Sub-series SO 262 - Victims of War

Zone d'identification

Cote

SO 262

Titre

Victims of War

Date(s)

  • 1956-1974 (Création/Production)

Niveau de description

Sub-series

Étendue matérielle et support

226 files.

Zone du contexte

Nom du producteur

UN NY Registry

Histoire administrative

As part of the Department of Social Affairs, the Division of Human Rights was headed by John Humphrey from 1946 to 1966. The Division was responsible in the Secretariat for the work of the Commission on Human Rights, which had been given a clear mandate by the Economic and Social Council to draft the international bill of rights. It was responsible as well for the Commission on the Status of Women, the Sub-Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination, the Sub-Commission on Freedom of Information and the Ad Hoc Commission on Questions of Prisoners of War.

In 1962, the Division was composed of 5 units manned by 49 staff members. Due to lack of office space, United Nations New York approached United Nations Office Geneva to explore the possibility of housing the Division in Geneva, to which UNOG expressed its willingness. In April, the Acting Secretary-General decided that it would not be advisable to move the Division to Geneva at that time. Eventually, the Division was relocated to Geneva in 1973 (ref G.IIA 5/36). From 06.1974 the Division of Human Rights was officially transferred from United Nations Headquarters to United Nations Office Geneva.

In 1982 the Division of Human Rights (DHR) became the Centre for Human Rights (CHR) and shortly thereafter (01.1983) the Head of the CHR was reclassified to the level of Under-Secretary-General. In 1987, the Secretary-General designated the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva as the head of the Centre for Human Rights. In 1992 the Assistant Secretary-General was appointed as head of the Centre, reporting directly to the Secretary-General.

In 1994 the first High Commissioner for Human Rights was appointed and in 1997 the Centre for Human Rights and the Office of the High Commissioner were consolidated into a single Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

Dépôt

UNOG Registry, Records and Archives Unit

Histoire archivistique

Source immédiate d'acquisition ou de transfert

Zone du contenu et de la structure

Portée et contenu

The first group of records (SO 262/1) consists of correspondence from individuals requesting assistance in compensation claims for suffering and losses during World War II. The UN was able to deal with only a limited aspect of the question of compensation for persecution, namely with the question of alleviating the plight of those survivors of concentration camps who were the victims of so-called scientific experiments. Even there, the Division's function was limited to transmitting the information received to the government of the Federal Republic of Germany. Where communications consisted of allegations of violations of human rights, they were handled under the procedure established by ECOSOC resolutions 75 (V) and 728 F (XXVIII); in this case, a brief summary of the communication was furnished to the Commission on Human Rights.

When communications dealt strictly with loss of property, the Division often advised the sender to contact the Austrian or German authorities directly.

The subsequent group (SO 262/2) consists of correspondence and documentation with regard to the plight of the survivors of so-called scientific experimentation in the Nazi concentration camps. In particular, the Secretariat played a crucial role in advocating compensation for Polish victims, including the Ravensbruck "Lapins".

The records of group 262/3 deal with issues related to prisoners of war and the work of the Ad Hoc Commission on Prisoners of War, established under General Assembly resolution 427 (V) to deal with the problem of prisoners of war unaccounted for in the aftermath of WWII.

The sub-series includes three files related to the adoption of the Geneva Conventions of 1949.

Évaluation, élimination et calendrier de conservation

Accroissements

Mode de classement

Numeric file code.

Zone des conditions d'accès et d'utilisation

Conditions d'accès

Archive Employee

Restricted

Conditions de reproduction

Langue des documents

  • anglais
  • français
  • allemand
  • zz

Écriture des documents

    Notes de langue et graphie

    Caractéristiques matérielle et contraintes techniques

    Instruments de recherche

    Zone des sources complémentaires

    Existence et lieu de conservation des originaux

    Existence et lieu de conservation des copies

    Microfilm reference number: ARR 1157/Reels 98 - 101

    Unités de description associées

    Descriptions associées

    Zone des notes

    Note

    Protection period to: 1994-12-31

    Identifiant(s) alternatif(s)

    Scope ID

    9625

    Mots-clés

    Mots-clés - Sujets

    Mots-clés - Lieux

    Mots-clés - Noms

    Mots-clés - Genre

    Zone du contrôle de la description

    Identifiant de la description

    Identifiant du service d'archives

    Règles et/ou conventions utilisées

    Statut

    Ébauche

    Niveau de détail

    Dates de production, de révision, de suppression

    Langue(s)

      Écriture(s)

        Sources

        Note de l'archiviste

        Protection period duration: 20

        Note de l'archiviste

        Protection period note:

        Note de l'archiviste

        Permission:

        Note de l'archiviste

        Physical usability: Without limits

        Note de l'archiviste

        Term of protection: UN Classified (20)

        Zone des entrées