What is the goal/mission of the ICMP?
The ICMP was established in 1996 at the G7 conference in Lyon, France. Its mission is to assist governments in addressing the problem of people missing from violent conflict. This goal was originally applied to the former Yugoslavia.
In what areas of Human Identification is the ICMP involved?
The ICMP addresses the issues of missing person at several levels. At the level of science we are working on DNA identification, forensic archeology, and anthropology. A second level involves the building of government structures for the nations involved so that they are able to carry on the process in the future. Finally the ICMP acts to support families affected by conflict or disaster and organizations involved in public outreach to foster healing that the search for and identification of victims can cause.
What are some of the projects that the ICMP is involved in?
Following the model built in former Yugoslavia, the ICMP has served in other major incidents. In 2004, the ICMP performed large-scale bone typing of victims of the tsunami as well as DNA matching to reference samples and relative samples. We also worked closely with the Louisiana State Police to identify bone samples after hurricane Katrina. In addition, the ICMP is working in association with the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia (ICTY) and with Interpol on the tsunami work.
Regarding the DNA aspect of identification, what is the process for handling samples?
The ICMP has the difficult task of working at the interface of high-throughput semiautomated processes and with highly degraded forensic samples that require individual attention and exacting techniques. Contamination is a concern; we must have procedures to remove external contamination from multiple handlings of samples and mixed samples. We also must make sure that no additional external contamination is acquired during the process. The small amounts of DNA that we are working with can reach the levels of detection of PCR technology, so it is easy to pick up any exogenous contamination that may be present.
How many people are employed by the ICMP?
The ICMP has roughly 200 people involved in areas such as government relations, civil society initiatives, and forensic science. Forensic science is our largest area, in which about 130 people are employed.
Where is the ICMP located?
The ICMP Headquarters is located in Sarejevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). We have laboratories located at the headquarters, also in Banja Luka, BiH, and in Belgrade, Serbia. Our Identification Coordination Division (coordinating samples, blood collection, and genetic matching) is in Tuzla, BiH, and we have satellite offices or anthropology facilities in Sanski Most, BiH, Lukavac, BiH, Zagreb, Croatia, and Pristina, Kosovo.
What are the biggest challenges for the ICMP?
The biggest challenge from the scientific perspective is the complexity of the operations; it requires highly effective methods from archeological recovery to cataloging to examination. When that is coupled with a parallel effort to obtain information from the family of the missing, such as blood samples and antemortem information — plus the documentation involved — it becomes a very complex operation.
One of the critical components is matching the DNA profiles from the bones to family members. This is not a direct genetic match, so we have to identify when a match is appropriate based on the familial relationship, such as parents, offspring, etc. On top of all this we must superimpose the scale in terms of numbers. And the fact that we are working in postconflict environments means that there are political and logistic challenges as well.
You have a staff of experts. What countries are they from?
The ICMP has an international staff from Europe, Canada, the U.S., and other countries. But it is very important to the mission of the ICMP to develop an internal structure in our theaters of operation, thus the majority of our staff are from the Balkans area and are nationals of the locations where they work. The goal of the ICMP is to form a durable structure, which, if the ICMP is no longer working in the area, remains intact. This is one of the things that distinguishes the ICMP from a commercial DNA typing laboratory.
What exactly is the scale of the operations you are undertaking?
We have almost 80,000 blood samples currently profiled of family members of the missing. These represent approximately 27,000 of the approximately 40,000 individuals reported missing from the former Yugoslavia conflicts. We have typed over 18,000 bone samples, which represent about 14,000 unique profiles (different missing persons). Reassociation among skeletal elements and matches have generated a total of almost 15,000 match reports, which represents a total of 10,500 individuals identified amongst our various project locations.
What other issues does the ICMP deal with?
On top of all the large numbers and technical processes, it is important for us to always consider the humanitarian side of our efforts. The science that we are performing has a profound effect on people in society – especially when we are talking postconflict or mass disasters. The overall benefit to society is extreme, and every number represents an individual for whom the DNA reported is likely the most important thing in the lives of each of their relatives. Our close association with the family members is very important to us. And for those of us at the ICMP, names and faces go together with DNA profiles.
