International Refugee Organization

The International Refugee Organization (IRO) was founded in 1946 to deal with the massive refugee problem created by World War II. It was a United Nations specialized agency. In 1952 its operations ceased, and it was replaced by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It is the only specialized agency to have ever gone out of existence.

It was established by the Constitution of the International Refugee Organization, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 15, 1952.