The First Years of the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances: Achievements and Challenges

The contribution aims at illustrating the major achievements of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances over the past years and the main challenges it will have to face in the future. A brief summary of the work carried out to address practical – yet crucial – matters such as the adoption of the rules of procedure is provided. The work performed by the Committee in terms of examination of States parties’ reports, urgent actions, and adoption of views on individual communications is then analysed. Subsequently, the interpretative activity carried out by the Committee is presented, with particular emphasis on the choices made with regard to key provisions of the International Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and subjects not specifically addressed by the treaty, like amnesty laws and military jurisdiction.