{"id":644,"date":"2023-07-11T14:34:23","date_gmt":"2023-07-11T19:34:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/?page_id=644"},"modified":"2024-10-04T01:11:02","modified_gmt":"2024-10-04T06:11:02","slug":"iro-unrra","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/iro-unrra\/","title":{"rendered":"IRO\/UNRRA & LWF"},"content":{"rendered":"

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IRO & UNRRA<\/h1>\n

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[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=”https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/about-international-cooperation\/” button_text=”by Xiaoyang Hu” _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”7515b9ef-549f-4dd2-8c3e-b997439adc54″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”Cormorant||||||||” header_2_font=”Cormorant|700|||||||” header_2_font_size=”50px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA)<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ specialty=”on” _builder_version=”4.25.1″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”||7px|||” top_divider_style=”slant2″ top_divider_color=”gcid-d24d755b-096b-425e-a2e9-2437f81621eb” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{%22gcid-d24d755b-096b-425e-a2e9-2437f81621eb%22:%91%22top_divider_color%22%93}” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ specialty_columns=”2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_row_inner _builder_version=”4.22.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”50px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.21.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”21px” text_line_height=”1.8em” header_text_color=”gcid-d24d755b-096b-425e-a2e9-2437f81621eb” header_2_text_color=”#8B2230″ header_2_font_size=”30px” min_height=”276.5px” custom_margin=”||-53px|||” custom_padding=”||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{%22gcid-d24d755b-096b-425e-a2e9-2437f81621eb%22:%91%22header_text_color%22%93}”]<\/p>\n

United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration or UNRRA<\/strong> was an international relief agency established by the United Nations that focused on displaced persons after WWII. It was the first relief agency that established camps and provided basic needs for the DPs.\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

UNRRA cooperated with the Allied Forces in Germany and established assembly centers and displaced persons camps. A majority of its operations were focused on the repatriation of the DPs. The repatriation was considered successful as it repatriated around 7 million DPs, leaving the \u201clast million\u201d in camps. However, the repatriation did receive criticism for being too forcible and irresponsible in pushing people back.1<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

As the DP issues started to ease and the funding ran out, UNRRA gradually transferred its responsibilities to the newly established International Refugee Organization, specifically the Preparatory Board in late 1940s.<\/em><\/span>
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[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_cta title=”\u201cThe United Nations have recognized that first things must come first, and that relief and rehabilitation are among these first things…%91UNRRA%93 is designed to plan, coordinate, administer or arrange for the administration of measures of relief for victims of war and to facilitate such rehabilitation as is necessary to the adequate provision of relief.\u201d1 ” _builder_version=”4.25.1″ _module_preset=”default” header_font=”Cormorant|700|||||||” header_font_size=”27px” body_font=”Sura||||||||” body_font_size=”18px” custom_margin=”50px||||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” background_color=”#3f5b73″ sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

Herbert H. Lehman, Director General of the UNRRA Administration<\/p>\n

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If you are interested in UNRRA and its history, please read the book To Enable The United States To Participate In The Work Of The UNRRA<\/em>“, published by House of Representatives, Committee on Foreign Affairs. Another primary source recommended is a historical document,\u00a0Reports to Congress on Operations of UNRRA<\/em>, by the United States President and UNRRA.<\/p>\n

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UNRRA Cooperating with the Voluntary Agencies<\/h1>\n

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The military signed an agreement with UNRRA that granted UNRRA the right to operate in the Allied Zones and to supervise voluntary agencies (VAs), such as LWF. <\/span><\/p>\n

The result was that all VAs had to be recognized by UNRRA to enter. And not all were granted that, due to UN policies. For instance,<\/span> UNRRA rejected the UUARC and United Lithuanian Relief due to recognition issues.<\/span>2<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

During its operations, UNRRA had trouble with keeping its commitments due to lack of personnel, transportation, and mail services. The cooperation with the voluntary agencies was rough as both sides lacked understanding for each other. The VAs thought UNRRA was not efficient in granting recognition to enter Germany and complained of the heavy paperwork required while UNRRA claimed that the VAs lack information of the actual scene of what is going on.<\/span><\/p>\n

*If you are interested in reading more about the UNRRA DP Registration, you can visit the Arolsen Archive<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n



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International Refugee Organization (IRO)<\/h1>\n

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On June 30, 1947, UNRRA and Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees terminated and transferred to IRO.3<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

IRO\u2019s responsibilities included managing the DP camps, cooperating with the voluntary agencies (VAs), and searching for permanent resettlement of refugees.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately, the transfer from UNRRA to IRO was smooth. However, initially, like all the agencies, IRO lacked funding, meaning that sometimes they could only provide supplementary aids.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nevertheless, as more than half of the staffings in the IRO were British, it was suspected that there was a tendency of political bias in treating the Jews.<\/span><\/p>\n

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UNNRA vs IRO<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

IRO inherited an organizational machinery which UNRRA constructed. It was more concentrated on DP camps and resettlement, without having to worry about repatriation.\u00a0 IRO also had fewer displaced persons they worked with as so many were repatriated. Also, the timing was fortunate as more countries were open to DP resettlement.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/lwf-refugee-service\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1702\/2023\/08\/kids-on-the-train.jpg” alt=”Original Caption: %22A moment of quiet excitement as the train leave the Camp Grohn – Vegesack Station for the last ride to the docks at Bremerhaven, and the important voyage westward.%22″ title_text=”Bremerhaven Train” _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”|-104px||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.24.2″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”20px” text_line_height=”1.8em” width=”100%” custom_margin=”|-89px||||” inline_fonts=”Sura” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

American Council of Voluntary Agencies for Foreign Service (ACVAFS)<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

ACVAFS provided means of consultation, coordination, and planning\u00a0 for relief and reconstruction programs abroad. It i<\/span>nitiated intensive activities to ensure VA\u2019s rights to IRO, while, at the same time, they<\/span> urged IRO to review VAs\u2019 agreements\u2019 with UNRRA. ACVAFS also s<\/span>ent people to Germany in Feb. 1947 to learn about the situation.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Needs of Displaced Persons<\/p>\n

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