On the Road to Ratification
Eighteen States have ratified the UN Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. Of these eighteen States, only 5 have recognized the competence of the Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED). Of the parties, only two are Asian, namely Japan and Kazakhstan. It signifies more work for the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) and the rest of the international movement against enforced disappearances not only to achieve the minimum number of 20 ratifications for the entry into force, but also to have more States recognize the competence of the CED and to put more Asian States on board. The ratification by Asian States is important because it is in their region where the highest number of cases of enforced disappearances has been submitted to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (UNWGEID) in the last few years.
