Background and purpose

The Group of Experts on Geographical Names was set up by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in pursuance of the Economic and Social Council resolution 715 A (XXVII) of 23 April 1959. Under this resolution, it had the following terms of reference: (i) to consider the technical problems of domestic standardization of geographical names, including the preparation of a statement of the general and regional problems involved, and to prepare draft recommendations for the procedures, principally linguistic, that might be followed in the standardization of their own names by individual countries; and (ii) to report to the Council at an appropriate session on the desirability of holding an international conference on this subject and of sponsoring working groups based on linguistic systems; (iii) to invite Governments of countries interested and experienced in the question to make available, at the request of the Secretary-General, and at their own expense, consultants to serve on the above group.

The Sessions of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names are convened in three sessions within a period of five years.

To date, twenty-four sessions of UNGEGN have been held since 1967.

For more details, see document E/2001/INF3.