Third Committee, 21st plenary meeting - General Assembly, 81st session
Promotion and protection of human rights, Implementation of human rights instruments, Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms, Human rights situations and reports of special rapporteurs and representatives, Comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action - Item 70, 70 (a), 70 (b), 70 (c), 70 (d) (A/81/56, A/81/178)
Agenda items · 581st session
Item 70
Promotion and protection of human rights
Item 70(a)
Implementation of human rights instruments
Item 70(b)
Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms
Source: United Nations (un.org, igov.un.org)
Speaking timeJuan Pablo Alban Alencastro (7.6%) · Grazina Barnostka (7.3%) · special rapporteur on the right to privacy (6.4%) + 39 more · Unattributed (0%)
Third Committee, 21st meeting of the 81st session. Agenda item taken up: “Promotion and protection of human rights, Implementation of human rights instruments, Human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms, Human rights situations and reports of special rapporteurs and representatives, Comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action - Item 70, 70 (a), 70 (b), 70 (c), 70 (d) (A/81/56, A/81/178)”. 37 speakers were heard, representing 29 delegations.
Points of disagreement
Guatemala regretted that enforced disappearance continues to be used as a means of repression, silencing, and intimidation, and said Guatemala was aware of its profound and lasting consequences.
Ukraine stated that, according to the ICRC, 280,000 people remain missing in connection with Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, a figure covering both sides and different circumstances.
Mexico rejected the interpretation of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances as regards the scope and application of Article 34 of the Convention.
Democratic People's Republic of Korea said UN human rights bodies should not allow interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states under the pretext of human rights, and should uphold non-politicization, impartiality and non-selectivity; it called the accusations by Japan and the ROK a politicization of human rights.
Key points
Juan Pablo Alban Alencastro presented the annual report of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances, noting that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the convention, which has 78 states parties and is still far from universal adoption.
European Union, on behalf of European Union and its member states, expressed concern over ongoing enforced disappearances and the alarming number of unresolved cases, which it said disproportionately affect political opponents, journalists and human rights defenders.
Grazina Barnostka expressed concern that some member states accused the working group of not being impartial or of taking part in a political agenda, and invited them to raise criticism bilaterally.
Statement by statement · 36 speakers
Juan Pablo Alban Alencastro
Juan Pablo Alban Alencastro presented the annual report of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances, noting that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the convention, which has 78 states parties and is still far from universal adoption.
Juan Pablo Alban Alencastro urged states that have not yet done so to ratify or accede to the convention, and states parties to recognize the competences of the committee under Articles 31 and 32 and implement treaty obligations effectively.
Juan Pablo Alban Alencastro stated that the committee concluded its first Article 34 procedure, finding well founded indications of enforced disappearances as crimes against humanity in Mexico, while stating this was not a determination of the Mexican state's international responsibility, and brought the situation to urgent consideration.
Juan Pablo Alban Alencastro stressed that business as usual is no longer possible amid the financial crisis, and insisted that no reform of the treaty body system should change the bodies' mandates or their independence.
Grezina Baranoska
Grezina Baranoska noted that the working group transmitted 1,723 new cases of enforced disappearances to 36 states during the reporting period, the highest number recorded in the past decade, and clarified 374 cases, with nearly 60% of clarifications occurring only after the person's death was established.
Grezina Baranoska expressed concern about the continued use of enforced disappearances in armed conflict, including in the context of Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine, Gaza and Sudan, and about national security and counter-terrorism frameworks used to conceal the fate of detainees.
Grezina Baranoska called for all states to cooperate fully and promptly with the working group's humanitarian procedure, investigate allegations independently and impartially, protect victims and defenders from reprisals, and provide the resources needed given a backlog of more than 8,000 cases awaiting processing.
🇵🇱 Poland
Poland stated enforced disappearances remained a widespread tool of repression, with short term disappearances targeting activists and journalists, growing involvement of non state actors, and alarming patterns affecting migrants.
Poland expressed concern about Ukrainian civilians, including children, disappeared, detained, incomunicado, or forcibly transferred by the Russian Federation.
🇧🇷 Brazil
Brazil reiterated its commitment to fully cooperate with the Committee on Enforced Disappearances and to recognize under Article 31 the competence of the committee to receive individual communications, which it viewed as a concrete step toward preventing enforced disappearances.
Brazil asked how the committee assessed the possibility of strengthening technical cooperation with states' parties to develop investigation protocols on enforced disappearances with a gender perspective.
Brazil stated that digital sovereignty should not be understood merely in terms of where data is physically stored, but also concerns the capacity of states to regulate the processing of personal data, and asked for the special rapporteur's views on international cooperation to help developing countries protect personal data transferred across borders.
🇦🇿 Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan stated that over 4,000 persons are registered as missing in relation to the former conflict, that remains of 913 individuals have been found, 328 identified, and 273 handed over to families, and that 32 mass graves containing the remains of 253 individuals have been discovered since the end of the conflict.
Azerbaijan called for providing all necessary information on burial sites, in particular mass graves, opening of archives, and collection of witness statements, to realize the right to know of missing persons' families.
🇭🇷 Croatia
Croatia said today 1,725 persons remain missing in Croatia as one of the hardest humanitarian consequences of what it called aggression against its country, and that its national model combines forensic expertise, institutional cooperation, and new technologies.
Croatia called for archives to be opened and information shared with those still searching for their loved ones, stating that technology cannot substitute access to reliable information.
🇲🇦 Morocco
Morocco reaffirmed its firm commitment to the absolute prohibition of enforced disappearance, noting that it was among the first to sign the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and continues to call for its universal ratification.
Morocco stated that the Moroccan constitution classifies enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention and secret detention as crimes of the utmost gravity, and that Morocco has strengthened its institutional framework, including through the National Human Rights Council and a justice reform launched in 2013.
🇧🇪 Belgium
Belgium reiterated full support for the mandates of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances and the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, and welcomed their continued cooperation.
Belgium expressed concern about the disruption affecting the work of both the committee and the working group, while commending the results they achieved despite this constraint.
🇯🇵 Japan
Japan welcomed the continued increase in the number of signatories to the Convention, and said further universality of the Convention was necessary to effectively prevent enforced disappearance globally.
Japan stated that the abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korea was an ongoing humanitarian issue as abductees and their families aged, and urged the DPLK to resolve the abductions issue immediately.
🇬🇹 Guatemala
Guatemala regretted that enforced disappearance continues to be used as a means of repression, silencing, and intimidation, and said Guatemala was aware of its profound and lasting consequences.
Guatemala stated that Guatemala remained committed to searching for disappeared persons, clarifying the circumstances of their disappearance and supporting victims, families and communities, 30 years after the peace accords.
European Union · on behalf of European Union and its member states
European Union, on behalf of European Union and its member states, expressed concern over ongoing enforced disappearances and the alarming number of unresolved cases, which it said disproportionately affect political opponents, journalists and human rights defenders.
🇺🇦 Ukraine
Ukraine stated that, according to the ICRC, 280,000 people remain missing in connection with Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, a figure covering both sides and different circumstances.
Ukraine asked the working group how its mandate could be used more effectively to address these cases and press Russia to disclose the information it withholds, and how Ukrainian authorities and families could strengthen individual submissions to support urgent action.
🇦🇷 Argentina
Argentina stressed that enforced disappearances are an area of central importance in the human rights agenda and a scourge that must be addressed with the utmost urgency, given the damage to victims and families who do not know the whereabouts of their loved ones.
Argentina noted that the International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances will celebrate its 20th anniversary on the 20th of December, but that to date only 78 countries have ratified it.
🇨🇴 Colombia
Colombia reaffirmed that forced disappearance represents one of the gravest violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, and stated a commitment to finding missing people, investigating the facts, sanctioning those responsible, and guaranteeing truth, justice, reparation and non-recurrence to victims and their families.
Colombia highlighted the relevance of international cooperation, the exchange of experience and good practice, and technical assistance between states, and reiterated readiness to continue working constructively with the committee and other international mechanisms.
🇧🇩 Bangladesh
Bangladesh expressed concern that the report warned of severe global challenges, including a 70% surge in reported disappearances over five years, short-term disappearances targeting journalists and human rights defenders, transnational repression, and enhanced risks faced by migrants.
Bangladesh stated that Bangladesh acceded to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance in August 2024 and recently enacted the Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Remedy Act 2026, providing for criminalization, investigation, prosecution and punishment, tracing of disappeared persons, and redress for victims and families.
🇶🇦 Qatar
Qatar emphasized its firm commitment to continue cooperation with the UN mechanisms relevant to human rights, foremost the Human Rights Council.
🇲🇽 Mexico
Mexico stated that Mexico does not consent to or tolerate the disappearance of persons however it occurs, and that there is unprecedented coordination across federal and state authorities to locate missing persons, investigate crimes and combat impunity.
Mexico rejected the interpretation of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances as regards the scope and application of Article 34 of the Convention.
🇰🇷 Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea commended the efforts of the committee and working group on enforced or involuntary disappearance in transmitting over 1,700 cases to 36 states between May 2025 and May 2026 alone, while regretting that the liquidity crisis prevented any country visits.
Republic of Korea urged the DPRK to cooperate fully with the working group's requests, noting that 511 cases transmitted to the DPRK remained outstanding as of May 2026.
🇵🇰 Pakistan
Pakistan stated that the National Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, empowered to investigate reported cases and summon officials of law enforcement agencies, has resolved more than 80% of the cases registered with it since its establishment in 2011.
Pakistan asked for the Chair's views on how the working group can address persistent challenges of accountability in situations of foreign occupation, particularly where restrictions on access and lack of cooperation by occupying powers impede efforts to establish the fate and whereabouts of disappeared persons.
🇪🇸 Spain
Spain reaffirmed its commitment to the reuniversalization and effective implementation of the convention, of which Spain is a state party, in the year of its 20th anniversary.
Spain asked the Chair of the committee and the Chair Rapporteur which measures they believed were a priority to guarantee the effective participation of families in the search for missing people.
🇺🇾 Uruguay
Uruguay reaffirmed its full commitment to its obligations under the Convention and the priority its government gives to truth, justice, and reparations.
Uruguay deeply regretted the impact of the structural underfinancing of the human rights pillar of the United Nations and the liquidity crisis on the treaty bodies and special procedures.
🇸🇻 El Salvador
El Salvador stated that El Salvador had provided the working group with specific information on the identified individuals, their situation of deprivation of liberty and their status within the penal system, and that it has consolidated institutions for searching for missing people, namely the CNB and the office of the public prosecutor.
El Salvador highlighted the need for special procedures to be carried out with independence, impartiality and objectivity, in coherence with the code of conduct for mandate holders of special procedures.
🇳🇮 Nicaragua
Nicaragua categorically rejected the references to Nicaragua, stating that certain international mechanisms were, in its words, twisting human rights into a means of manipulation and interference in sovereign states, through selectivity and double standards.
Nicaragua called for international mechanisms to be exercised within their jurisdiction, with respect for the sovereign equality of states and the principle of non interference in their internal affairs.
🇨🇳 China
China stated that enforced disappearance is a grave human rights violation that should be combated and strictly punished by law, and that China's constitution and laws stipulate that citizens enjoy personal freedom.
China stated that China actively cooperates with the working group on enforced or involuntary disappearances, and hoped the working group would act in strict accordance with the UN Charter, rely on accurate and credible information, and respect states' judicial sovereignty.
🇲🇲 Myanmar
Myanmar stated that in Myanmar the military junta used enforced disappearance, arbitrary detention and torture of civilians as what it called an institutionalized weapon of terror to silence dissent and eradicate opposition, with detainees held incommunicado and families left without information.
Myanmar called for immediate and decisive international action, including targeted political, military and financial pressure on the junta, referral of the situation in Myanmar to the ICC, and direct humanitarian assistance to local actors.
🇰🇵 Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Democratic People's Republic of Korea said UN human rights bodies should not allow interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states under the pretext of human rights, and should uphold non-politicization, impartiality and non-selectivity; it called the accusations by Japan and the ROK a politicization of human rights.
Democratic People's Republic of Korea stated the abduction issue had already been settled in a complete and irreversible manner, and it had nothing more to reserve with Japan on it; it urged Japan to take concrete action for complete liquidation of its past crime against humanity.
Sovereign Order of Malta
Sovereign Order of Malta stated that 20 years after the adoption of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the crime remained a present reality, leaving individuals without protection and families without answers, and that the response must extend beyond accountability to include care and protection of families left behind.
Sovereign Order of Malta called for Member States to strengthen mechanisms for prompt search and identification of disappeared persons, and urged states to protect families, human rights defenders and witnesses from intimidation and reprisals, strengthen international cooperation and provide adequate resources to United Nations mechanisms.
Juan Pablo Alban Alicastro
Juan Pablo Alban Alicastro stated that the committee and the working group hold monthly meetings, work closely together, have focal points and many joint projects, and often carry out simultaneous registries.
Juan Pablo Alban Alicastro said that a 40% reduction in the budget compromises what the committee is able to do, and that there must be no further cuts beyond what it has already endured.
Grazina Barnostka
Grazina Barnostka expressed concern that some member states accused the working group of not being impartial or of taking part in a political agenda, and invited them to raise criticism bilaterally.
Grazina Barnostka stressed that the committee and the working group complement each other: cases from before ratification go to the working group, cases after ratification go to the committee, and only the working group deals with non-state actors.
Grazina Barnostka expressed concern that some states were not cooperating with the ICRC in armed conflict situations, including by not allowing visits to prisoners of war, and said this occurs specifically since the full scale invasion of Russia in Ukraine.
Grazina Barnostka stated that states of exceptions are exceptional measures that cannot be the rule and can only last for a certain time, and offered technical cooperation on search plans and a thematic study on memorialization.
special rapporteur on the right to privacy
special rapporteur on the right to privacy stated that there is no universal binding treaty regulating international data transfers, only a global mosaic of national, regional and multilateral instruments, creating profound legal uncertainty, and that no single instrument is sufficient on its own.
special rapporteur on the right to privacy highlighted Convention 108 Plus of the Council of Europe as the only legally binding international instrument upon global accession, and its early adoption by nations outside Europe as a vital step toward a multilateral legal space.
special rapporteur on the right to privacy called for states to update national data protection legislation, participate in negotiating binding multilateral instruments including accession to Convention 108 Plus, and for the United Nations to lead toward a legally binding international instrument on personal data transfers.
🇳🇦 Namibia
Namibia reaffirmed that the right to privacy is essential to human dignity and the enjoyment of other freedoms enshrined in the Constitution.
🇨🇺 Cuba
Cuba stated that the right to privacy is an essential component of human dignity and a fundamental pillar for the full exercise of all rights, and that in the digital era it faces growing threats from mass surveillance technology and the mercantilization of personal data.
Cuba noted that in 2022 Cuba adopted Law 149 on the protection of personal data, recognizing the right to access, modify or cancel one's data and establishing safeguards against non authorised use.
🇱🇮 Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein asked the Special Rapporteur, regarding the report's discussion of AI regulation, where the greater regulatory gap lay today: in limiting the types of data AI systems can access and train on, or in regulating the content, decisions and outputs AI systems can produce.
🇮🇸 Iceland
Iceland highlighted the value of the Council of Europe's modernized convention 108 plus, which it said provides a comprehensive framework for data protection and is open to accession by all states.
Iceland asked the Special Rapporteur what further steps she would recommend to strengthen international cooperation and encourage states to adopt effective data protection frameworks.
🇮🇷 Islamic Republic of Iran
Islamic Republic of Iran emphasized that the protection of personal data must be grounded in international human rights law and guided by the principles of sovereignty, non interference, equality, and non discrimination, and that cross border data flows must not become a pretext for unchecked surveillance or extraterritorial control.
Anna Brian Nuker
Anna Brian Nuker proposed Convention 108 plus, saying it addressed elements repeated as problems in the conferences and concerns raised, and could be a way to reach consensus.
Anna Brian Nuker stressed the necessity of working within the laws of each country, and insisted on standardization, legislation and harmonization, using existing tools rather than invention.
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