Cambodia, a signatory to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance (ICPPED), is expected to reaffirm its commitment to fighting human rights violations at the convention’s inaugural meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, on February 19-20.

The Cambodian Human Rights Committee (CHRC) announced the country’s participation, highlighting its ongoing efforts to uphold human rights and safeguard individuals from forced disappearance.

A delegation led by CHRC vice-chairman Keo Sothie will join senior officials from the Ministry of Justice, the National Police and other CHRC representatives at the meeting.

In a recent press release, the committee highlighted Cambodia’s unique position as the sole Southeast Asian country to ratify the treaty and join the convention on June 27, 2013.

“Cambodia is strongly committed to the promotion and protection of human rights through the ratification and accession of eight of the nine major international human rights conventions,” the release stated. 

Cambodia is obligated to submit a report to the Committee on Enforced Disappearances (CED) and send a delegation to participate in the report meeting for constructive dialogue. 

The CHRC said it is confident that its delegation will utilise this international forum to highlight significant achievements, and that it anticipates positive outcomes due to the implementation of the international convention by relevant ministries and institutions.

Am Sam Ath, operations director at the rights group LICADHO, stated that Cambodia’s participation in the report meeting is a customary obligation for all member countries to meet the deadline. He also recognised the government’s efforts to implement the convention. 

“The ICPPED aims to safeguard the human rights of individuals from forced disappearance. This convention holds significance for countries worldwide in their efforts to protect people from this egregious rights violation,” he added.