GENEVA (8 September 2023) - The UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) will hold its upcoming session from 11 to 29 September, during which it will review Mauritania, Mexico, Netherlands and Nigeria and adopt its guidance on enforced disappearances in the context of migration.

The session will begin with a public meeting, including a space of tribute to victims of enforced disappearance, featuring the testimony of a victim from Sudan.

Mauritania, Mexico, Netherlands and Nigeria are among the 72 States parties to the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance. They are required to undergo regular reviews by the Committee of 10 independent international experts on how they are implementing the Convention as well as the Committee's previous recommendations.

The Committee, which has received respective country reports and other submissions from non-governmental organisations, will discuss a range of issues with the four State delegations through public dialogues on the following dates at Geneva time:

Mauritania
11 September 15:00 – 18:00
12 September 10:00 – 13:00

Mexico
13 September 15:00 – 18:00
14 September 15:00 – 18:00

Netherlands
15 September 10:00 – 13:00

Nigeria
18 September 10:00 – 13:00
19 September 10:00 – 13:00

In addition to country reviews, the Committee will adopt authoritative guidance, formally known as General Comment, to clarify and underscore States parties’ responsibility in protecting migrants from enforced disappearance while on their migration route.

To mark the first year of the adoption of the Joint Declaration on Illegal Intercountry Adoptions, the Committee will conduct a joint event UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, the Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in persons on 20 September to bring together victims, civil society members, States, National Human Rights Institutions and other stakeholders to discuss future steps to prevent illegal intercountry adoptions.

The above public dialogues and events will be held in the First Floor Conference Room, Palais Wilson, Geneva, and Palais des Nations. All public meetings are open to accredited press and livecast on UN Web TV. More information about the session, including reports submitted by the States and the full schedule of meetings, is available on the session webpage.