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ICMP Receives Support from SIDA to help locate missing persons from the Kosovo Conflict

The Hague, 29 August 2024: The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) is pleased to announce that the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) has extended its support for ICMP’s efforts to account for persons missing from the Kosovo conflict. The grant amendment increases SIDA’s support to a total of at SEK 9,996,000, and extends the duration of the project, which started on 1 September 2022, by an additional 2 years to 31 August 2026.

This continued collaboration underscores the commitment of both ICMP and SIDA to ensuring that the right to truth and justice for the families of the missing is upheld, and that the process of accounting for missing persons is carried out in accordance with international standards.

Matthew Holliday, ICMP Program Director, Europe stated, “This extended support is a vital step in our ongoing efforts to address the legacy of the Kosovo conflict. It is a reaffirmation of our shared commitment to justice and human rights, and to providing answers to the families who have waited so long to learn the fate of their missing loved ones.”

“Sweden stands in solidarity with the families who have lost their loved ones. Our continued collaboration with ICMP and Kosovo Government aims to scrutinize each case of missing person. It is fundamental human right that justice will be served. This is something we can all achieve together”, said Jonas Westerlund, Ambassador, The Embassy of Sweden in Kosovo.

The upcoming project aims to significantly enhance the capacities of the Kosovo Commission on Missing Persons, enabling it to more effectively account for missing persons through increased human and technical resources.

The partners will work on fostering regional cooperation between Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia, which is crucial for addressing the complex issue of missing persons across borders. Efforts will also focus on resolving NN (No Name) cases at the Pristina mortuary, ensuring that families receive the answers they have long sought.

Furthermore, the project will actively support the engagement of families of missing persons and civil society organizations (CSOs) in the process, promoting a collaborative and transparent approach to accounting for the remaining missing from the Kosovo conflict.

Since 2003, more than 2,600 missing persons cases have been resolved through effective forensic work, including ICMP DNA testing. Approximately 2,000 cases were identified by non-DNA methods before 2003, including visual identifications. Today, the number of persons still missing is estimated to be above 1,600.

ICMP has been a key partner to Kosovo since the establishment of the Government Commission on Missing Persons in 2006 and continues to help Kosovo’s authorities fulfill their obligations under local and international law to locate all missing persons, regardless of their religious or national origin. ICMP works to secure the rights of surviving families of the missing, ensuring justice, truth, and reparations.