International Refugee Organization

Second Annual ReportIn accordance with the agreement with the Economic and Social Council, the International Refugee Organization transmitted to the Council on May 2, 1950 a report of its activities covering the period January 1, 1949 to December 31, 1949 and containing the program of the organization for the remaining period of its operation, January 1, 1950 to March 31, 1951. It was reported that, including both those repatriated to the country of their origin and those resettled in other countries, 351,742 refugees and displaced persons had been reestablished during 1949; an increase over the previous year. Starting January 1, 1950, IRO was to assist 590,062 refugees, of whom 16,150 were known to require continuing institutional care (the “hard core” cases), 181,000 considered resettleable, and some 60,000 others desiring resettlement but having little chance of meeting the qualifications. In planning its future activities, IRO had to take into account the limited time and resources remaining and as the date of termination approached, the task became increasingly more difficult as the proportion of “resettleable” cases decreased. IRO reported that it could no longer look to repatriation as a solution to any substantial proportion of its remaining cases.