4

The International Refugee Organization is to be a non-permanent specialized agency, its relationship to the United Nations to be established by an Agreement under Articles 57 and 63 of the Charter of the United Nations. The Constitution will come into force " when at least fifteen States, whose required contributions to Part I of the Operational Budget as set forth in Annex II of this Constitution amount to not less than 75 per cent, of the total thereof, 'have become parties to it " —i.e., have accepted the Constitution without reservation. It is the function of the Preparatory Commission, established under the Agreement on Interim Measures approved by the General Assembly, to take all necessary and practicable measures for the purpose of bringing the International Refugee Organization into effective operation as soon as possible and to make the necessary preparations therefor. The Commission may, under certain conditions, take over any of the functions, activities, assets and personnel of existing organizations dealing with refugees and displaced persons. This refers particularly to the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, the activities of which will terminate on 30 June, 1947, the Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees, whose activities are expected to terminate on the same date, and the pending termination of the activities in the field of refugees and displaced persons of the Allied Military Authorities in Italy—factors which have been recognized by the General Assembly as giving particular urgency to the entry into force of the Constitution of the International Refugee Organization if international action in the field of refugees and displaced persons is not to collapse. The Constitution of the International Refugee Organization and the Agreement on Interim Measures were signed without reservation on 17 March, 1947, by the Rt Hon. W. Nash on behalf of New Zealand. CONSTITUTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL REFUGEE ORGANIZATION PREAMBLE The Governments accepting this Constitution, Recognizing : That genuine refugees and displaced persons constitute an urgent problem which is international in scope and character; That as regards displaced persons, the main task to be performed is to encourage and assist in every way possible their early return to their country of origin ; That genuine refugees and displaced persons should be assisted by international action, either to return to their countries of nationality or former habitual residence, or to find new homes elsewhere, under the conditions provided for in this Constitution; or in the case of Spanish