ICMP

#Eid_Mubarak - On behalf of ICMP colleagues, we would like to extend our warmest wishes for a peaceful Eid al-Fitr. May this special occasion bring peace, prosperity, and safety to all.

Missing Persons: Human Rights During and After Armed Conflicts Side event at the 61st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council 📅 24 March 2026 ⏰ 12:00–13:00 📍 Palais des Nations, Geneva This panel will examine States’ obligations toward missing persons and their families, focusing on legal frameworks, operational challenges, and good practices. Organized by the Permanent Missions of Costa Rica and Sweden and the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), with the support of the co-sponsoring Permanent Missions of Norway and Finland. #HumanRights #MissingPersons #UNHRC #Geneva #HumanRightsCouncil @UN @UNGeneva @NorwayUN @FinlandUN @SwedenUN

15 years since the start of the Syrian revolution. Over 300,000 people remain missing - a staggering number. We remember the disappeared and stand with their families still searching for answers and justice. #SyrianRevolutionDay #ICMP #Syria

Millions of people around the world go missing as a result of conflict, human rights abuses, disasters, organized crime, migration, and other circumstances. As Knut Vollebæk, Chairperson of the ICMP highlights, ICMP works with governments, civil society organizations, and families worldwide to address the issue of missing persons and to support efforts to locate and identify the missing. #ICMP #MissingPersons #HumanRights #Accountability #Peacebuilding

Representatives of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) together with Ambassador of Sweden to Kosovo, Jonas Westerlund, visited a Family Association Parents Voice in Mitrovica. Parents Voice is a civil society organization supported through an ICMP grant funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). During the visit, Ambassador Westerlund emphasized the importance of sustained support for families of the missing in Kosovo in their important work.

Today in Tuzla, a meeting was held as part of the project “Roma – Marginalized Victims II,” bringing together members of the Roma community to discuss the issue of missing persons from the 1992–1995 conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The discussion focused on informing participants about the work of the Missing Persons Institute of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP). Elma Majstorić Ninković, ICMP Senior Program Officer for Civil Society Initiatives, presented ICMP’s work and highlighted the importance of collecting information on missing persons and the active participation of families of the missing in the process. The project implemented by Kali Sara – Roma Information Center is a part of ICMP’s grant cycle supported by the @eubih

ICMP experts, in collaboration with the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), have published findings on advances in DNA-based human identification, in the prestigious journal Forensic Science International: Genetics. The April issue features an article on DNA preservation in highly degraded skeletal remains from the Vietnam war, describing a technique developed at the ICMP laboratories in The Hague coupled with formal training, implementation, and concordance testing in Hanoi at the Center for DNA Identification (CDI) laboratory of Vietnam. Human autosomal DNA was successfully recovered from 70 percent of the bone samples tested using the innovative technique, which opens the way for a new approach to resolving decades-old cases in Vietnam. A second article, now available online and scheduled to be published in the June issue of FSI Genetics, describes comparative evaluation of SNP sequencing workflows. A study undertaken by ICMP and Vietnamese scientists shows that the targeted sequencing of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using optimized, sensitive DNA library preparation techniques, offers a viable path forward in large-scale human identification in Vietnam. 🔗 Read more: lnkd.in/eEBksR4R 📄 Research articles: Article 1: lnkd.in/e3zE3mn3 Article 2: lnkd.in/e-7PwJpz #ICMP #Vietnam #dna #humanidentification #forensincs

Women play a vital role in the search for missing persons, often at the forefront as family members, leaders of family associations, and advocates for truth and justice. More than 60% of participants in ICMP training courses last year were female, reflecting the growing leadership of women in efforts to account for the missing. As the world celebrates Women’s Day, we recognize and support women as agents of change in the search for the missing. #WomensDay #MissingPersons #IWD2026

On International Women’s Day, we honor the strength, leadership, and resilience of women around the world who are at the forefront of efforts to account for missing persons. In many scenarios, women play the central role in supporting survivors, demanding accountability, and ensuring that families access their rights to truth and justice. The courage of women transforms grief into action and drives the struggle for recovery in societies affected by conflict, disaster, and human rights abuses. ICMP recognizes the role that women play in the pursuit of truth and justice. We are committed to supporting families of the missing and to ensuring that women’s voices shape the search for answers. #InternationalWomensDay #IWD2026 #TheMissing

ICMP participated in the Western Balkans Peace Forum in Podgorica, opened by Johann Sattler, EU's Ambassador to Montenegro and organized by the Western Balkans Coalition for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Crimes Prevention together with the Post-Conflict Research Center, Impunity Watch, Protection Approaches, and CEDEM. ICMP’s Elma Majstorić Ninković joined the panel “Victims at the Center: Advancing Survivor Rights in the Western Balkans” alongside Agnes Picod (OHCHR BiH), Klaudia Kuljuh (TRIAL International BiH), and Mehmet Musaj (KRCT) to discuss advancing survivor rights and strengthening regional approaches to justice, memory, and accountability. Elma emphasized that existing mechanisms addressing the missing persons issue must continue their work, requiring strong political commitment and sustained financial support as a crucial way to advance survivor rights in the Western Balkans. #ICMP #WesternBalkans #Podgorica #missingpersons

This week at ICMP’s HQ, ICMP’s DNA Laboratories hosted a training for 12 representatives from the Ministry of Health’s Forensic Bureau DNA Laboratories in Ukraine. The training focused on processing post-mortem samples and included hands-on laboratory sessions on sample preparation and DNA extraction. Through discussions centered on quality and supporting theoretical concepts, participants explored key scientific principles as well as essential quality assurance considerations throughout the process. The activity was made possible through the support of the German Federal Foreign Office and the United States, and contributed to strengthening the capacity of domestic institutions responsible for accounting for missing persons in Ukraine. @GermanyDiplo #ICMP #DNA #DNALaboratory #CapacityBuilding #Ukraine #MissingPersons #HumanRights #Forensics #QualityAssurance

This week, H.E. Georg Diwald, Austrian Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, visited ICMP’s work in Tuzla. During the visit, ICMP staff presented their work supporting Bosnia and Herzegovina in accounting for persons missing from the conflicts of the 1990s—assisting families still searching for their loved ones, strengthening institutional capacities, and contributing to justice and accountability for crimes committed during the conflicts. With ICMP’s support, authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina have identified around 75% of the 30,000 people who went missing during the conflicts.

The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) and Albania’s Authority for Information on Former State Security Documents (AIDSSH) signed an End User License Agreement (EULA) in The Hague today, formalizing cooperation to support Albania’s efforts to account for persons missing from the communist era. The EULA was signed during an official visit to ICMP Headquarters by a delegation led by Gentiana Sula, Head of the AIDSSH. The visit was organized as part of an ICMP program funded by the European Union, supporting Albania’s institutional capacity to address the issue of missing persons in line with rule-of-law principles. ICMP Director-General Kathryne Bomberger said the agreement provides a clear legal and technical basis for the use of ICMP’s data management system in Albania, supporting institutions in managing information on missing persons in a secure, responsible, and rights-based manner. icmp.int/news/icmp-and-…

More than 80,000 people are missing in Ukraine as a result of the full-scale invasion launched by the Russian Federation four years ago today. The country is grappling with the huge task of investigating these disappearances. Despite the challenges posed by the ongoing conflict, Ukraine remains committed to, and has taken strides towards, fulfilling its legal obligations to investigate all cases, to support affected families and to ensure accountability. “Ukraine has made significant progress in establishing an effective missing persons system,” Matthew Holliday, the Head of ICMP’s Ukraine Program, said today. He noted that modern forensic science and database technology are being used, and “ICMP is working with the relevant ministries to provide assistance where there are gaps in expertise or capacity. By sharing best practice, it can help the authorities to develop a sustainable strategy to deliver identifications at a scale that matches the huge number of missing.” ICMP’s Ukraine Program is made possible through the generous support of Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, and Canada. Statement: icmp.int/news/four-year… #ICMP #Ukraine #missingpersons #kyiv

“Working on the issue of missing persons means never losing empathy and compassion for families.” As Olha Reshetylova, Head of the Media Initiative for Human Rights, highlights, supporting families and turning their pain into action is essential for helping families of the missing. @mihr_ua #MissingPersons #HumanRights #Ukraine #ICMP #Ruleoflaw

📢 New open position: Forensic Anthropology and Archaeology (Syria Program) 🌍 Location: Remote Requirements: ✅ Education: Be enrolled in or have recently completed a university degree program in the areas of forensic archaeology, forensic anthropology or a related field; ✅ Language: Fluency in English and Arabic (written and spoken). Interested?👉 Check out the details and apply here: ow.ly/ff7R50YkUgc

Youth Empowerment Across Borders 🦸‍♀️ 🦸‍♂️ ​T​his week, PCRC had the ​privilege and pleasure of welcoming a group​ of youth from Northern Ireland, as part of the Youth Empowerment: Inspiring Future Belfast initiative. The group, led by GEMS NI in partnership with Diverse Youth NI and Training for Women Network (TWN), and supported by Belfast City Council and the Special EU Programmes Body (PEACEPLUS Programme), visited ​o​ur country to explore lessons on dealing with the past, memorialisation, and the role of youth in building inclusive and peaceful societies. Through discussions on the fall of Yugoslavia, the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the concept of Ordinary Heroes, we reflected together on responsibility, courage, and the power of individuals to stand up for humanity in times of division.​ The group also visited #Gallery110795, @TheICMP and @WCMsarajevo, learning about the Srebrenica genocide, experiences of children during war, and the process of finding and identifying the missing. 🙏 for the exchange, the questions, and the shared commitment to a more just and peaceful future​! #YouthEmpowerment #PCRCBiH #Sarajevo #Belfast #PEACEPLUS

Die ICMP-Delegation besuchte kürzlich das Tsybli Human Identification Center. Mit Unterstützung von 🇳🇴 🇳🇱 🇺🇸 🇨🇦 & 🇩🇪 hilft @TheICMP, menschliche Überreste aus Russland zu identifizieren – ein wichtiger Schritt für Gerechtigkeit & Frieden für die betroffenen ukrainischen Familien.

This week in Sarajevo, the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) organized a technical workshop bringing together professionals from the Missing Persons Institute of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina and legal medicine specialists. The workshop, moderated by ICMP forensic experts, focused on the practical application of guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures for exhumations, forensic examination, and identifications, including bone and tooth sampling for DNA analysis. Through case-based discussions, participants examined professional responsibilities, operational risks, and the importance of compliance with established procedures in the process. The activity was supported by the @eubih and contributed to strengthening the capacities of domestic institutions responsible for accounting for missing persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina and reinforcing coordinated, standards-based approaches to accounting for missing persons.