“In Colombia, the Search Unit for Missing Persons is the result of a long struggle.”

Luz Marina Monzón CifuentesThe Director of the Search Unit for Missing Persons in Colombia received CLACSO.tv at its headquarters in Bogotá, where she detailed the history and functions of this institution in a country where, as she stated, “Not only were people disappearing, there was no record of missing persons either,” In conclusion: “In Colombia, the Search Unit for Missing Persons is the result of a long struggle.”

Interviewed by Gustavo Lema

The Search Unit for Missing Persons (UBPD) is an extrajudicial, humanitarian entity of the Colombian State, operating autonomously and independently within the Comprehensive System for Truth, Justice, Reparation and Non-Repetition (SIVJRNR), also known as the Comprehensive System for Peace, which also includes the Special Jurisdiction for Peace and the Truth Commission. It directs, coordinates, and contributes to the search for persons reported missing due to and in the context of the armed conflict. Its jurisdiction covers disappearances that occurred before December 1, 2016, under the following circumstances: enforced disappearance; kidnapping; illegal recruitment; and disappearances during hostilities of combatants, both regular (members of the Public Force) and irregular (members of illegal armed groups).

The UBPD was agreed upon through the “Final Agreement for the Termination of the Conflict and the Construction of a Stable and Lasting Peace”, signed by the Colombian State and the FARC-EP on November 24, 2016, in response to the demands of the families of the disappeared persons and the civil organizations that participated in the peace talks in Havana (Cuba).

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