I. THE REGIONAL PHENOMENON OF ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES
Mr. Santiago Corcuera, Chair of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (UNWGEID), reported during the 10th session of the UN Human Rights Council in March 2009 that: “The total number of cases transmitted by the Working Group to Governments since its inception is 52,952. The number of cases under active consideration that have not yet been clarified, closed and discontinued stands at 42,393 and concerns 79 States... of the 79 states, 21 are Asian countries. In 2009 report of the UNWGEID, there are 52,232 cases transmitted since its inception, 42,600 of which remain unclarified and these concerns 82 States.
I.REGIONAL PHENOMENON OF ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES
In the March 2008 session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the said body expressed great concern over the situation of disappearances worldwide. Considering the internal conflicts wracking many countries today, given to have stemmed from unstable socio-political history, and now further aggravated by the global campaign against terrorism, the UNWGEID worries this will engender more human rights violations including enforced disappearances.
I. Introduction
At the beginning of 2007, the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances had just culminated its Third Congress with the theme: Enhancing the Global Respect for the
Right Not to Be Disappeared. Among other things, the Third AFAD Congress approved a Six-Year Strategic Plan which serves as bases of annual plans of the AFAD Council, the
Federation’s member-organizations and the AFAD Secretariat. The AFAD Six- Year Plan of Action is also based on the presentation of country situations focusing on the issue of
enforced disappearances by the AFAD member- organizations.
INTRODUCTION
The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances experienced major changes in its operations that constituted a major leap in its organizational development. The positive results of the Participatory Capacity Building Evaluation that it conducted, through the support of its partners, e.g. HIVOS from The Netherlands and the PSO-Netherlands and their corresponding recommendations contributed to such changes. With the positive results of the Participatory Evaluation leading in the increase of partner-organizations working with AFAD, there has been a
corresponding increase in the demands of the work Corollary to this is the increase in human resources both in the regional secretariat which is based in Manila and in the member-organizations through the hiring of country staff members in selected countries. Nevertheless, the Federation is experiencing major adjustments in the implementation of its work.
The following is a general presentation of the organizational status of AFAD and its work.
Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The year 2005 will soon end with AFAD’s deep sense of fulfillment over the approval of the text of United Nations Draft International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.
Together with other organizations of families of the disappeared, AFAD celebrates the well-deserved victory. It was the greatest achievement of the international movement against involuntary disappearances of which AFAD is an integral part.
For the Asian families of the disappeared, there can be no other apt response to the continuing phenomena of enforced or involuntary disappearances in the region than the approval of the Convention’s text by the United Nations inter-sessional open-ended Working Group to draft a Legally-Binding Instrument for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. AFAD, who bore the brunt of persecution of its own human rights defenders, continues to work in the context of Asia’s intensifying human rights violations.
What has AFAD done during the year in order to concretize the three components of its work, e.g. lobby; campaign and public information; solidarity? Administratively, what was the situation that contributed to and/or hindered the Federation’s attainment of its mission, vision and goals?