Capacity Building for Associations of Families of Missing Persons

About this grant

An estimated 40,000 persons are missing as a result of conflicts in the regions of the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1999. Due to the number of people from various ethnic and religious groups affected by these conflicts, the resolution of these cases not only contributes to the sense of closure on the part of family members, but to the broader processes of peace building and reconciliation in the region. Currently, there are more than 70 associations of families of missing persons registered in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia and Montenegro. Multiyear funding will build the capacity of association of families of missing persons to work together and engage in decisionmaking and policy development on issues related to dealing with the past. Project components include intragroup workshops, intergroup workshops and small grants. Activities will include convening members of religious and ethnic groups to address issues of conflict transformation and resolution; bringing together different ethnic and religious groups to foster dialogue around issues of common concern related to dealing with the past; and awarding nine grants of up to $6,000 each for planning and implementing joint civic initiatives and/or policy advocacy.The International Commission on Missing Persons, founded in 1996, works to assist families, regardless of their ethnic or religious identity, in determining the fate of loved ones lost during the armed conflicts in the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1999.