Search for the Missing
In times of armed conflict, people all too often get separated in the chaos of fighting, displacement and the struggle for survival. For families, this can mean weeks, months or even years of anguish and distress – but also of hope that their loved ones will return one day. Under the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols, States have obligations to prevent people from going missing and to provide families with information if they do. In this podcast, we’re looking particularly at how these obligations are reflected in the work of the ICRC Central Tracing Agency Bureau for the international armed conflict between the Russian Federation and Ukraine (CTA Bureau) and how they help alleviate the suffering of families waiting for news.
Search for the Missing
The ICRC Central Tracing Agency
Restoring family links has been at the heart of the ICRC's mandate since the organization's earliest days. ICRC researcher Cédric Cotter explains how the role of the ICRC Central Tracing Agency has evolved since the Basel Agency for the Franco-Prussian war in 1870. Dušan Vujašanin talks about the work and challenges of the most recent Central Tracing Agency Bureau he heads, which was set up in March 2022 for the Russia-Ukraine international armed conflict.