Building alliances for the search of disappeared persons and human identification

In collaboration with the European Union (EU) and the Mexican Institute for Human Rights and Democracy (IMDHD), LAB-CO is driving the implementation of a project aimed at improving local processes and mechanisms for human search and identification in the country, promoting the human rights of missing persons and their families.

According to the Registro Nacional de Personas Desaparecidas y No Localizadas (National Registry of Missing and Unlocated Persons), as of June 2026, Mexico had more than 134,000 disappeared and unlocated persons. Additionally, the 2024 publication A dónde van los desaparecidos by Efraín Tzuc and Mayela Sánchez reports that forensic medical services (SEMEFOS) across the country hold more than 72,100 unidentified bodies of individuals who entered these facilities between 2006 and 2023. Although family collectives and civil society organizations have made significant progress, the scale of the problem presents a considerable challenge for responsible institutions, such as Search Commissions, Specialized Prosecutor’s Offices, and Forensic Services. Addressing this challenge requires greater efforts to achieve the expected results. LAB-CO seeks to strengthen institutions responsible for searching for disappeared persons and human identification, and facilitates collaboration among institutions, search collectives, and families of disappeared persons.

The project sets out the following goals:

1. Support search and identification institutions in improving their strategic planning processes and engagement with key stakeholders.
2. Strengthen coordination frameworks among authorities responsible for immediate search efforts.
3. Enhance data collection and utilization to optimize search and identification processes within Search Commissions and Prosecutor’s Offices.
4. Assist Search Commissions in improving their information analysis processes to drive the development of more effective search plans.
5. Support forensic and medical examiner services in documenting and refining their processes and methodologies for human identification.
6. Help authorities responsible for searching and identifying missing persons develop communication and engagement frameworks with families, collectives, and supporting organizations.