United Nations Commission of Inquiry

A United Nations fact-finding mission, also called a United Nations commission of inquiry, is a United Nations mission carried out with the intention to discover facts. Fact-finding missions have been sent by the UN to a number of conflict areas over the past 50 years, on a case-by-case basis. There are legal and political parameters for fact-finding, which provide a basis for a more comprehensive use of this tool, particularly by the Secretary-General.