DIPL 6015 Human Resources Management in International Organizations

This course explores the history and nature of international institutions as they address particular issues confronting the global community, with a focus on the creation and the meaning of an international civil service at the United Nations. The values and rules of the UN Secretariat will be compared to those applicable to the staff of other international organizations (“IOs”), Secretariats for treaty bodies or other inter-governmental organizations (“IGOs”), and representatives of non-governmental organizations (“NGOs”). Questions to be explored concern the independence of the UN Secretary-General and the Secretariat, their relationship to member states of the UN; the appropriate role of the Secretariat in the creation and implementation of international law and global governance; and the role of the UN Secretary-General and the Secretariat in facilitating relations between states and non-state actors in accordance with the international law on subjects such as international human rights, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts, and sustainable development. How international organizations like the UN system work; what authority exists in the UN Charter or other sources for current management practices; the selection process for staff and leadership roles, including the executive heads of international organizations; and recommendations for reform of the process and the international organization itself