Participation in the first World Congress on Enforced Disappearances

On 15 and 16 January, we participated in the first World Congress on Enforced Disappearances in Geneva, co-organised by the Convention Against Enforced Disappearances Initiative (CEDI), the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED), the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The following were among the lines of work that emerged from the congress: support for the creation of a regional network led by victims in sub-Saharan Africa; organisation of periodic meetings of women searchers; follow-up to the sessions of the CED; promotion of the ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance; strengthening the capacity of civil society organisations to influence UN mechanisms; and supporting the creation of a global network of young people against enforced disappearances.

This event brought together agents such as NGOs, universities, states and associations of relatives of victims of enforced disappearances. Several entities and people with whom Hegoa is allied in the work for human rights participated, including COFADEH, from Honduras, and two activists from Western Sahara occupied by Morocco.

We condemn the fact that, in response to the protests of the Sahrawi activists about the hypocrisy of the Moroccan regime’s discourse on human rights, the Moroccan state used its influence to try to have them thrown out of the event. This link shows part of an intervention by El Ghalia Djimi that has been widely disseminated on social networks.

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