged the Philippine Government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, to sign and ratify the Convention.
The conference participants viewed as valuable the coming together and meeting in person the other member-organizations’ representatives for the first time. Indeed, the conference theme manifested itself in the joint efforts of the ICAED Steering Committee and the Focal Point and the commitment of member-organizations in the struggle towards a world without desaparecidos.
Press Release
ICAED to Host Conference on Enforced Disappearances in Geneva, Switzerland
The International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED) will convene its 40 member-organizations from Africa, Eurasian Region (Euro-Mediterranean Region, Caucasus and Belarus), Latin America and Asia and the United States and international observers in an international conference to be held on 7-9 November 2011 in Geneva, Switzerland. The theme of which is LINKING OUR SOLIDARITY: Strengthen our Unity; Renew our Commitment Towards the Ratification of the International Treaty Against Enforced Disappearances.
The first to be organized since the signing of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (or the Convention) in 2007, the Conference is a venue for coalition members to meet and update on local situation on enforced disappearances and on their campaign for the signing of the Convention. It also seeks to keep track of the global developments on enforced disappearances and come up with a two or three-year program of action vis-a-vis the continuing advocacy for the ratification of the Convention and for addressing the struggle of families of the disappeared.
A Side Event entitled: “ Universal Implementation of the Convention: A Task and A Challenge” will be held on 9 November, 1-3 p.m. at Room XXlll of Palais des Nations. It is aimed to give further global visibility at the UN level to the Coalition’s continuing campaign for more signatures to and ratifications of the Convention. The panel of speakers is composed of Chair of the UN WGEID, Mr. Jeremy Sarkin; French Expert of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances, Mr. Emmanuel Decaux and First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Argentina to the UN in Geneva, Mr. Sebastian Rosales.
The adoption of the Convention by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on 20 December 2006 after the three-year drafting and negotiation process at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland was the fastest human rights treaty ever in the history of the UN. The process was led by the French Government, through the able leadership of the late French Ambassador Bernard Kessedjian and which was participated in by organizations of families of the disappeared and international non-government organizations. After achieving the 20th instrument of ratification, the Convention entered into force on 23 December 2010 and has now been signed by 90 States and ratified by 30. Its monitoring body, the Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED), was established at the end of May 2011 and will officially meet on the first week of November in Geneva.
The ICAED, under the coordinatorship of its new ICAED Focal Point, the Asian Federation Against involuntary Disappearances (AFAD), sees it fitting to bring together coalition members and representatives of the human rights community in time for the first meeting of the UN CED and the official session of the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (UN WGEID).
Established in 2007, the ICAED through its campaign, lobbying and public information and dissemination work in many countries at the national, regional and international levels has been contributing to a large measure to what has been achieved so far. The following member-organizations form part of the current Steering Committee of the ICAED: Amnesty International (AI); Asian Federation Against involuntary Disappearances (AFAD); Collectif des Families De Disparus en Algerie (CFDA); FEDEFAM; FEMED; Federation Internationale de l’ACAT/ International Federation of Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (FIACAT); Federation Internationale des Droits de l’Homme (FIDH); Human Rights Watch (HRW); International Committee for Justice (ICJ); and We Remember-Belarus.
Reference:
MARY AILEEN D. BACALSO
Focal Person
International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances
c/o Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances
Rooms 310-311 Philippine Social Science Center Bldg.
Commonwealth Ave., Diliman, Quezon City
Philippines
Telephone: 00-64-2-4907862
Telefax: 00-63-2-4546759
Mobile: 00-63-917-792-4058
Email: fpicaed@gmail.com
Day of the Disappeared 2011 - ICAED Press Release
30 August 2011 - Today, the International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances (ICAED) joins the families of the disappeared and the whole international community in giving tribute to the world’s thousands of disappeared people. “ For them and because of them and their suffering families, our Coalition exists to knock at doors of all States urging them to sign, ratify and implement the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (The Convention), ” stated Mary Aileen D. Bacalso, Focal Person of the ICAED and Secretary-General of the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances.
The forty one member-organizations of the ICAED from around the globe are conducting various creative ways of paying homage to the disappeared. In so doing, they reiterate their calls to their respective governments to finally accede to the anti-enforced disappearance Convention and recognize the competence of the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances. It is the body of independent experts that monitors the implementation of the anti-disappearance treaty by States Parties. The ICAED believes that the Convention is a very powerful tool to put to a stop the crime of enforced disappearances and to combat impunity.
To date, 88 States are signatories and 29 are States Parties with only 7 that recognize all the competences of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances. Bacalso further noted that: “ The number of States Parties to the Convention pales in comparison with the global extent of the crime, thus, intensification of campaign and lobbying to garner wide support to the Convention is
imperative. Hence, for States to be true to the universality, indivisibility and indepence of human rights, they must speed up the process of signing and ratifying this important treaty that provides the right to truth and the right not to be subjected to enforced disappearances.”
As the international community commemorates the International Day of the Disappeared, the ICAED vows to intensify its efforts at the national, regional and international levels to concretize its mandate of campaigning for as as many States ratifications as possible and ensure universal implementation of the Convention.
This year is the first United Nations (UN) official commemoration of the International Day of the Disappeared. In 2010, the UN called on its system and other international and regional organizations as well as civil society to observe the Day starting 2011. Recognizing the global magnitude of the crime as reconfirmed by the annual reports of the UN Working Group on
Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, the UN joins the families of the disappeared who have been commemorating this day for already almost three decades.
MARY AILEEN D. BACALSO
Focal Person of the ICAED
c/o Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances
Rooms 310-311 Philippines Social Science Center Bldg.
Commonwealth Ave., Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
Tel:: 00-63-2-4907862
Telefax: 00-63-2-4546750
Mobile: 00-63-917-792-4058PRESS RELEASE