Search Collectives and Organizations Submit Proposal to the UN General Assembly

Mexico City | Desinformémonos. Search groups, human rights organizations, experts, and activists sent a letter to the member states of the UN General Assembly (GA) proposing follow-up measures under Article 34 of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, regarding the crisis Mexico is facing in this area.

The letter seeks to inform the Permanent Mission to the General Assembly “of the gravity of the crisis of disappearances in Mexico, to serve as input for bilateral dialogue with the Mexican government and, in particular, in the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly,” within the framework of the procedure initiated by the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) pursuant to the invocation of Article 34.

The letter was sent after the CED concluded on March 19 that there is sufficient evidence that disappearances in Mexico are committed in a widespread and systematic manner and may constitute crimes against humanity; consequently, it invoked Article 34 for discussion at the General Assembly session beginning this September.

In the letter, the organizations and groups noted that in Mexico there are more than 135,000 missing persons and more than 72,000 sets of human remains awaiting forensic identification. They also pointed out that there is a 99 percent rate of impunity in cases of disappearance and that there are no “effective” mechanisms to investigate them, since prosecutors’ offices lack effective autonomy and the possible involvement or collusion of public officials with the perpetrators of the disappearances is not investigated.

Among their proposals, they highlighted as “indispensable” the need for extraordinary mechanisms that would allow for effective and concrete progress in the prevention, search, and forensic identification of the numerous victims of this crime, as well as their access to truth and justice. They also offered to provide technical input for the drafting of a resolution that would help curb disappearances in Mexico and bring truth and justice to the victims.

The full letter follows:

The full text of the letter follows:

81st Session of the UN General Assembly Third Committee (A/80/737)

Signatures in support of the letter to the Member States of the UN General Assembly

Mexico, August 30, 2026

Subject: Proposed procedure for addressing the request from the Committee on Enforced Disappearances to the General Assembly, pursuant to Article 34 of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CED/C/MEX/A.34/D/1), regarding the situation of enforced disappearances in Mexico.

I. Introduction

On May 12, 2026, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, sent a note (A/80/737) to all member states of the General Assembly (UNGA), informing them of the decision by the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) to invoke Article 34 of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (CED/C/MEX/A.34/D/1), in which it “concludes that there are well-founded indications that enforced disappearances have been and continue to be perpetrated in Mexico as crimes against humanity, through various widespread or systematic ‘attacks’ in different places and at different times, directed against the civilian population…”.

II. Purpose of This Letter

With this letter, civil society organizations, groups of relatives of disappeared persons, as well as experts and academics, aim to provide your Permanent Mission with information on the severity of the crisis of disappearances in Mexico, which will serve as input for the bilateral dialogue with the Mexican government and, in particular, in the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly, within the framework of the procedure initiated by the CED pursuant to the invocation of Article 34 of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

III. Background on the Matter

1. In Mexico, there are more than 135,000 missing persons and more than 72,000 sets of human remains awaiting forensic identification. The State owes a debt of truth, justice, and reparations to the victims’ families and to Mexican society.

2. To date, policies to prevent disappearances have been insufficient and ineffective, resulting in an increase in such cases in 28 of the 32 states.

3. Disappearances are committed by: i) individuals or criminal groups, ii) state authorities, iii) criminal groups with the support, tolerance, or acquiescence of the State.

4. There is a 99% rate of impunity in cases of enforced disappearance, and there are no effective mechanisms to investigate them. Prosecutors’ offices lack effective autonomy, and the possible involvement or collusion of public officials with the perpetrators of enforced disappearances is not investigated.

5. Both the United Nations human rights protection mechanisms and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) of the OAS agree on their assessment of the magnitude and severity of the situation, as well as on the inadequacy of the actions taken by the government to curb the crisis of violence and disappearances in the country.

6. Consequently, on March 19, 2026, the CED decided to invoke Article 34 of the Convention governing its mandate, finding that there is sufficient evidence that disappearances in Mexico are committed in a widespread and/or systematic manner and that, as established in Article 5 of the Convention, they could constitute crimes against humanity (CED/C/MEX/A.34/D/1)

7. Consequently, it referred the matter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and requested that it be considered at the next session of the General Assembly, so that the Assembly may resolve:

a. “To provide the technical cooperation, financial support, and specialized assistance that Mexico requires in the areas of search, forensic analysis, and thorough investigation of allegations of enforced disappearances and links between public officials and organized crime; and

b. To establish an effective mechanism to uncover the truth and provide assistance and protection to families searching for their loved ones, as well as to the organizations and advocates who support them.”

8. Unfortunately, the Mexican government has interpreted the CED’s resolution as an attack, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior have repeatedly stated that the government does not agree with the procedure initiated by the CED, as it considers that the presumption of a widespread and systematic practice of enforced disappearance within the national territory is unsubstantiated.

9. On May 12, 2026, António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, forwarded the Mexican case to all member states of the UN General Assembly via note A/80/737. The case is currently listed under item 71 (Promotion and Protection of Human Rights), which is normally considered by the Third Committee, and is expected to be reviewed in October–November 2026.

10. The CED’s finding that there are well-founded indications that enforced disappearances have been and continue to be committed in Mexico as crimes against humanity triggers the United Nations’ Duty to Protect (D2P), in accordance with the Final Resolution of the 2005 World Summit (A/RES/60/1). The Responsibility to Protect must begin, in this case, with the States Parties to the Convention, ensuring that Article 34—which has never before been invoked—is accompanied by an effective procedure to protect all persons from enforced disappearance, in this and future cases.

V. Proposals

1. The families of the disappeared and the organizations supporting them believe that this process represents a unique opportunity for Mexico to receive the technical and financial support from the international community that it so desperately needs to address a problem whose magnitude exceeds the state’s capabilities. This process should at no time be viewed as a judgment or an attack on any government, but rather as a way to promote—beyond legal disputes—a deep dialogue on the most effective and cooperative ways to address the proliferation of disappearances, in Mexico and throughout the rest of the world.

2. We believe that, in light of the serious crisis of disappearances in Mexico and the ineffectiveness of the mechanisms established thus far to resolve and put an end to it, it is essential to have extraordinary mechanisms that allow for effective and concrete progress in the prevention, search, and forensic identification of the numerous victims of this crime, as well as their access to truth and justice.

3. This is the first time the CED has invoked Article 34, and there is no clear procedure for following up on it in the General Assembly. Therefore, it would be advisable to first consider the relevance of establishing such a procedure; to this end, we suggest some options to be developed in the Third Committee, namely:

– That one or more States take up and promote the matter before the Third Committee, in principle through motions to agree on a procedure for the implementation of Article 34 of the Convention.

– Such a procedure could be defined by a commission or an appointed independent expert, who would draft a proposal in response to the request from the Committee on Enforced Disappearances, in consultation with the Convention’s member states, including Mexico; with experts in the field, including the CED; and with victims’ groups and civil society organizations in Mexico.

– That the Third Committee adopt the proposal of the independent commission, allocating sufficient resources for its urgent implementation.

4. It is essential that Mexico’s allies promote bilateral dialogue with the Mexican government, as well as within the Third Committee itself. The issue should be approached from a positive perspective and viewed as an opportunity for Mexico. The goal is for Mexico to adopt a collaborative stance, be open to dialogue, and join in the effort to reach an agreement.

5. Ideally, one or more States could take up and promote the issue before the Third Committee, initially through motions to agree on a procedure under Article 34 of the Convention, and then by drafting a resolution containing the proposals of the Independent Commission with concrete mechanisms that include the participation, oversight, and evaluation of the Third Committee, as well as the families of disappeared persons and civil society organizations, thereby enabling victims to access processes that lead to truth and justice.

6. We consider this to be a medium-term process, in which human rights organizations are prepared to provide technical input for the drafting of a resolution that will help put an end to disappearances in Mexico, bring truth and justice to the thousands of victims, and contribute to creating conditions for peace and economic and social development based on an effective rule of law that promotes human rights.

7. Our organizations and families’ groups are preparing action initiatives for the upcoming session of the General Assembly, such as:

• Meetings with diplomatic missions in New York;
• Meetings with independent United Nations experts;
• Organizing opportunities for dialogue with family members of missing persons at side events.

Signers of this proposal:

Collectives of Relatives of Missing Persons

1. Ágape por la Libertad y el Respeto a la Vida
2. Asociación de Familiares de Migrantes Desaparecidos de Choluteca, Honduras (AFAMIDEH)
3. Asociación de Familiares de Migrantes Desaparecidos de Guatemala (AFAMIDEG)
4. Asociación Hondureña de Familiares de Migrantes Desaparecidos “Amor y Fe” (AHFAMIDEAF)
5. Colectivo Casa de la Esperanza (Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua)
6. Colectivo Caso Pirasol
7. Colectivo Colibrí
8. Colectivo de Búsqueda de B.C.
9. Colectivo en Busca de Nuestros Desparecidos en Navolato, Sinaloa
10. Colectivo En Búsqueda de Verdad y Justicia, Tepic, Nayarit
11. Colectivo Esposas y Familiares de Agentes de Seguridad Estatales Detenidos y Desaparecidos por Militares en 1977 en Culiacán, Sinaloa
12. Colectivo Familiares Desaparecidos de Chihuahua
13. Colectivo Justicia y Esperanza de San Luis de la Paz, Gto
14. Colectiva Memoria, Verdad y Justicia, Acapulco, Chilpancingo
15. Colectivo Oaxaqueños Buscando a los Nuestros A.C.
16. Colectivo Renacer, Nuevo León
17. Colectivo Renacer Por Amor a Ellos, Nayarit
18. Colectivo Siguiendo Tus Pasos, Ensenada, Baja California
19. Colectivo Uniendo Corazones, Culiacán, Sinaloa
20. Colectivo Voz de los Desaparecidos en Puebla
21. Colectivo 10 de Octubre (Parral, Chihuahua)
22. Colectivo Zapotengo Pochutla, Oaxaca
23. Comité de Familiares de Migrantes Desaparecidos del Centro de Honduras (COFAMICENH)
24. Comité de Familiares de Migrantes Desaparecidos de El Progreso, Honduras
25. Comité de Familiares de Migrantes Desaparecidos de Pespire (COFAMIDEPES)
26. Comité de Familiares de Migrantes Fallecidos y Desaparecidos de El Salvador COFAMIDE
27. Desaparecidos Justicia AC, Querétaro
28. Esposas Buscadoras México
29. Familia en Búsqueda María Herrera de Chilpancingo, Gro
30. Familiares de Derechos Humanos
31. Familias Unidas Buscando a Nuestros Desaparecidos, Junax  K´ontatik
32. Fuerzas Unidas para Nuestros Desaparecidos en Coahuila y México (FUUNDEC-M)
33. Familias Unidas por Nuestros Desaparecidos en Jalisco, FUNDEJ
34. Hasta Encontrarles, CDMX
35. Madres Buscadoras de Jalisco
36. Madres Buscadoras de San Quintín, B.C.
37. Movimiento por la Paz con Justicia y Dignidad
38. Rastreadoras de El Fuerte, Sinaloa
39. Resistencia de Ecos Que Siempre Resuenan
40. Red de Madres Buscando a sus Hijos
41. Sabuesos Guerreros AC
42. Somos Tu Voz, Córdoba, Veracruz
43. Tu Ausencia Nos Unió Zacatecas AC
44. Una Luz de Esperanza AC

Relatives of missing persons

1. Adriana Moreno Becerril
2. Adriana Romero
3. Adriana Romero Sandoval
4. Aida Guzmán
5. Alda Nelly Cruz Balderas
6. Alejandra Cabello
7. Alejandro Ponce Rangel
8. Alfredo Castillo Gomora
9. Ana Lucía Gasca Boyer mamá de RICARDO ARTURO LAGUNES GASCA
10. Ana Luisa Rivera
11. Ángel de Jesús Torres Lazarin
12. Angélica García Sierra
13. Angélica María Hernández Barrios
14. Angelina Jiménez Gámez
15. Araceli Arias Duran
16. Araceli Reyes Hernández
17. Araceli Rodríguez
18. Arantza Molina Márquez
19. Arlette Rangel Ortiz
20. Artemisa Ramírez Ortiz
21. Brenda Ivonne Rangel Ortiz
22. Carmen Hernández Reyes
23. Carolina Jiménez Guerrero
24. Cesar Rangel Ortiz
25. Cindy Román Ramírez
26. Cira Patricia Macías Diaz
27. Daniel Salgado Saucedo
28. Diana Iris García
29. Dionisio Noe Lazarin Sierra,
30. Dulce Monse
31. Elizabeth Uruchurtu
32. Eloisa Duran
33. Elva Rivas
34. Elvia Margarita Reyes Rodríguez
35. Emilio Ponce Rangel
36. Enrique Rangel Ortiz
37. Erick Gutiérrez Ramírez
38. Erick Pineda
39. Esperanza Pérez
40. Esperanza Sabina Quiñones Quiñones
41. Eva Luz Llanes Guerrero
42. Familiares de Ricardo Lagunes Gasca
43. Gema Antúnez Flores
44. Genaro Ríos Monay
45. Guadalupe Acosta Luna
46. Guadalupe Aragón Sosa
47. Inés Corona
48. Irma Irene Espinoza Meza
49. Isela Ramírez Jiménez
50. Ivonne Elizabeth Donaire Hernández
51. Jasson Omar Cruz Donaire
52. Jesús Roberto Franco Rangel
53. José Manuel Ramírez Sainz
54. Judith Montes Gaspar
55. Julián Gómez
56. Juliana Verdezco Chaidez
57. Karina Sugei Ochoa Zamora
58. Leonardo Ponce Rangel
59. Leticia Mora Nieto
60. Letra Pinzón Medina
61. Lizeth Verduzco Chaidez
62. Lluvia Beltrán
63. Luz Dary Calderón Zuluaga
64. Malenny Lazarin Arellano,
65. María Candelaria Medina Angulo
66. María del Carmen Bustamante Salas
67. María del Carmen Rangel Ortiz
68. María de Los Ángeles Rodríguez García
69. María del Pilar García Hernández
70. María del Socorro Martínez Martínez
71. María Guadalupe Aguilar Jauregui
72. María Guadalupe Pérez Ayala
73. María Isabel Cruz Bernal
74. María Julia Ramírez Sainz
75. María Luisa Chaidez
76. María Martínez
77. María Teresa Fuentes Hernández
78. Maribel del Carmen Pantoja
79. Marlen Ramírez Jiménez
80. Martha Beatriz Vega Ruiz
81. Marta Pablo Cruz
82. Martha Rosario Linarte Sánchez
83. Martin Villalobos Valencia
84. Mayra Ivonne Torres Lazarin
85. Mirna Medina
86. Mirtha Dolores Mendoza Cordero
87. Nancy Paulina Pérez Guerrero
88. Natalia Antúnez
89. Nora Alicia Gutiérrez Martínez
90. Nicolás Dávila Pérez
91. Olivia Márquez González
92. Padres y familia de Olin Hernando
93. Patricia Elizabeth Rosado García
94. Perla Patricia Rivera Lazarin
95. Rebeca Gómez
96. Refugio Cangas
97. Renata Simental
98. Ricardo García Huidobro
99. Ricardo Torres Lazarin
100. Romeo Mendoza
101. Rosa Aidee Retamoza Miranda
102. Rosa Lizbeth Salazar
103. Rosa Imelda Díaz Neris
104. Sara Díaz Herrera
105. Sara H. de Ramírez Duarte, integrante del Comité Eureka
106. Socorro Gil Guzmán
107. Teresita Santillanes
108. Tommy Aguilar
109. Verónica Solís Montiel
110. Víctor Manuel García Herrera
111. Viviana Lazarin Sierra
112. Yubel Gastelum Gastelum

Human Rights Organizations

1. Agua y Vida: Mujeres, Derechos y Ambiente
2. Amnesty International
3. AMUMRA – Asociación Civil de Derechos Humanos Mujeres Unidas Migrantes y Refugiadas en Argentina
4. Apuesta Solidaria A.C.
5. Armadillos Ni Un Migrante Menos
6. Artemali Ocoxal
7. Asistencia Legal por los Derechos Humanos A.C. (ASILEGAL)
8. Asociación por la Paz y los Derechos Humanos Taula per Mèxic
9. Bloque Latinoamericano sobre Migración
10. Centro de Derechos Humanos de las Mujeres A.C.
11. Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas
12. Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Francisco de Vitoria OP
13. Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Juan de Larios
14. Centro de Derechos Humanos Victoria Diez, A.C.
15. Centro de Investigación de Crímenes Atroces (CICA)
16. Centro de Justicia para la Paz y el Desarrollo (CEPAD)
17. Centro Regional de Defensa de Derechos Humanos José María Morelos y Pavón
18. Centro Regional de Derechos Humanos Bartolomé Carrasco Briseño AC
19. Colectivo de Federaciones y Organizaciones Mexicanas Migrantes COLEFOM
20. Comisión de Derechos Humanos y Laborales del Valle de Tehuacán
21. Comisión Mexicana para la Defensa y Promoción de Derechos Humanos (CMDPDH)
22. Consultora Solidaria S.C.
23. Corporación Sisma Mujer (Colombia)
24. Defensores por la justicia
25. Derechos Humanos Integrales en Acción (DHIA)
26. Despacho Jurídico Lic., Lorena González
27. Deutsche Menschenrechtskoordination Mexiko / Coordinación Alemana por los Derechos Humanos en México
28. Equipo de Reflexión, Investigación y Comunicación
29. Equipo Jurídico por los Derechos Humanos
30. Frontera con Justicia AC (Casa del Migrante, Saltillo)
31. Fundación Mónica Alejandrina por los Derechos Humanos
32. Fundación para el Debido Proceso (DPLF)
33. Fundación para la Justicia y el Estado Democrático de Derecho (FJEDD)
34. Global Exchange
35. Global Rights Advocacy
36. H.I.J.O.S. México
37. Initiative Mexiko
38. Instituto de Defensa Legal – IDL (Perú)
39. Instituto de Investigación y Práctica Social y Cultural A.C. IIPSOCULTA
40. Instituto Mexicano de Derechos Humanos y Democracia, A. C.
41. Instituto para las Mujeres en la Migración, A.C. (IMUMI)
42. Justicia Transicional en México, A.C. (JTMX)
43. Mira Feminismos y Democracias
44. Movimiento de Cristianas Comprometidas con las Luchas Populares
45. Mujeres en Defensa de La Mujer A.C
46. Mujeres indígenas por CIARENA AC
47. NEXO D.H.
48. Oficina en Washington para Asuntos Latinoamericanos (WOLA)
49. Pacta Servanda e. V. Múnich, Alemania
50. Pastoral Social, Iglesia Anglicana de México
51. Red de Investigadoras Por la Vida y la Libertad de las Mujeres
52. Red Europea de Comités Oscar Romero
53. Red Nacional de Organismos Civiles de Derechos Humanos “Todos los Derechos para Todas, Todos y Todes” (Red TDT)
54. Red por los Derechos de la Infancia en México (REDIM)
55. Robert and Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center
56. Sinergia por La Paz
57. Sin Fronteras IAP
58. Task Force on the Americas-National Lawyers Guild
59. Tejiendo Redes Infancia
60. Tribunal Internacional de Conciencia de los Pueblos en Movimiento;
61. Unidos por La Paz, La Defensa de las Personas y los Derechos Humanos A.C.
62. Voces Mesoamericanas, Acción con Pueblos Migrantes AC
63. Witness at the Border

People in solidarity, activists, and scholars

1. Anna Karolina Chimiak
2. A Palma
3. Alfredo Limas Hernández, profesor universitario, Cd Juárez
4. Alma Janet Rojas Reyes
5. Ana Gabriela Aspuru Eguiluz
6. Ana Luisa Romo Díaz
7. Angélica de la Peña Gómez
8. Arturo Carrasco Gómez
9. Camilo Pérez-Bustillo
10. Clara Jusidman
11. Cruz Silva Del Carpio
12. Daniel Rodríguez Velázquez UNAM
13. Daniela Oliver Ruvalcaba, docente CCH-UNAM
14. Edgar Cortez
15. Eloísa González Hidalgo
16. Ernesto López Portillo
17. Hansel Gael López Angulo
18. Inti Naxhielii Barrios Hernández
19. Ita Hernández Loza
20. Jacobo Dayán
21. Jacqueline L’Hoist
22. Janekeith Orliden Durán Barberena (Costa Rica)
23. Javier Sicilia
24. Jesica Araceli Maldonado Uitz
25. José Luis Manzo Ramírez
26. Julián Vázquez Guzmán
27. Laura Carlsen
28. Lesly Noemi González Ochoa
29. Leticia Pinzón Medina
30. Liliana Vázquez Roa
31. Lucía Leonor González Enríquez
32. Manuel Ángel Castillo
33. María de Jesús López José
34. María Guadalupe Valdez Meza
35. María Luisa Núñez Barojas. Defensora de Derechos Humanos
36. María Salvadora Coronado Navarro
37. Mariann Santos Van Hoozer
38. Martha Beatriz Vega Ruiz
39. Mat Gossner
40. Michael W Chamberlin
41. Miriam Castañeda Hernández
42. Nora Martínez Lázaro/Defensora de DH
43. Olivia Rosales Nápoles
44. Oscar Miguel Calderón Calderón
45. Pablo Ramírez Obando
46. Pedro Castañeda Jiménez
47. Rafael Castelán Martínez
48. Raymundo Molina Martínez
49. Revdo. Dr. Samuel Murillo Torres, Programas de Pacificación Concilio Mundial Metodista
50. Teodomira Rosales Sierra
51. Teresa Ávila
    

Original text published by Desinformémonos on September 2nd, 2026.
Translation by Schools for Chiapas.