The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances will hold its 129th session from 6 to 10 February 2023 in Santiago de Chile to examine 586 cases from 22 countries.
The Working Group expresses gratitude to the Government of Chile for its willingness to host one of its regular sessions in the country and cooperation with the organisation.
The five independent experts will hold meetings with relatives of forcibly disappeared persons in a number of countries, State representatives, civil society groups and other stakeholders to exchange information on individual cases and structural issues and challenges related to enforced disappearances.
The experts will also examine allegations received regarding obstacles encountered in the implementation of the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, such as regressive legislation and practices, or systemic failures in addressing cases of enforced disappearance, notably in the areas of truth and justice.
The Working Group will discuss internal matters and future activities, such as its upcoming country visits, including to Honduras at the end of March 2023, as well as its next reports to the Human Rights Council, including an upcoming study on new technologies and enforced disappearances.
The session of the Working Group in Santiago has a symbolic value as it coincides with the 50th anniversary of the military coup in Chile (1973) next September. The UN experts will also pay official visits to some memorial sites in the country.
The decisions made by the Working Group during the 129th session will be reflected in its next post-sessional report.
The sessions of the Working Group are held in private.
