Confronting the Legacy of War – Mandate of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) and International Obligations of Serbia

Abstract

The missing persons issue might be one of the most sensitive and durable parts of the 1990s conflicts in the former Yugoslavia. The legacy of these conflicts continuously affects normalization, reconciliation, and integration efforts in the Western Balkans. With all its complexity and perplexity, it poses numerous challenges for the Republic of Serbia as well. For almost three decades, the Republic of Serbia has made considerable efforts to deal with the issue of missing persons through the creation of an adequate legal and institutional framework, both internal and external. This article deals with an international institutional structure created for international cooperation in this field, the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICPM). Its roots, the context of constitutionalization, structure, jurisdiction, and activities will be analyzed and explored. As to preliminary issues, the pertaining obligations of the Republic of Serbia under international law will be briefly displayed.