Kathryne Bomberger
Encyclopedia
Kathryne Bomberger is the Director-General
of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP)
, an organization
established to resolve the issue of persons missing
due to war crimes and gross violations of human rights
.
citizen, holds a Bachelor’s Degree
in History and a Master’s Degree
in Middle East
Studies from the George Washington University
in Washington, D.C.
, in addition to helping to identify thousands of war
victims in the former Yugoslavia. Bomberger led the ICMP through a long political process with authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina
and other players in the region to pass the world’s first dedicated Law on Missing Personshttp://www.ic-mp.org/downloads/press/vodic_web_en.pdf and establish the Missing Persons Institute of Bosnia and Herzegovina (MPI), a state-level institution that searches for all missing citizens. Together with the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina
http://www.vijeceministara.gov.ba/#, ICMP is a co-founder of the MPI. Bomberger was also engaged in the similar project at Kosovo to establish a commission to search for the missing of all nationalities.
Before she joined ICMP in 1998, Bomberger worked for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Bosnia and Herzegovina where she was based in Foča
, eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, and then in Sarajevo
, the capital. Bomberger’s first human rights
work was for the United Nations
International Civilian Mission in Haiti (MICIVIH)http://www.un.org/rights/micivih/first.htm.
Bomberger also worked for the United States Senate in Washington, D.C. on publications relevant to the history of the Senate. She collaborated on the following publications: "Historical Almanac of the United States Senate", authored by Bob Dole
and "The Senate 1789-1989, Addresses on the History of the United States Senate", authored by Robert C. Byrd.
On June 14, 2007, Bomberger was made Chevalier
of the Legion d'Honneur
by the President of France as “the proof of attention and recognition of the French Government for the work of Kathryne Bomberger in her mission and exceptional achievements of ICMP
"http://www.ic-mp.org/home.php?act=news&n_id=220&.
Following ICMP's and Interpol's
joint efforts on Typhoon Frank victim identification
, on February 5th, 2009, a Presidential citation
was given to Bomberger for "her exceptional commitment to and outstanding achievements in locating and identifying persons missing as a result of natural or human-induced disasters"http://pia.gov.ph/?m=12&sec=reader&rp=2&fi=p090206.htm&no=18&date=02/06/2009http://www.ic-mp.org/press-releases/philippines-government-praises-interpols-and-icmps-exemplary-support-in-ferry-disaster-victim-identification.
Director-general
The term director-general is a title given the highest executive officer within a governmental, statutory, NGO, third sector or not-for-profit institution.-European Union:...
of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP)
International Commission on Missing Persons
The International Commission on Missing Persons addresses the issue of persons missing as a result of armed conflicts, violations of human rights and natural disasters...
, an organization
Organization
An organization is a social group which distributes tasks for a collective goal. The word itself is derived from the Greek word organon, itself derived from the better-known word ergon - as we know `organ` - and it means a compartment for a particular job.There are a variety of legal types of...
established to resolve the issue of persons missing
Forced disappearance
In international human rights law, a forced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the...
due to war crimes and gross violations of human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
.
Education
Bomberger, a United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizen, holds a Bachelor’s Degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in History and a Master’s Degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
Studies from the George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
in Washington, D.C.
Career
Under Bomberger’s direction, the ICMP has risen to become recognized worldwide as it helped identify many victims of natural disasters, such as those of the Asian tsunami and the Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, in addition to helping to identify thousands of war
Yugoslav wars
The Yugoslav Wars were a series of wars, fought throughout the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1995. The wars were complex: characterized by bitter ethnic conflicts among the peoples of the former Yugoslavia, mostly between Serbs on the one side and Croats and Bosniaks on the other; but also...
victims in the former Yugoslavia. Bomberger led the ICMP through a long political process with authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
and other players in the region to pass the world’s first dedicated Law on Missing Personshttp://www.ic-mp.org/downloads/press/vodic_web_en.pdf and establish the Missing Persons Institute of Bosnia and Herzegovina (MPI), a state-level institution that searches for all missing citizens. Together with the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the executive branch of the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina.According to the Article V, Section 4 of the Constitution, the Chair of the Council of Ministers is nominated by the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and confirmed by the...
http://www.vijeceministara.gov.ba/#, ICMP is a co-founder of the MPI. Bomberger was also engaged in the similar project at Kosovo to establish a commission to search for the missing of all nationalities.
Before she joined ICMP in 1998, Bomberger worked for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in Bosnia and Herzegovina where she was based in Foča
Foca
Foča is a town and municipality in southeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Drina river, in the Foča Region of the Republika Srpska entity.-Early history:...
, eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, and then in Sarajevo
Sarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
, the capital. Bomberger’s first human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
work was for the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
International Civilian Mission in Haiti (MICIVIH)http://www.un.org/rights/micivih/first.htm.
Bomberger also worked for the United States Senate in Washington, D.C. on publications relevant to the history of the Senate. She collaborated on the following publications: "Historical Almanac of the United States Senate", authored by Bob Dole
Bob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
and "The Senate 1789-1989, Addresses on the History of the United States Senate", authored by Robert C. Byrd.
On June 14, 2007, Bomberger was made Chevalier
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
of the Legion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
by the President of France as “the proof of attention and recognition of the French Government for the work of Kathryne Bomberger in her mission and exceptional achievements of ICMP
International Commission on Missing Persons
The International Commission on Missing Persons addresses the issue of persons missing as a result of armed conflicts, violations of human rights and natural disasters...
"http://www.ic-mp.org/home.php?act=news&n_id=220&.
Following ICMP's and Interpol's
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
joint efforts on Typhoon Frank victim identification
Forensic identification
Forensic identification is the application of forensic science, or "forensics", and technology to identify specific objects from the trace evidence they leave, often at a crime scene or the scene of an accident. Forensic means "for the courts"....
, on February 5th, 2009, a Presidential citation
Award
An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field; a certificate of excellence. Awards are often signifiedby trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons...
was given to Bomberger for "her exceptional commitment to and outstanding achievements in locating and identifying persons missing as a result of natural or human-induced disasters"http://pia.gov.ph/?m=12&sec=reader&rp=2&fi=p090206.htm&no=18&date=02/06/2009http://www.ic-mp.org/press-releases/philippines-government-praises-interpols-and-icmps-exemplary-support-in-ferry-disaster-victim-identification.