Rule of Law (RoL) constitutes one of the Key Pillars of the substantive operations of the United Nations in peacekeeping and political field missions. Every UN Security Council Mandate includes a RoL mandate to Field Missions, and constitutes a key component of peacekeeping and peacebuilding activities of the United Nations, and also feature strongly in the mandates of most UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), or the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), to name but two of the largest entities of the UN with strong RoL mandates and activities. more information

The highest standards of ethics and conduct have always been expected from United Nations International Civil Servants and Military & Police officers serving with the United Nations. These standards are integral components of the core values of the Organization, and have always been the subject of internal disciplinary processes, historically handled by Directors of Mission Support as part of Human Resources Management practices. Traditional methods of dealing with misconduct underwent a major transformation from 2005 following public disclosures of serious allegations of sexual harassment and abuse of civilian beneficiaries in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other UN field missions. The recurrent allegations required the United Nations to radically alter its management of misconduct allegations that seriously questioned the values of the Organization, soiling its reputation, and negatively affecting its peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations. more information

Local governance actors face enormous challenges in fragile and conflict-affected countries. Often, human and financial resources are scarce, the collaboration between the state and the citizens is weak, social cohesion and trust in society have deteriorated, and the central government is weak or absent. more information

Following the failures of the international community to intervene in Rwanda, Srebrenica, Liberia, Sierra Leone and many other conflicts, and starting with the United Nations Security Council Resolution establishing the peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone in 1999, it is now unquestioned that, without prejudice of the host State, which has the first and foremost responsibility to protect civilians, peace keeping operations place Protection of Civilians (POC) as one their core mandates. more information

Transitional justice, which addresses the causes and consequences of massive human rights violations, has always sought to break cycles of abuse, particularly in terms of the notion of guarantees of non-recurrence. It has only been more recently, however, that transitional justice has been articulated as an integral element of sustainable peace and development, and that guarantees of non-recurrence have been defined beyond the institutional sphere. It is crucial, therefore, for practitioners and policymakers to better understand the relationship between transitional justice and prevention. more information

Legal Practice in United Nations Peacekeeping and Field Missions is very specialised and of very wide scope, requiring – in addition to a solid academic and practice legal background – command of the very specific circumstances of legal practice in Peacekeeping and Political Mission environments. A Legal Affairs Officer in a United Nations (UN) Field Mission is the source of advice to the Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG) on all legal aspects of the mission concept, the mission’s mandate and its operational activities, as well as any issue of international and national laws. Legal Offices also provide advice on administrative, personnel, financial and procurement matters related to the missions operational activities. more information