A/HRC/14/42 I. Introduction 1. In its resolution 7/28 of 28 March 2008 entitled “Missing persons”, the Human Rights Council decided to hold a panel discussion on the question of missing persons at its ninth session and requested the High Commissioner for Human Rights to prepare a summary of the panel’s deliberations with a view to subsequently charging the Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Council, at the same session, with the preparation of a study on best practices in the matter. 2. Pursuant to the above-mentioned resolution, the Human Rights Council held a panel discussion on the question of missing persons at its ninth session, with the participation of experts of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), delegates of Governments and non-governmental organizations and national human rights institutions and international organizations. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights prepared a summary of the panel’s deliberations.1 3. Subsequently, the Human Rights Council adopted decision 9/101, in which it renewed its request to the Advisory Committee to prepare the study and to submit it to the Council at its twelfth session. 4. The Advisory Committee, at its second session held on 26–30 January 2009, set up a drafting group with the task of preparing a study on best practices in the matter of missing persons in situations of armed conflict, and designated the following of its members as members of the drafting group: Ansar Burney, Chinsung Chung, Wolfgang Stefan Heinz (Chairperson of the drafting group), Latif Hüseynov (Rapporteur of the drafting group), Miguel Alfonso Martínez and Bernards Andrews Nyamwaya Mudho. The drafting group was also requested to submit the results of its work on the study to the Advisory Committee at its third session, with a view to submitting them to the Council at its twelfth session. 5. The Advisory Committee, at its third session held on 3–7 August 2009, continued its deliberations on the issue of missing persons. As a result of those deliberations, the Advisory Committee adopted recommendation 3/2 entitled “Missing persons” in which it noted that considerable difficulties had been encountered by the drafting group in finding the necessary information and research resources, and requested the latter to submit the results of its work on the study to the Advisory Committee at its fourth session, with a view to submitting them to the Council at its fourteenth session. 6. In its decision 12/117 of 1 October 2009, the Human Rights Council took note of recommendation 3/2 and requested the Advisory Committee to submit the study to the Council at its fourteenth session. 7. In order to continue its work on the above-mentioned study, the drafting group of the Advisory Committee elaborated a questionnaire addressed to Governments, which was transmitted by note verbale dated 2 November 2009 by the Secretariat. At the time of submission of the present report, the Secretariat has received 21 Governments’ replies to the questionnaire. 8. At its fourth session held from 25 to 29 January 2010, the Advisory Committee continued its deliberations on the issue of missing persons and adopted this progress report on best practices in the matter of missing persons prepared by its drafting group on missing persons. 1 GE.10-12433 A/HRC/10/10. 3