International Refugee Organization

International Refugee Organization (IRO), temporary agency of the United Nations, established in 1946. In arranging for the care and the repatriation or resettlement of Europeans made homeless by World War II, the organization brought to a conclusion part of the work of the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. IRO terminated its work in 1952, having resettled c.1,000,000 persons. It was superseded by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Bibliography

See L. W. Holborn, The International Refugee Organization (1956).

---

International Refugee Organization (IRO)

Temporary specialized agency of the United Nations system (1946–52). The IRO assisted refugees and displaced persons in Europe and Asia who could not or would not return home after World War II. Taking over the work of its principal predecessor, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, it also assumed responsibility for the legal protection and resettlement of refugees previously carried out by the Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees. It was succeeded by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.