International Commission on Missing Persons

**International Commission on Missing Persons**

Type	Intergovernmental organization
Founded	1996
Location	Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Leaders	James V. Kimsey, Chair Kathryne Bomberger, Director-General
Field	Human Rights, Forensic Sciences, Government Relations, Relief Efforts
Purpose	Assistance to governments in exhumation of mass graves and DNA identification of missing persons; support to family associations of missing persons; assistance to governments in creating strategies and institutions to search for missing persons.
Staff	170, January 2007
Website	www.ic-mp.org

The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) addresses the issue of persons missing as a result of armed conflicts, violations of human rights and natural disasters. It is headquartered in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

[edit] History

ICMP was established at the behest of U.S. President Clinton in 1996 at the G-7 summit in Lyon, France, to confront the issue of persons missing as a result of the different conflicts relevant to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia, and the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1991 to 1995. ICMP was first chaired by former U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, who was succeeded as Chairman by U.S. Senator Bob Dole. ICMP’s current Chairman is James V. Kimsey (U.S.).

Although based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), ICMP is currently engaged in a wide-ranging area of operations that include the former conflict zones in the Western Balkans and the Middle East, as well as areas affected by natural disasters, such as tsunami affected regions of South Asia and the U.S. State of Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina. In 2001, at the request of New York City Authorities, ICMP also sent two of its leading forensic scientists to the U.S. following the attack on the World Trade Center.

ICMP currently has three forensic facilities, two of which focus on human remains related to the fall of Srebrenica. These are the Podrinje Identification Project (PIP), and the Lukavac Reassociation Centre (LKRC). The Krajina Identification Project (KIP) is the primary facility for remains related to the area of Sanski Most and Prijedor. ICMP has offices in Sarajevo (BiH), Tuzla (BiH), Banja Luka (BiH), and Pristina (Kosovo).

By the end of 2006, ICMP’s efforts had resulted in DNA-assisted identifications of almost 11,000 individuals from the former Yugoslavia.

Refrigerated mortuary of ICMP's Podrinje Identification Project (PIP)

ICMP works to secure the co-operation of governments and other authorities in locating and identifying persons missing as a result of armed conflicts, other hostilities or violations of human rights, and natural disasters. ICMP also supports the work of other organizations in their efforts, encourages public involvement in its activities and contributes to the development of appropriate expressions of commemoration and tribute to the missing. In addition, ICMP assists governments in meeting their human rights obligations toward victims and their surviving family members, as well as building institutional capacity that promotes long-term public confidence.

ICMP is governed by the ICMP Board of Commissioners, which includes James V. Kimsey (Chair since 2001), Willem Kok, Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, Michael Portillo and Rolf Ekéus. Previous chairs included: Bob Dole (Chairperson 1997–2001) and Cyrus Vance († Chairperson 1996–1997). The Director-General, Ms. Kathryne Bomberger, was appointed by ICMP's Commissioners in April 2004 as the organization's chief executive officer and is responsible for the direction and oversight of all activities and programs in all areas of operation.