The Office of Inter-Agency Affairs and Coordination was established in 1967 as a division of the Department of Social and Economic Affairs and became a separate department in 1970. It was dissolved at the end of 1978. The primary functions of the Office were: to represent the Secretary-General in communication with specialized agencies and intergovernmental organizations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); to assist departments and related bodies in matters of coordination with these inter-organizational bodies; to assist with coordination and resolving of differences between these inter-organizational bodies; to assist the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, their subsidiary organs and intergovernmental organizations in the formulation of decisions involving system-wide activities; and to serve as the secretariat for the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC).
S-1003 includes records of the Under-Secretary-General of the Office, the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC), the Division of Narcotic Drugs, the Office of the Disaster Relief Coordinator, and the Chief of the Representation and Liaison Unit.
Under-Secretary-General
The files include an assortment of administrative and substantive records of Under-Secretary-General for Inter-Agency Affairs and Coordination C. V. Narasimhan. Records relate to decision-making assistance for the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, to communication between Secretariat Headquarters and the specialized agencies, inter-governmental organizations, international conferences, as well as organization of special events and support to yearbook information requirements.
In addition, Mr. Narasimhan’s files contain information about resource development in the lower Mekong River Basin in Southeast Asia. There is correspondence with members of the Mekong Committee and its Advisory Board; a report dated 8 April 1975 by the Review Mission of the Mekong program; and several issues of “Mekong Secretariat Notes,” a newsletter with information about flood forecasting, aid to the Mekong area, and fishery studies.
Other records document the work of Ismat T. Kittani, Mr. Narasimhan’s predecessor. Mr. Kittani’s files contain press releases and correspondence about foreign aid for Pakistani refugees in India following the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. There are also reports from missions to India prepared by the High Commissioner for Refugees, and a draft resolution on human rights and national development education for youth.
Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC)
The Administrative Committee on Coordination was established per the Economic and Social Council’s resolution 13 (III) of 21 September 1946 “for the purpose of taking all appropriate steps, under the leadership of the Secretary-General, to ensure the fullest and most effective implementation of the agreements entered into between the United Nations and the specialized agencies.” The Secretary-General acted as Chairman of the ACC. Other members were the executive heads of the specialized agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Included is correspondence between the Chief of Specialized Agencies and ACC Affairs, the Secretary of the ACC, and the Special Representative in Europe for Coordination and ACC Affairs. These were secondary positions held by UN Secretariat staff. The correspondence covers common interests of the specialized agencies, such as family planning, oceanography, atomic energy, and the peaceful uses of outer space. It also discusses relationships with non-UN intergovernmental agencies (IGOs), the role of the ACC, whether the specialized agencies should use individual flags or the UN flag, and the biological aspects of race.
The summaries for ACC meetings detail a variety of issues such as the Vietnam War, negotiations for peace in the Middle East, and methods of birth control in developing countries. They also contain information about activities of specialized agencies, reviews of UN personnel policy, and the proposal for the creation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The records of the Preparatory Committee primarily consist of conference speeches, descriptions of UN programs, and draft reports about the administration of the ACC, computer usage, rural development, aid for the handicapped, and other subjects.
The records of the Consultative Committee on Administrative Questions (CCAQ) contain information about personnel policies, reforms to the ECOSOC and ACC, the relationship between the ACC and the CCAQ, and the establishment of the CCAQ. They are comprised of working papers, correspondence, agenda, and reports.
Other ACC consultative committees, sub-committees, and ad hoc working groups represented are the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, the Committee on Programme Appraisals, the Enlarged Committee for Program Coordination, the International Civil Service Advisory Board, the Committee for Industrial Development, the Green Revolution Working Group (concerned with agricultural advances such as high-yielding crops), the Meeting on Social and Related Economic Questions, the Consultative Committee for Public Information, and the Sub-Committee on Science and Technology. Their records include: correspondence; meeting minutes; working papers on issues such as housing, juvenile delinquency, and urbanization; reports on topics including technical assistance and inter-agency cooperation on outer space matters; and reviews of UN programs.
Additionally, there is one file documenting the UN’s participation in world’s fairs. It contains: blueprints of the UN pavilion at the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair and maps of the Fair grounds; an architectural drawing for the 1964 New York World’s Fair; correspondence and reports detailing ACC coordination of UN participation in these fairs; and information about the League of Nations’ participation in the 1939 New York World’s Fair.
Division of Narcotic Drugs
The Division of Narcotic Drugs served as the secretariat for the Commission on Narcotic Drugs. Additionally, it assisted governments with the implementation of drug treaties and provided training in drug control. The Division also assisted the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council in drug matters, collaborated with UN organs and agencies, and executed projects of the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control.
A set of chronological files primarily contains the correspondence of Frederick K. Lister, Jr., a member of the IAAC and the Liaison Officer for the Division of Narcotic Drugs. Correspondence of Mr. Lister and that of the Director concerns elections for the International Narcotics Control Board, the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, a UN-commissioned television special “The Poppy is Also a Flower,” the Gracie Mansion Narcotics Conference held on 3-5 February 1965, and other subjects. The correspondence also includes requests for copies of UN publications on drug abuse.
In addition, records of the Division of Narcotic Drugs contain periodic bulletins on international drug control activities and drug-related research, and a “Report of the UN Survey Team on the Economic and Social Needs of the Opium-Producing Areas in Thailand” dated 1967.
Office of the Disaster Relief Coordinator
Martin Hill served as the Disaster Relief Coordinator. The records document the work of voluntary agencies, non-governmental organizations and the United Nations in disaster relief. Records include correspondence, General Assembly and Economic and Social Council Sessions documents, administrative bulletins, reports, and memoranda. The correspondence is between Hill, the Committee for Program Coordination, the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East's (ECAFE) Typhoon Committee, and various voluntary and non-governmental agencies. It concerns aid in response to natural disasters. The reports concern meetings of voluntary and non-governmental agencies and the role of science and technology in disaster relief.
There are also records originating with the United Nations Development Program, including the UNDP Field Directory for June 1971, a paper about the Yemen Arab Republic, and summary records of four meetings of the UNDP's Inter-Agency Consultative Board.
Representation and Liaison Unit, Chief
The Representation and Liaison Unit of the Office for Inter-Agency Affairs and Coordination organized United Nations participation at international meetings and was responsible for liaison at Headquarters with the Division of Narcotic Drugs (located in Geneva), the United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control (located in Geneva), and the International Narcotics Control Board. It also liaised with: other UN programs; specialized agencies; and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Alexander Messing-Mierzejewski served as Chief of the Representation Unit.
Records for the International Narcotics Control Board include correspondence exchanged between Messing-Mierzejewski, the Director of the Division of Narcotic Drugs, and representatives of the Member States. The correspondence pertains to Board elections, fundraising, drug-control treaties, representation at conferences, proposals for regional narcotics centers, and the organization of UN narcotics control structures and activities. There are also annual reports of the International Narcotics Control Board.
United Nations Fund for Drug Abuse Control records include: correspondence about the operation of the fund and coordination with UNDP; reports on projects; briefing packets; and requests for funding. There are also reports, plans, discussion papers, and correspondence about missions to various countries to investigate or implement projects such as reducing cultivation of the poppy by replacing it with other crops.
A wide variety of records document the Unit’s work on the control of narcotic drugs. These include protocols from conventions on narcotics; reports from sessions of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the Inter-Agency Advisory Committee on Drug Abuse Control; Division of Narcotic Drugs strategic plans; correspondence about UN participation in conferences on drug abuse control; General Assembly and Economic and Social Council documents pertaining to narcotics; a presentation titled “The UN Fights Drug Abuse” in 35 millimetre slide format with an accompanying audio tape reel; and master copies of the Division’s “Information Letter”.
Messing-Mierzejewski’s records from his position as the Outposted Officer in South East Asia from 1963 to 1965 include reports addressed to the Director of the Division of Narcotic Drugs. There is also correspondence exchanged between Messing-Mierzejewski, the Director of the Division of Narcotic Drugs, Thai officials, and representatives of organizations and Member States working in South East Asia on narcotics control. The records contain surveys with information about the opium-growing hill tribes of Thailand, visits to South East Asian countries and diplomats, and rehabilitation options for individuals afflicted with narcotics addiction in South East Asian countries.
There are also records pertaining to Messing-Mierzejewski’s speaking engagements.
