Clarifying fate of people missing in connection with conflicts of 90ies and August 2008
Monday, May 1
The 11th meeting of the coordination mechanism seeking to account for people who went missing during and after the conflicts of 90-ies and August 2008 took place today, April 27, 2017.The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) chaired the meeting in its capacity of the neutral intermediary.
Georgian, South Ossetian and Russian participants met in Ergneti, to discuss concrete and coordinated steps for the year 2017, with regard to ongoing efforts in providing families of missing persons with relevant information on their loved ones.
“We are planning toproceedin the next months with the excavation works in a number of locations; this requires continued preparation and concerted actions amongst all stakeholders which was the main reason of today’s meeting” - said Severine Chappaz, ICRC Chair. “Efforts will not be spared to achieve tangible results as soon as possible for all the families of missing, bearing however in mind the complexity and lengthiness of the process of identification, which implies that we have to remain realistic and patient.Under International Humanitarian Law, families have the right to know what happened to their loved ones”.
The participants have reiterated a firm commitment to the process. They also exchanged additional information on the 177 persons currently reported as missing from the conflicts. This will allow further amendment of the list to have as accurate data as possible.
The coordination mechanism to clarify the fate of people unaccounted for since conflicts of 90-ies and August 2008 and their aftermath was established in 2010 under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). It is free from any political agenda to serve the best interests of the families of missing persons. The ICRC provides support to the mechanism with technical expertise within the framework of its mandate of a neutral humanitarian organization.
