Thursday 30 de august de 2018

Information for the Press N°: 348/18

On the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances by the State or with State consent, Argentina and France would like to commemorate the victims and their families. These serious violations of Human Rights regrettably occur in a substantial number of countries, including those facing serious crises or wars.

The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (2006), which currently has 97 signatories and 58 ratifications, is a great achievement and evidences the international community's awareness of the need for a vigorous action in the face of such violations of Human Rights. The goal of the Convention is to prevent enforced disappearances, to combat impunity for the crime of enforced disappearance and, especially, to emphasize the right to know the truth regarding the circumstances of an enforced disappearance, the progress and results of investigations and the fate of the disappeared person.

The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2017 has set the goal of doubling the number of State parties to the Convention in the next five years. France and Argentina fully support this goal. Therefore, both countries call upon all States that have not yet done so to ratify the Convention and to recognize the authority of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances, created as the body which monitors implementation of the Convention since 2011. In this regard, the Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship and the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs sent a letter to their counterparts last April, with a view to achieving the universalization of the Convention.