International Refugee Organization facts for kids

Quick facts for kids International Refugee Organization
Org type	UN specialized agency
Status	Inactive

The International Refugee Organization (IRO) was a special group created on April 20, 1946. Its main job was to help millions of people who became refugees after World War II. Many people had lost their homes and countries because of the war.

A smaller team started working on this problem about 14 months before the IRO officially began. In 1948, the IRO officially became a United Nations agency. It took over many tasks from an earlier group called the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. The IRO stopped its work in 1952. It was then replaced by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which still helps refugees today.

How the IRO Was Set Up

The rules for the IRO were written in a document called the Constitution of the International Refugee Organization. The United Nations General Assembly approved these rules on December 15, 1946. This document explained what the IRO would do and who it would help.

One part of the rules was a bit controversial. It said that people of German background who were forced to leave their homes after the war would not be helped by the IRO. This group was actually larger than all the other displaced people in Europe combined. Also, because of disagreements between the Western countries and the Soviet Union, the IRO only worked in areas controlled by Western armies.

Countries That Joined the IRO

Twenty-six countries became members of the IRO when it officially started in 1948. These countries included:

• Argentina
• Australia
• Belgium
• Bolivia
• Brazil
• Canada
• Republic of China
• Chile
• Denmark
• Dominican Republic
• France
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Iceland
• Italy
• Liberia
• Luxembourg
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Panama
• Peru
• Philippines
• Switzerland
• United Kingdom
• United States
• Venezuela

The United States paid about 40% of the IRO's yearly budget, which was around $155 million. Over its five years of work, member countries contributed about $400 million in total. During this time, the IRO helped about 10 million people get back on their feet. Many of these people were stranded in Europe.

The first leader of the IRO was William Hallam Tuck. J. Donald Kingsley took over as Director-General on July 31, 1949.

The End of the IRO

The IRO stopped its main operations on January 31, 1952. After a period of closing things down, it officially ended on September 30, 1953. By this time, other organizations had taken over many of its responsibilities.

Two important groups that continued its work were:

• The Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR): This group was created in January 1951 as part of the United Nations.
• The Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM, originally PICMME): This group was set up in December 1951 to help people move to new countries.

Filmography

• The Search by Fred Zinnemann (1948): The IRO helped make this movie. It tells the story of child refugees in Germany in 1945.

See also

• First session of the United Nations General Assembly