Proposal by Human Rights Organizations and Collectives of Families of Disappeared Persons to Address Article 34 of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance

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

Endorsements of the Letter to the Member States of the United Nations General Assembly                                                                                                     

Mexico, August 30, 2026

Subject: Proposed procedure to address the request of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances submitted 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), concerning the situation of disappearances in Mexico.

I. Introduction

On May 12, 2026, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres sent a note (A/80/737) to all Member States of the General Assembly (UNGA), together with the decision CED/C/MEX/A.34/D/1 of the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) concerning the activation of Article 34 of the Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. In that decision, “the Committee finds that there are well-founded indications that enforced disappearance has been and continues to be committed in Mexico as a crime against humanity, through various widespread or systematic “attacks” in different places and at different times, directed against the civilian population…”.

II. Purpose of this Note

Through this note, civil society organizations, collectives of families of disappeared persons, as well as experts and academics, seek to provide your Permanent Mission with information on the seriousness of the disappearance crisis in Mexico. This information is intended to inform bilateral dialogue with the Mexican government and discussions in the Third Committee of the UNGA, within the framework of the procedure initiated by the CED pursuant to the activation of Article 34 of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

III. Background

1. There are more than 135,000 disappeared persons in Mexico and more than 72,000 human remains pending forensic identification. The State has an outstanding debt regarding truth, justice, and reparation to the families of victims and to Mexican society as a whole.

2. To date, policies to prevent disappearances have been insufficient and ineffective, and disappearances are therefore increasing in 28 of Mexico’s 32 federal entities.

3. Disappearances are perpetrated by: (i) private individuals or criminal groups; (ii) State authorities; and (iii)  criminal groups with the support, tolerance, or acquiescence of the State.

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

5. Both United Nations human rights mechanisms and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) of the OAS agree in their assessment of the magnitude and seriousness of the situation, as well as the insufficiency of the measures adopted 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, considering that there were sufficient indications that disappearances in Mexico are being 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. It therefore referred the case to the United Nations Secretary-General requesting that it be considered at the next session of the General Assembly, with a view to the Assembly deciding to:

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

            b. “Establish an effective mechanism to clarify the truth and provide assistance and protection to families searching for their loved ones, as well as to the organizations and defenders supporting them.”

8. Unfortunately, the Government of Mexico has interpreted the CED resolution as an attack. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior have repeatedly stated that the government disagrees with the procedure initiated by the CED, arguing that there is no basis to presume widespread and systematic practice of enforced disappearance throughout the national territory.

9. On May 12, 2026, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres transmitted the Mexican case to all UNGA Member States through note A/80/737. The case is currently listed under agenda item 71, “Promotion and Protection of Human Rights,” which is normally considered by the Third Committee, and is expected to be discussed in October–November 2026.

10. The CED’s finding that there are well-founded indications that enforced disappearances have been and continue to be perpetrated in Mexico as crimes against humanity activates the United Nations’ Responsibility to Protect (R2P), in accordance with the Outcome Document of the 2005 World Summit (A/RES/60/1). In this case, the Responsibility to Protect should begin with States Parties to the Convention, by ensuring that Article 34, which has never been invoked, has an effective procedure to protect all persons from enforced disappearance, both in this and in future cases.

IV. Proposals

1. The families of disappeared persons and the organizations accompanying them consider this procedure a unique opportunity for Mexico to receive the technical and financial support it urgently needs from the international community in addressing a problem whose magnitude exceeds the State’s capacities. This process should under no circumstances be viewed as a trial or an attack against any government, but rather as a means of promoting, beyond legal disputes, a substantive dialogue on the most effective and cooperative ways to address the proliferation of disappearances, both in Mexico and elsewhere in the world.

2. We consider that, in view of the grave crisis of disappearances in Mexico and the ineffectiveness of the mechanisms created so far to resolve and bring an end to it, it is essential to establish extraordinary mechanisms that can enable effective and concrete progress in prevention, search, forensic identification of the numerous victims of this crime, as well as their access to truth and justice.

3. This is the first occasion on which the CED has activated Article 34, and there is no clear procedure for following up on such an activation within the General Assembly. It would therefore be appropriate first to consider the desirability of establishing such a procedure. To this end, we suggest that the following options be considered in the Third Committee:

            That one or more States adopt and promote the matter before the Third Committee, initially through motions to agree on a procedure for the implementation of Article 34 of the Convention.

            Such a procedure could be defined by an independent commission or expert appointed for this purpose, which would prepare a proposal in follow-up to the request of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances, in consultation with States Parties to the Convention, including Mexico; experts in the field, including the CED; and victims’ collectives and civil society organizations in Mexico.

           That the Third Committee adopt the proposal of the independent commission and allocate sufficient resources for its urgent implementation.

4. It is essential that States friendly to Mexico promote bilateral dialogue with the Mexican government, as well as dialogue within the Third Committee itself. The matter should be approached from a positive perspective and as an opportunity for Mexico. The objective should be for Mexico to adopt a collaborative position, engage in dialogue, and join in the construction of an agreement.

5. We consider this to be a medium-term process in which human rights organizations are prepared to provide technical input for the development of a draft resolution that will help curb disappearances in Mexico, bring truth and justice closer 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.

6. Organizations and family collectives are preparing advocacy actions in connection with the upcoming session of the General Assembly, including:

•        Meetings with diplomatic missions in New York;
•        Meetings with United Nations independent experts;
•        Organization of dialogue spaces with families of disappeared persons at side events.

Endorsements to this Proposal

Collectives of Families of Disappeared 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 

Families of disappeared 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. Amnistía Internacional
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 academics

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