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 desireability 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.

Session reports of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names

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1960-1967

Note: Preceding the First Session of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names in 1967 there were two meetings of the Group of Experts, in 1960 and 1966.

Report of the Group of Experts on Geographical Names. [First Meeting], New York, 20 June - 1 July 1960, World Cartography, Vol. VII, United Nations Publication 62.I.25 (1962), pp 7 - 18.

Preparatory Meeting for the United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names: Report of the Group of Experts on Geographical Names, New York, 21 March - 1 April 1966, United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names, Vol. I, Report of the Conference, pp 20 - 24, United Nations Publication 68.I.9 (1968), E/CONF.53/3.

Report of the ad hoc Group of Experts on Geographical Names on its First Session, Geneva, 22 September 1967, published in [First] United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names, Geneva, 4-22 September 1967, Vol. I, Report of the Conference, page 6 under Committee IV, United Nations Publication 68.I.9 (1968), E/CONF.53/3.

1970-1979

Report of the ad hoc Group of Experts on Geographical Names on its Second Session, New York, 10 - 20 March 1970 - Second United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names, Vol. II Technical Papers, United Nations Publication E.74.I.4 (1974) pp 239 - 244.

Report of the Group of Experts on Geographical Names on its Third Session, New York, 2 - 12 February 1971 - Second United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names, Vol. II Technical Papers, United Nations Publication E.74.I.4 (1974) pp 244 - 251.

Report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names at its Fourth Session, London, 9 May and 1 June 1972, mimeo.

Report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names at its Fifth Session, New York, 5 - 16 March 1973, ESA/RT/C/GN/3.

Report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on the Work of its Sixth Session, New York, 5 - 26 March 1975, ESA/RT/C/GN/4.

Report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on the Work of its Seventh Session, Athens, Greece, 16 August and 8 September 1977, ESA/RT/C/GN/5.

Report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on the Work of its Eighth Session, New York, 26 February - 9 March 1979, ESA/RT/C/GN/6.

1981-1989

Report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on the Work of its Ninth Session, New York, 17 - 27 February 1981, ESA/RT/C/GN/7.

Report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on the Work of its Tenth Session, Geneva, 23 August and 15 September 1982, ESA/RT/C/GN/8.

Report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on the Work of its Eleventh Session, Geneva, 15 - 23 October 1984, ESA/RT/C/GN/9.

Report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on the Work of its Twelfth Session, Geneva, 28 September - 7 October 1986, ESA/RT/C/GN/10.

Report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on the Work of its Thirteenth Session, Montreal, Canada, 17 and 31 August 1987, ESA/RT/C/GN/11.

Report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on the Work of its Fourteenth Session, Geneva, 17 - 26 May 1989, ESA/RT/C/GN/12.

1991-2000

Report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on the Work of its Fifteenth Session, Geneva, 11- 19 November 1991, GEGN/15.

Report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on the Work of its Sixteenth Session, New York, 24 August and 4 September 1992, GEGN/16.

Report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on the Work of its Seventeenth Session, New York, 13 - 24 June 1994, GEGN/17.

Report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on the Work of its Eighteenth Session, Geneva, 12 - 23 August 1996, GEGN/18.

Report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on the Work of its Nineteenth Session, New York, 12 and 23 January 1998 (forthcoming).

Report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on the Work of its Twentieth Session, New York, 17 and 28 January 2000 (forthcoming).