A/HRC/13/31 I. Introduction 1. The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances was the first United Nations human rights thematic mechanism to be established with a universal mandate. The original mandate derives from Commission on Human Rights resolution 20 (XXXVI) of 29 February 1980. This resolution followed General Assembly resolution 33/173 of 20 December 1978, in which the Assembly expressed concern at reports from various parts of the world relating to enforced disappearances and requested the Commission on Human Rights to consider the question of missing or disappeared persons. 2. The primary task of the Working Group is to assist families in determining the fate or whereabouts of their family members who are reportedly disappeared. In this humanitarian capacity, the Working Group serves as a channel of communication between family members of victims of disappearance and Governments. 3. Following the adoption of General Assembly resolution 47/133 on 18 December 1992 and of the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the Working Group was entrusted to monitor the progress of States in fulfilling their obligations derived from the Declaration. The mandate was most recently extended by Human Rights Council resolution 7/12 of 27 March 2008. 4. Following a review of its methods of work in 2008, the Working Group decided that adjustments were needed. The revised methods of work, approved on 13 November 2009, are contained in annex I to the present report and will come into effect on 1 January 2010. 5. This report reflects communications and cases examined by the Working Group during its three sessions in 2009, covering the period 5 December 2008 to 13 November 2009. 6. A summary of activities during the reporting period is presented in a table for each country, with a detailed text description of the areas of activity. Where there has been no information from the Government or the sources, notwithstanding the annual reminder sent by the Working Group concerning outstanding cases, only the table is provided and a reference is made to the previous report dealing with those. 7. In countries where the number of newly-reported cases is less than 10, the names of the persons appear in the country section. If the number of newly-reported cases is greater than 10, the list of names appears in annex V. Concerning urgent actions, the names of all persons, regardless their number, appear in the country section. 8. The total number of cases transmitted by the Working Group to Governments since its inception is 53,232. The number of cases under active consideration that have not yet been clarified, closed or discontinued stands at 42,600 and concerns 82 States. The Working Group has been able to clarify 1,776 cases over the past five years. 9. It is recalled that recent cases of disappearance are the priority of the Working Group. Large volumes of cases submitted to the Working Group many years after the persons disappeared are reviewed by it and processed by the Secretariat as an ongoing process. The Working Group reports that as at the end of the present reporting period it has a backlog of 200 cases, due to the reduced support given to the mandate. 6 GE.09-17704