Amongst the legacies of the war that still have to be dealt with, perhaps no issue is more pressing than the topic of the missing and disappeared. Thousands of people vanished during the war, some never to be heard from again.

In "And They Never Came Back… Enforced Disappearances in Lebanon," expert Kathryne Bomberger, executive director of the International Commission on Missing Persons, was invited by UMAM D&R and the International Center for Transitional Justice to speak about topics such as the theoretical approach towards dealing with the missing and how to build a national cause capable of mobilizing support for the recovery or return of the missing.

In addition to discussions led by Bomberger, workshop participants discussed the role of perpetrators in sharing information about forced disappearances and how this can create advocacy for the missing. Given that many of the attendees were involved in Lebanese affairs, panels and conversations also focused on the role civil society can play in investigating the missing and best practices for building a common platform. As last encounters with the disappeared become further removed from the present, the need to investigate their status grows in importance.