Identity area
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Title
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- 1940-1957 (Creation)
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562 files.
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Administrative history
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).
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The Commission on the Status of Women adopted at its fourth session in 1950 a resolution calling attention to the plight of women survivors of concentration camps who were subjected to medical experiments. At the subsequent session of the Economic and Social Council, the report from the Commission was examined, the view being expressed that the United Nations should lend its support to negotiations between the Allied High Commission and the Federal German Government for compensation legislation in Germany for these victims and on 14 July 1950 the Council adopted resolution 305 (XI).
Under the terms of ECOSOC resolution 305 (XI) the Secretary-General was requested to consider, with the competent authorities and institutions, the means for alleviating the plight of survivors of concentration camps who, under the Nazi regime, were the victims of the so-called "scientific experiments". The Division of Human Rights was charged initially with conducting the first step of inquiry and consultation with governments and organizations as to possible steps for compensation. Subsequently the Division set about collecting specific information concerning individual victims.
In March 1951 the Council adopted resolution 353 (XII) in which it appealed to the competent German authorities to make the fullest possible reparations to the victims. In September 1951 resolution 386 (XIII) was adopted, requesting, among other things, that the Secretary-General make available to the Federal Government the information in its possession concerning the number and whereabouts of the victims. These records contain the case files of 553 individuals, former prisoners of Nazi concentration camps, seeking compensation as victims of so called scientific experimentation. Information on these individuals was compiled and subsequently communicated to the German authorities by the Division of Human Rights.
The mandate of the United Nations Secretariat was limited to furnishing pertinent information to the German government regarding claims; the decision to accept or reject a claim and the amount of compensation rested entirely with the German authorities.
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- English
- French
- German
- zz
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Microfilm reference number: ARR 1157/Reel 125/Sequences 27 - 30/Reel 126/Sequences 1 - 155/Reel 127/Sequences 1 - 183/Reel 128/Sequences 1 - 195/Reel 129/Sequences 1 - 20
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Protection period to: 2017-12-31
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Protection period duration: 60
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Physical usability: Without limits
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Term of protection: Specific Rules (60)