Sub-series SOA 417/5 - Ad Hoc Commission on the Question of Prisoners of War

Zone d'identification

Cote

SOA 417/5

Titre

Ad Hoc Commission on the Question of Prisoners of War

Date(s)

  • 1948-1951 (Création/Production)

Niveau de description

Sub-series

Étendue matérielle et support

87 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

In December 1950, the Third Committee of the General Assembly addressed the issue of the failure on the part of the USSR to repatriate or otherwise account for prisoners of war detained in Soviet territory. As a result the General Assembly adopted Measures for the Peaceful Solution of the Problem of Prisoners of War, which included the establishment by the Secretary-General of an ad hoc Commission composed of three impartial persons charged with settling the question of the prisoners of war in a "purely humanitarian spirit and on terms acceptable to all governments concerned" (GA Resolution 427 (V)).

With the establishment of the ad hoc Commission, governments were called upon to furnish the Secretary-General with information concerning prisoners of war prior to 30 April 1951. Following this deadline, the Commission convened to review the correspondence from governments, to request additional information or to use its good offices to resolve outstanding questions of repatriation.

The Division of Human Rights was given responsibility for the implementation of the General Assembly resolution, with the exception of the appointment of the members of the Commission which remained with the Secretary-General's Office.

These records include memoranda and correspondence on the workings of the ad hoc Commission, as well as correspondence with governments, including the names of prisoners thought to be still held by governments and the names of those dead while in captivity.

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
  • italien
  • espagnol
  • 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/Reel 129/Sequences 22 - 52/Reel 130/Sequences 1 - 45/Reel 131/Sequences 1 -10

    Unités de description associées

    Descriptions associées

    Zone des notes

    Note

    Some records in Japanese, Indonesian.
    Protection period to: 1971-12-31

    Identifiant(s) alternatif(s)

    Scope ID

    9559

    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