Each 27^th April, Kosovo marks the National Missing Persons Day. During the week heading to the commemorative day, the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) joined its counterparts in empathising with the families of missing persons, while advocating for their right to know the truth.

From 22^nd to 25^th April, EULEX contributed to the workshop “Harmonizing data and finalizing strategic documents related to missing persons” organized by the Government Commission on Missing Persons.

During the technical discussions, members of the EULEX Forensic Medicine Team shared their expertise with the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Kosovo Police, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) in aligning datasets, as well as updating and standardizing the collection and recording of data from 1999 onwards: a crucial step for knowledge transfer and data management, aimed at strengthening the efforts of Kosovo institutions in the search for and identification of missing persons.

On 25^th April, EULEX Deputy Head of Mission Emily Rakhorst attended an event organised by the NGOs Missing Persons Resource Centre (MPRC), Pro Peace Kosovo, and Youth Initiative for Human Rights - Kosovo to pay tribute to the almost 1,600 persons still reported missing. The initiative also honoured the memory of Bajram Çerkini and Milorad Trifunović, founders of MPRC, who dedicated their lives to the search for truth and justice.

On the 27^th April - Kosovo Missing Persons Day - Rakhorts took part in the official ceremony organized by Kosovo authorities.

In the evening, at 20:30, the Mission participated in a civil society initiative by switching off the lights at its Headquarters in solidarity with the families of the missing.

On 28^th April, as part of the Digital Campaign EULEX Spotlight, the Mission published a video featuring the Head of the EULEX Forensic Medicine Team Dr. Luisa Marinho explaining the Mission’s ongoing efforts to help locate and identify the missing persons related to the Kosovo conflict.