Identity Statement

Reference Code

HU OSA 318-0-3

Title

Correspondence and Memoranda

Date(s)

1982 - 2007

Description Level

Series

Extent and medium (processed)

32 Archival boxes, 4.0 linear meters

Content and Structure

Scope and Content (Abstract)

This series consists of IHF correspondence and memoranda, mainly to and from the governing IHF-bodies and National Committees arranged in alphabetical order by sender or recipient’s name.

These imprints of IHF communication amount to a valuable research asset on the history of the organization as they reveal how IHF maintained its working relations and collaborated with organizations and individuals across the globe, how it prioritized and decided upon its projects, as well as the difficulties it faced in pursuing its human rights agenda.

Letters sent to supporters and potential donors offer an insight into how a few enthusiasts, human rights-sensitive politicians and global organizations helped IHF maintain its top watchdog position throughout the years. There are separate files on fundraising applications, most prominently those submitted to the Ford Foundation. Similar correspondence is also filed within the records of the Executive Director(s) and the administrative records.

Correspondence with the National Committees is significant both in terms of content and quantity. Letters and appeals sent by individual complainants and persons whose human rights had been violated are also contained in this series.

The office memoranda contain memos prepared for the record or for the National Committees and other partners on the occasion of Executive Committee and General Assembly meetings, and in preparation for or following missions and official meetings held in various countries.

Accruals

Not Expected

Conditions of Access and Use

Conditions governing access

Unknown

Description Control

Archivist's note

Processed by Branislav Kovacevic, Oana Girlescu, Ephrem Birhanu, Andrei Voinea, Craita Curteanu and Csaba Szilagyi, 2002-2003 and 2012-2013; revised by Csaba Szilágyi, 2013.