INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE ORGANIZATION

(IRO), temporary specialized agency of the United Nations that, between its formal establishment in 1946 and its termination in January 1952, assisted refugees and displaced persons in many countries of Europe and Asia who either could not return to their countries of origin or were unwilling to return for political reasons. Beginning operations on July 1, 1947, the IRO took over the work of its principal predecessor organization, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. Among the services supplied by the IRO were the care and maintenance of refugees in camps, vocational training, orientation for resettlement, and an extensive tracing service to find lost relatives. It also assumed the responsibilities for the legal protection and resettlement of refugees previously carried out by the Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees. It was succeeded by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (q.v.).