The preparatory commission of the International Refugee Organization, which will hold its first meeting in Geneva on Feb. 11, will be charged with drawing up plans–in cooperation with UNRRA, the Intergovernmental Committee for Refugees and other interested bodies–for the first year’s program of the organization, it was pointed out today by the United Nations secretariat.
The commission will also be entrusted with arranging for the convening of the first session of the General Council of the IRO and preparing an agenda for that meeting. However, this action hinges on ratification of the IRO constitution by 15 states whose allotted contributions amount to 75 percent of the first year’s operational budget of $150,000,000. Until such ratification is secured, the IRO will have no legal existence.
The preparatory commission at its Geneva meeting will also have to arrange for the orderly transfer to the IRO–when established–of the functions and assets, if any, of existing refugee organizations. It must also elect a chairman, vice-chairman and executive secretary. The commission will continue in existence until a director-general of the IRO is elected at the first meeting of the General Council.
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