Kuwait urges UN Security Council to resolve missing persons' issue

NEW YORK, May 23 (KUNA) -- Kuwait Permanent Delegate to the United Nations Ambassador Tareq Al-Bannai reaffirmed the necessity for the Security Council to pursue a more holistic approach to complement existing measures for the protection of civilians in armed conflicts.
This came during Al-Bannai's speech on behalf of the International Alliance member states group at the Security Council meeting on protection of civilians in armed conflicts.
He stressed the importance of exchanging experiences, and providing all necessities to locate missing persons with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
He added that this joint action could help reduce the number of missing people cases in the long term; which has a negative impact on their families.
He also referenced the UN Secretary General's annual report to the Security Council on the protection of civilians in armed conflicts, noting that the International Committee of the Red Cross reported 40,000 missing people in 2023.
Al-Bannai stressed the importance of discussing the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 2474 on missing persons as a result of armed conflict in the upcoming Arria-formula Meeting in June.
The Global Alliance for the Missing, launched in 2021, is a group of states that aim to raise awareness of the issue. (end) ast.ahm