Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation
Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation
10/25/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/25/2024 03:22
New technologies helping to search for missing persons in Serbia and Kosovo
A group of experts from the School of Criminal Sciences at the University of Lausanne has travelled to Serbia and Kosovo under a mandate conferred by the FDFA's Peace and Human Rights Division. It will assess the possible deployment of laser and radar technology to search for missing persons. The mission is taking place between 14 and 25 October.
On 2 May 2023, Serbian President Aleksander Vučić and Kosovan Prime Minister Albin Kurti adopted the 'Declaration on Missing Persons' in Brussels. The agreement provides that Kosovo and Serbia will closely cooperate on identifying burial sites, exhuming and recovering human remains, and using modern technologies to search for missing persons.
The missing persons commissions of the Serbian and Kosovan governments have requested assistance from Switzerland in the use of new technologies. In cooperation with the School of Criminal Sciences, the use of light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and ground penetrating radar (GPR) technologies to search for missing persons in Serbia and Kosovo are therefore being tested between 14 and 25 October. LiDAR is an optical remote-sensing technology that uses laser pulses to measure distances. The technology can be used, for example, to locate prehistoric sites. GPR is a geophysical method that uses high-frequency electromagnetic waves to detect and map objects beneath the ground. The School of Criminal Sciences will then analyse the results on site and report to the commissions of both countries.
Searching for and identifying missing persons is an important aspect of Switzerland's international cooperation work and a priority issue for the FDFA's Peace and Human Rights Division (PHRD).
As part of its international cooperation work since the mid-1990s, Switzerland has been committed to democratising institutions and establishing a social market economy in the Western Balkans. A key part of the PHRD's work is providing support for normalising Kosovan-Serbian relations, fostering relations between Kosovan communities, and promoting respect for human and minority rights. Finally, the PHRD promotes wide-ranging work on dealing with the past in Kosovo in order to expedite the reconciliation process and establish a evidence-based, inclusive culture of remembrance.
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FDFA Communication
Federal Palace West Wing
CH-3003 Bern, Switzerland
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E-mail: [email protected]
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