Geneva Parley Approves Right of Indicidual Refugees to Appeal Against I.r.o. Decisions

The right of a refugee to appeal against any decision of the International Refugee Organization declaring him ineligible for assistance or protection was approved today by the Preparatory Commission of the I.R.O. now in session here.

It also approved Secretariat proposals for creating procedures for determining eligibility and establishing semi-judicial machinery to review the decision of field eligibility officers. This directive is based on standards within the I.R.O. constitution which declared as eligible persons displaced from their homeland, slave laborers or victims of Nazi racial, religious and political persecutions.

This directive will permit refugees to appeal from adverse decisions before a special review board for eligibility appeals. The hoard consists of Chairman Marcel de Baer, former Justice of Appeals at Brussels and at present law professor at Brussels University Henri Tremaud, former prefect of Haute Savoie, and one other member not yet selected.

The review board will make policy decisions on appeals in individual cases only. The executive secretary will make policy decision on eligibility matters, consulting, when necessary, the members of the board. Members will visit the field on circuits, traveling separately in each area, hearing appeals and, after consultation with the legal and eligibility officers in the field, will take appropriate decisions. When issues are doubtful or far-reaching, or an important policy question is involved, the member may postpone decision for submission to the full board at Geneva.

Voluntary agencies which are assisting in caring for refugees In Germany, Austria and Italy were invited to submit written recommendations on I.R.O. policy and operations for consideration by an informal Ad Hoc committee at yesterday’s meeting. The Ad Hoc committee la composed of Brazil, France, Netherlands, United Kingdom and the United States.