This new release follows the digitisation and publication of the records of the UNECE’s Executive Secretary’s Office from 1947 to 1982, including archives of Gunnar Myrdal, further enriching the documentary record of post-war European cooperation and the history of multilateralism in Geneva.

A Czech economist, Kostelecký joined the UNECE in 1948 as Personal Assistant to Gunnar Myrdal, the Commission’s first Executive Secretary. Over the following decades, he served four successive Executive Secretaries and became one of the institution’s most knowledgeable officials. In the final years of his life, Kostelecký embarked on an ambitious project to write a comprehensive history of UNECE. Drawing on extensive documentation and interviews with leading figures of the organisation, he assembled a remarkable body of source material. Although he died before completing the manuscript, part of this work was published posthumously.

The collection offers valuable insight into the formative years of the UNECE and the wider project of post-war European cooperation. It includes records relating to Kostelecký’s work with the United Nations Appeal for Children (UNAC), his responsibilities within UNECE, and his research on the organisation’s history. Of particular significance are the recorded interviews and correspondence connected to his historical work on UNECE, including exchanges with Gunnar Myrdal and interviews with prominent figures such as Walt Rostow and Evgeny Chossudovsky.

This digitisation project reflects the continued partnership between CDHM and the United Nations Library & Archives Geneva to preserve and expand access to archival sources of importance for the study of international cooperation and multilateral governance. Researchers can now explore the collection online through the UN Archives Geneva catalogue.