The resolution titled "Missing Persons" (A/C.3/81/L.24), initiated by Azerbaijan, was adopted by consensus at the 41st plenary meeting of the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) during the 81st session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on November 10, APA reports, citing the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
A total of 63 member states representing various regions joined the resolution as co-sponsors.
The initiative, first introduced by Azerbaijan at the 57th session of the General Assembly in 2002 and pursued over many years, reaffirms obligations under international humanitarian law concerning missing persons, as complemented by international human rights law where applicable.
The resolution emphasizes the call on states parties to armed conflicts to take all appropriate measures to prevent persons from going missing and to clarify the fate of missing persons.
At the same time, it recalls that cases of missing persons may be linked to acts constituting criminal offenses and emphasizes the importance of ending impunity for violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law concerning missing persons.
The resolution calls on states to cooperate in addressing issues related to missing persons, including through identifying, mapping and preserving burial sites. In this context, the resolution explicitly refers to individual, collective and mass graves for the first time.
The resolution also includes new provisions emphasizing the importance of addressing the issue of missing persons in the context of peace and peacebuilding processes and encouraging the integration of this issue into those processes to clarify their fate.
The resolution also expresses concern that mines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices hinder efforts to determine the whereabouts of missing persons.
In addition, the UN Secretary-General is requested to submit a comprehensive report on the implementation of the resolution to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly.
The resolution also requests the convening of a high-level informal meeting of the General Assembly, with the participation of relevant UN bodies and observers of the General Assembly, at which the UN Secretary-General would deliver a statement, followed by an interactive dialogue.
The adoption by consensus of the resolution titled "Missing Persons" sends a strong message of the international community's shared commitment to addressing this pressing humanitarian issue.
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