A/HRC/30/38 United Nations General Assembly Distr.: General 10 August 2015 Original: English Human Rights Council Thirtieth session Agenda item 3 Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development Report of the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances* Summary The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances was the first United Nations human rights thematic mechanism to be established with a universal mandate by resolution 20 (XXXVI) of 29 February 1980 of the Commission on Human Rights. The mandate was most recently extended by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 27/1 of 25 September 2014. The mandate of the Working Group is to assist families of disappeared persons to ascertain the fate and whereabouts of their disappeared relatives; and to monitor States’ compliance with their obligations deriving from the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and to provide States with assistance in the implementation of those norms. Since its inception, the Working Group has transmitted a total of 54,557 cases to 105 States. The number of cases under active consideration stands at 43,563 in a total of 88 States. During the reporting period, 65 cases were clarified. The present report reflects the activities of and communications and cases examined by the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances covering the period 17 May 2014 to 15 May 2015. * The annexes to the present report are circulated as received, in the language of submission only. GE.15-13472(E) *1513472*