United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) is a permanent body of United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). UNGEGN is one of the seven expert bodies of ECOSOC.

Some of the main goals of UNGEGN are to encourage national and international geographical names standardization, to promote the international dissemination of nationally standardized geographical names information and to adopt single romanization systems. UNGEGN's goal for every country is to decide on its own nationally standardized names through the creation of national names authorities or recognized administrative processes.

The United Nations Conference on the standardization of geographical names is held every five years. To make the work easier, UNGEGN Divisions have been formed. East Central and South-East Europe (ECSEE) Division is one of the 23 UNGEGN Divisions. The countries of the East Central and South-East Europe Division (ECSEED) are: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey and Ukraine.




East Central and South-East Europe Division.

Background

East Central and South-East Europe Division (ECSEED) of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) was established at the First United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names in Geneva 1967 together with other 14 Divisions. They are formally recognized (Recommendation II/4) at the Second Conference in London 1972. The East Central and South-East Europe Division is one of altogether 23 UNGEGN Divisions. The East Central and South-East Europe Division countries belong to Southern Europe, Eastern Europe and Western Asia UN geographical regions.

UN geographical regions.

Countries can be active in more than one Division. In the table are given ECSEE Division countries active in more than one UNGEGN Division.

Table: ECSEE Division countries active in more than one UNGEGN DivisionCountry

In the last period some of the Division countries went through dynamic political changes that also influenced the structure of the Division.
Ukraine became UN member after splitting of The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. It was an original Member of the United Nations since 24 October 1945. At the end of 1991 the membership of The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in the United Nations has been continued by the Russian Federation with the support of the 9 member countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) and 2 participating countries (Republic of Moldova and Ukraine) of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Czechoslovakia was an original Member of the United Nations since 24 October 1945. It split into the Czechia and the Slovak Republic in early 1993 and both new countries became member states of the UN on 19 January of that year.
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was an original Member of the United Nations since 1945. In the early 1990 it was spited in five countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Croatia, the Republic of Slovenia, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia were admitted as Member of the United Nations on 22 May 1992. In the 1993, the General Assembly decided to admit as a Member of the United Nations the State being provisionally referred to for all purposes within the United Nations as The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia pending settlement of the difference that had arisen over its name. On February 14th, 2019 The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia officialy changed its name to North Macedonia.   
The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was admitted as a Member of the United Nations by General Assembly on 1. November 2000. On 4 February 2003, following the adoption and promulgation of the Constitutional Charter of Serbia and Montenegro by the Assembly of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the official name of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was changed to Serbia and Montenegro. In 2006 Montenegro declared itself independent. The membership to UN of "Serbia and Montenegro" has being continued by the Republic of Serbia. Montenegro was accepted as a United Nations Member State by General Assembly on 28 June 2006.


Chairing


Irena Švehlová

Secretary of the Commission on Geographical Names

Pod sídlištěm 1800/9

E-mail: irena.svehlova@cuzk.cz

Phone:  + 420 284 041 613