Lighting a Single Candle: The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Forced Disappearances

On December 20, 2006, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Forced Disappearance (Convention). This article will provide a brief summary of some of the provisions of the Convention. The Convention, consisting of 47 Articles, was drafted by the United Nations Human Rights Commission Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances. On January 7, 2007, the Convention opened for signature in Paris, and was signed by 57 countries. Since then two more countries have also signed the Convention, which will enter into force thirty days after it is ratified by 20 countries … [more]