In 2018, the Lebanese Parliament passed Law 105 on Missing and Forcibly Disappeared Persons. It was a historic milestone for the families of the thousands of disappeared who have struggled for decades to secure their rights: the right to know, the right to justice, the right to reparations and the guarantee of non-recurrence. This law stipulated the formation of a National Commission mandated to determine the fate of the missing, to inform their families, and to hand over any remains uncovered. This Commission was established in 2020, and over the course of 2022, ARA led a process of strategic planning with the Commission, with the support of the Swiss Embassy in Lebanon and the International Red Cross.
As a result of this process, the Commission today has a well-developed identity, an action plan for the final three years of the current members’ mandate, and has initiated the process of developing partnerships to enhance its work. As part of its action plan, the Commission adopted the following four objectives to complete in the current mandate:
- Make the National Commission the main authority on the issue of the missing and forcibly disappeared in Lebanon.
- Build an effective coalition to achieve the objectives of Law 105/2018.
- Build an effective and influential public opinion towards resolving the issue of the missing and forcibly disappeared through advocacy and communication. Support and accompany the families and empower them to become influential actors and institutional partners of the NC.
- Complete the institutional structure of the Commission and its organs.