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The Hague, 23 April 2026 – A delegation of representatives from Kosovo institutions engaged in efforts to account for persons missing from the Kosovo conflict visited the headquarters of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) this week to enhance cooperation and seek technical support in advancing missing persons cases.
The delegation included representatives from the Kosovo Government Commission on Missing Persons and the Institute of Forensic Medicine. Discussions and the discussions focused on strengthening the application of scientific, data-driven approaches in the search for and identification of missing persons.
During the visit, ICMP experts and Kosovo counterparts reviewed ongoing assistance to address cases of misidentification made more than a decade ago, which continue to affect efforts to account for the missing. Technical discussions covered workflows and procedures for submitting requests for presumptive testing, addressing cases below statistical thresholds, and managing cases with insufficient family reference samples. Participants also toured ICMP’s DNA laboratories and reviewed casework presented by the Institute of Forensic Medicine.
The delegation and ICMP further explored the use of open-source intelligence (OSINT) methodologies to collect and analyze publicly available information relevant to missing persons investigations. In addition, participants reviewed progress in deploying ICMP’s Identification Data Management System (iDMS), including the transfer of legacy data and opportunities to expand its functionality through enhanced datasets and additional features.
“Addressing the issue of missing persons is essential to upholding the rights of families to truth and justice,” said Kathryne Bomberger, Director-General of ICMP. “Progress depends on institutions working together and applying transparent, reliable methods to ensure that these rights are met in practice and that all families of the missing are continuously updated.”
“We are currently in an important phase of the process, which creates space to further strengthen and expand our cooperation. However, there are still challenges that must be addressed jointly,” said Kushtrim Gara, Acting Head of the Kosovo Government Commission on Missing Persons. “In recent years, there has been increased momentum in both field operations and efforts to address possible misidentifications, conduct new identifications, and maintain continuous communication with families. This requires sustained engagement from all actors, including national institutions and international partners. We are grateful to ICMP for its continued support.”
The visit concluded with agreement on several concrete follow-up actions and the identification of priority areas for continued cooperation aimed at improving the effectiveness and sustainability of efforts to account for missing persons.
The visit was supported by Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen institutional capacity and regional cooperation on missing persons issues in the Western Balkans, and to advance the rights of families of the missing.
ICMP continues to support institutions across the Western Balkans in addressing missing persons cases in line with the rule of law, with a focus on ensuring that the rights of families to truth, justice, and information are upheld through the use of reliable data, inter-institutional cooperation, and sustainable processes.
