Impartiality has long been a core norm of United Nations peacekeeping. However, since 2000 the dominant conception of impartiality has changed, leading to more coercive forms of peacekeeping. Claims to impartial authority are no longer based exclusively on terms to which all parties consent. Instead, they are premised on a more ambitious and expansive set of norms related to human rights, around which consensus is presumed but not always affirmed. This dissertation critically examines the change in both the conception and practice of impartiality, which, it argues, is an integral part of the emergence of a more assertive liberal internationalism. In doing so, it challenges dominant constructivist approaches within IR that conceive of norms as linear and static. It advances a framework for a multi-level analysis of impartiality as a “composite” and “contested” norm. Through this framework it elucidates the macro-level politics surrounding the norm’s institutionalisation at the UN, as well as the micro-level politics surrounding its implementation in the specific case of the UN mission in Congo (MONUC). The analysis of the processes of both institutionalisation and implementation reveals an absence of consensus over the norm itself, and over the purposes of and actions involved in contemporary peacekeeping. This contestation, together with varying expectations and incentives created by the norm amongst local actors, frequently results in unintended consequences, which are contrary to the norm’s original intent. And yet, despite these consequences, the very nature of assertive impartiality makes it difficult for those who claim such authority to change course. Given that the legitimacy of peacekeeping derives both from whether it is seen to reflect and promote shared values, as from the degree to which it is actually effective, this difficulty raises troubling questions for peacekeeping itself and for the UN, the institution to which it has become so symbolically linked. This dissertation argues that, ultimately, the UN’s role may be to reflect, rather than to resolve, the differences of normative interpretation among its member states. It concludes that a more practical and prudent conception of impartiality – one which recognises that impartiality is necessarily and inextricably political – will be necessary if scholars and practitioners alike are to navigate the normative tensions inherent to a more assertive liberal international order.

Text in English / The goal of this research was to investigate the relationship between security risk management and business continuity management and to determine how these two methodologies are applied within United Nations Funds and Programmes. These United Nations (UN) agencies have been established to deliver humanitarian aid, economic and social development and reconstruction activities. The locations where these services are required are typically where security risks are also most prevalent. The staff of the UN, the International Red Cross and other humanitarian and development organisations have traditionally been treated as neutral parties and have not been targeted by belligerent groups. This study revealed that there has been an annual increase in security incidents against aid workers and employees of UN organisations. The changing security landscape worldwide and the increasing demand for aid and development services in especially fragile and post-conflict environments, require organisations working in these areas to maintain a high level of resilience. Their resilience can be strengthened by applying robust security risk and business continuity management methodologies. The study included an examination of the global risk environment as it pertains to UN agencies, as well as key risk management concepts such as risk management, operational risk management, security risk management, business continuity management and organisational resilience. For the purposes of this study, security risk management is defined as the systematic approach to assessing and acting on security risks, while ensuring the safety and security of the organisation's personnel and facilities and ensuring that organisational objectives are achieved. Business continuity is a management process that identifies potential threats to an organisation, it assesses the impact to business operations − should the threats materialise − and it furthermore assists in the development of strategies to continue operations in the event of a disruption. In addition to looking at these concepts individually, the relationship between security risk management and business continuity management was also reviewed. The specific objectives set out to achieve the goal of the study were the following:  Explore the perceptions of UN agencies about the link between security risk management and business continuity management.  Analyse the extent of integration between security risk management and business continuity management processes and oversight.  Make recommendations as to how security risk management and business continuity management can operate in an integrated manner with the goal of increasing the overall resilience of UN agencies. To answer the research questions a qualitative research approach was adopted. This enabled the researcher to collect data through interviewing participants and analysing their feedback. The research focused on UN Funds and Programmes as a sub-set of agencies within the UN family of organisations. Each one of these agencies has a specific mandate, such as providing assistance to refugees, promoting food security, poverty reduction, improving reproductive health and family planning services. They also operate in fragile states as well as in emergency and humanitarian crises situations where the security risks are often higher than in normal developing countries. Eight out of 12 UN Funds and Programmes agreed to participate in the study, including: United Nations Children's Fund; United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East; Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; World Food Programme; United Nations Development Programme; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime; United Nations Human Settlements Programme; and UN Women. Data were collected through conducting semi-structured telephone interviews with the security manager and/or business continuity manager serving in the headquarters of each participating organisation. Findings from the study indicated that security risk management within the UN system has evolved and that security has matured from a purely protective and defensive posture to following a risk management approach. The strength of the UN Security Management System lies in its Security Risk Management Model, which enables a thorough assessment of security risks and the implementation of commensurate mitigating security measures. In contrast to security risk management, the study revealed that business continuity as a management process is a fairly new initiative and has not yet been comprehensively adopted by all UN agencies. When combined, security risk management and business continuity management ensure the safety of staff, maximise the defence of the agencies’ reputation, minimise the impact of events on the agencies as well as their beneficiaries, protect the organisation’s assets, and very importantly, demonstrate effective governance. This can only be done through establishing an organisational risk management model by positioning security risk management and business continuity management within the UN agency’s organisational structure so that they can effectively work together and at the same time allow access to senior management. Good practices and apparent gaps were identified in how these two methodologies are implemented and five specific recommendations were made. The research confirmed the need for both security risk management and business continuity management and the role each function plays to enhance an organisation’s resilience. It also highlighted that while they are two separate management functions, both need to be implemented within a larger risk management framework and need to be closely aligned in order to be effective. The five recommendations are:  Incorporate security risk management and business continuity management functions and responsibilities into the larger agency-wide risk management governance framework.  Expand the scope of business continuity in those UN agencies where it currently sits in the domain of information technology or has not yet been comprehensively implemented across the organisation.  Establish a comprehensive crisis management framework spanning across the whole organisation from their headquarters to country offices.  Develop the capacity to gather risk data across their agency and aggregate the data to view the full spectrum of risks, including security risks and business continuity risks in a holistic manner.  Integrate security risk management and business continuity management processes to enhance their effectiveness. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge in the field of risk management by gathering relevant information from participating UN Funds and Programmes, comparing the information with other academic sources and drawing conclusions to answer the research questions. While it is expected that each organisation will have its own view on how to implement security risk management and business continuity management, the findings and recommendations as a result of the study present a series of practical recommendations on how the two functions can operate in an integrated manner in order to increase the overall resilience of these UN agencies. Other non-UN organisations working in similar high risk environments could also benefit from the outcomes of the study, as it would allow them to compare their own approaches to security risk management and business continuity management with the information presented in this study. / Security Risk Management / M. Tech. (Security Management)

This study examines how economic growth is framed in the UN post-2015 development agenda, which is centered on the Sustainable Development Goals. It uses a transdisciplinary approach combining Ecological Economics and Critical Theory. Through a qualitative content analysis of nine official documents from different work streams in the post-2015 process, the thesis seeks to answer what the goal of ‘sustained, inclusive, and sustainable’ growth actually means, how it relates to the aim of transformative change which is central to the agenda, and how the agenda addresses the relationship between growth and the environment. The results show that there is a strong consensus to maintain and increase growth levels, while changing the quality of growth to make it more socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable. Thus, the agenda reinforces the ‘sustainable development’ concept which has been established over the last three decades as the mainstream approach to international environmental governance. No limits to growth are recognized; poverty reduction and greater equality are to be achieved mainly by aiming for higher growth rates in developing countries than developed ones. It is acknowledged that the GDP metric has many shortcomings and needs to be revised to better account for externalities and complemented by alternative measures of welfare and well-being. However, no existing alternative measures are used in the SDGs. The goal is to develop better ones by 2030, which effectively postpones the necessary shift away from GDP. The documents express a strong belief in ‘green growth’ (the decoupling of growth from material resource use and emissions), but this optimism seems to be unfounded since the documents fail to account for several aspects that are crucial to determining the feasibility of green growth. Most notably, there appears to be no evidence of absolute decoupling ever having occurred. At the same time, the scale of decoupling that is required appears to be physically impossible to achieve. Since the agenda does not question growth dependency at all, and fails to distinguish between the intrinsic and instrumental value of GDP growth, my conclusion is that it does not fulfill the promise of transformative change.

Traditionally, Multinational Corporations and the United Nations used to have different agendas. During recent years, there has been a shift, and with the adoption of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, the objectives of the two different entities are more closely aligned. The United Nations has increasingly promoted multi-stakeholder partnerships as a way to foster development efforts in emerging markets. At the same time, these partnerships have appeared to be a way for businesses to gain legitimacy and overcome the challenges in entering emerging markets. The literature review is based on Johanson and Vahlne’s (1977) Uppsala Model, complemented with Bottom of the Pyramid literature. Specifically, the role of experiential knowledge in the internationalization process is investigated. An exploratory field study has been conducted during one month in Myanmar, with the overarching purpose to study an MNC’s expansion into an EM. The study has further investigated on how MNCs partner with non-traditional actors when entering EMs and how the exchange of knowledge is carried out on the micro-level in these relations. The study includes interviews with both an MNC and the UN, including observations on site and a documentary analysis. In line with previous literature, the result show that the MNC had to learn from the local market in order to succeed in their internationalization process, but also educate the local market in order to enter. Thus, the thesis contributes to research in proving that internationalization in emerging markets seems to be a two-way experiential knowledge direction where MNCs also need to take an active part in educating the emerging market in order to enter.

The purpose of this research project is to examine the role of conflict resolution in training programmes for military peacekeepers. It offers a significant contribution to the conflict resolution literature by providing contemporary analysis of where further manifestations exist of the links between military peacekeeping and the academic study of conflict resolution. The thesis firstly provides a thorough analysis of where conflict resolution scholars have sought to critique and influence peacekeeping. This is mirrored by a survey of policy stemming from the United Nations (UN) in the period 1999-2010. The thesis then undertakes a survey of the role of civil-military cooperation: an area where there is obvious crossover between military peacekeeping and conflict resolution terminology. This is achieved firstly through an analysis of practitioner reports and academic research into the subject area, and secondly through a fieldwork analysis of training programmes at the UN Training School Ireland, and Royal Military Training Academy 4 Sandhurst (RMAS). The thesis goes on to provide a comprehensive examination of the role of negotiation for military peacekeepers. This examination incorporates a historical overview of negotiation in the British Army, a sampling of peacekeeping literature, and finally fieldwork observations of negotiation at RMAS. The thesis discusses how this has impacted significantly on conceptions of military peacekeepers from both the military and conflict resolution fields. The thesis adds considerably to contemporary debates over cosmopolitan forms of conflict resolution. Firstly it outlines where cosmopolitan ethics are entering into military training programmes, and how the emergence of institutionalised approaches in the UN to 'human security' and peacebuilding facilitate this. Secondly, the thesis uses Woodhouse and Ramsbotham's framework to link the emergence of cosmopolitan values in training programmes to wider structural changes at a global level.

There are many important factors that influence and even determine the work of middle and senior managers in the public and private sectors, NGOs, and international organizations such as the UN. Yet, despite this overall agreement, the study of 'managerial effectiveness' has remained relatively neglected and unexplored particularly within the developing world. The present research explores the dimensions of the managerial effectiveness of middle and senior managers who work in the Education Programme of the UN Agency in Lebanon. These managers are dedicated to refugees and their children at primary and high schools, and vocational centers. In doing so this study has adopted the framework, 'parameters of managerial effectiveness', developed by Analoui (1999) to explore and identify the factors and causal influences which form the basis for the effectiveness of these managers to develop policies and strategies for their increased effectiveness. The literature in the areas of development of management, management training and development, and recent works on managerial effectiveness confirm the importance of the parameters and interrelationship between them and the unique contextual factors, namely the personal, organizational and external factors. The Education Programme of the UNRWA in Lebanon provides a suitable case, and the middle and senior managers constitute the units of analysis. The entire cadre of senior and middle management (N= 132) were included in this first time study. The methodology adopted for collecting and generating relevant and adequate data was a combination of survey questionnaire, interviews and the use of secondary data available. The adoption of 'triangulation' as a strategy yielded adequate and relevant data which was analyzed using statistical methods. The quantitative analysis was supported by qualitative data based on senior and middle managers' own perception of their effectiveness. The results, by and large, support Anloui's (1999; 2007) theory and led to the first time discovery of the eight parameters of the managerial effectiveness in UNRWA, Lebanon. The results revealed a myriad of factors and influences concerning the middle and senior managers' perception, managerial skills and competencies, organizations criteria for effectiveness, opportunities, demands and constraints involved, as well as the inter-organizational relationship and the dominant managerial philosophy of effectiveness. The study contributes to the literature on managerial effectiveness by contextualizing the model adopted thus contributing to this neglected field of managerial studies. It also provides the basis for the formulation of policies and strategies to improved and increase managerial effectiveness in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine, and the developing world as the whole where UN is actively operating to support refugees. Like any empirical investigation the study suffers from limitations which need to be considered in the future research in this field.

自十七世紀英國革命後，人權在西方政治思想和政治制度兩方面都有長足的發展，惟在二次世界大戰結束之前，國際關係中並沒有明顯的人權主題，直到第二次大戰後，聯合國企圖以「國際人權組織」的方式，打造人權保護的全球性機制。 聯合國經社理事會於一九四六年四月通過決議設立人權委員會（Commission on Human Rights），在當時此一機構僅有研究及起草條約的功能，「世界人權宣言」、「政治與公民權利公約」及「經濟、社會和文化權利公約」等一系列重要聯合國文件皆由該委員會所起草，惟在一九六０年以前聯合國會員國對於人權議題表現並不積極，對於利用聯合國解決人權議題，更抱持極低的期望。 此一情況在一九五九年後有了顯著的改善。經社理事會於一九五九年、一九六七年及一九七九年三次通過決議，為人權委員會擴張了權力。人權委員會權限的擴大，反映了一九七０年代後聯合國對於人權事務態度的轉變，此一特點是聯合國對於人權事務，採取了更為主動與積極整合的態度。 聯合國人權委員會除設立「防止歧視及保護少數小組委員會」（Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities）為其附屬機構外，並透過設置人權問題「特別報告員制度」（Special Rapporteur）及「工作小組制度」（working group），以專題方式處理某項受侵害人權案件，或在特定國家或地區調查侵害人權的狀況，並積極以各種方式達到保護人權的目的。人權委員會權限的擴大，也使得該委員會在聯合國人權機構的地位及作用不斷提升，並成為已開發與開發中國家意見對立的場所。 本論文試圖以聯合國人權委員會為研究對象，探討其組織、職權及運作，除希望作為瞭解聯合國人權組織在該領域所做的努力與貢獻外，更期望藉由人權委員會運作方式，檢視人權保護實際狀況及未來可能之發展。 / This thesis focuses on the Commission on Human Rights in United Nations, intending to explore its organizations, functions and processes. In addition to understanding its efforts and contribution of worldwide human rights, it is expected to examine and understand the current situation of human rights and ongoing development. There were no human rights themes before the World War II in international relations, until the UN tried to create its organization to protect the universal human rights after the war. The UN Economic and Social Council approved a resolution to set up the Commission on Human Rights in April 1946.Despites of having only the functions of researching and drafting, the Commission on Human Rights drafted a series of important documents including “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, “International Covenant on Civil and political Rights” and “International Covenant on Economic, Social and Culture Rights” after that. Before 1960, the UN members were not interested in this issue and therefore didn’t expect to resolve such human rights controversies through the UN system. The situation had improved greatly after 1959. The UN Economic and Social Council reached three resolutions in 1959, 1967 and 1979 to empower the Commission on Human Rights, showing that the UN attitude towards the human rights had greatly changed. Presently, the Commission on Human Rights has already set up “Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities” to be its sub-organization as well as “Special Rapporteur”, “working group” to deal with the cases of invading human rights in specific countries. The more the Commission on Human Rights is empowered, the more enhancements of status and functions it acquires. Nowadays it has become an arena of developing countries and developed countries.

Ilgai trunkantis konfliktas tarp Izraelio ir kaimyninių arabų valstybių yra procesas, įtraukiantis vis naujus tarptautinius veikėjus, kurie mėgina pritaikyti įvairias strategijas ir metodus, galinčius nulemti šalių sutarimą tokiu būdu, kad jis būtų naudingas ne tik konfliktuojančioms šalims, bet ir tarptautiniu mastu, sukuriant taikią aplinką regione. Tarptautinis tarpininkavimas yra vienas iš dažniausiai naudojamų derybų metodų, kaip priemonė skirta spręsti tarptautinius konfliktus. Tačiau tai nėra vien tik empatija ir gerų norų grindžiamas procesas, tai iš esmės yra užsienio politikos instrumentas, naudojamas valstybių, norint pasiekti savo tikslų. Šiuo darbu mėginama analitiškai pažvelgti į tris realius tarpininkavimo atvejus Vidurio Rytų regione (Jungtinės Tautos, JAV Prezidentas J. Carteris, JAV kaip valstybė) ir pateikti jų išsamią analizę, remiantis tikrais įvykiais, oficialiais dokumentais ir įvairiomis monografijomis, kurios sudaro teorinį darbo pagrindą. Tokiu būdu atskleidžiama, kad tarpininkavimas visų pirma siejasi su trečiosios šalies intervencija į konfliktą, kai ši siekia palengvinti ar išspręsti nesutarimus derybų metu. Taip pat šiame darbe įrodoma, kad tarpininkavimas dar gali būti naudojamas kaip priemonė, skirta plėsti savo įtakos zonas. Pagrindinė darbo išvada - tokie veiksniai kaip konflikto šalys, jų tarpusavio santykiai, tarptautiniai veikėjai, suinteresuoti konfliktu, jų galios šaltiniai, bei tų šaltinių panaudojimo priemonės, konfliktuojančių... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Conflict between Israel and its neighboring Arab states is the process of increasing involvement of new international actors who are trying to adapt different strategies and methods that might lead parties to the consensus, which would be useful not only for themselves but also to international politics, creating a peaceful environment for the region. International mediation is the method of negotiations that is one of the most commonly used means of international conflict resolution. However, it is important to highlight that there is no independent international mediation theory that can justify the behavior of actors in world politics so the main problem which enforced to make this study is the lack of integral international mediation theory and its analysis. Thus, the main objective of this study is to examine the effectiveness of different mediation models and its efficiency regarding the mediation type and time perspectives. The following tasks were set to achieve the main objective of this study: • To discuss the aspects of the selection of effective solutions to conflict resolution; • Review the diversity of mediation factors; • Analyze the most important theoretical foundations of the international mediation studies, including the essential role of mediation and its types; • Find and assess the effectiveness concept of the international mediation; • Perform a comparative analysis of the types of international mediation; The study was to discuss three real... [to full text]

The purpose of this dissertation is to compare features of eleven Canadian provincial / territorial Child and Youth Advocates (CYAs) and identify factors that contribute to their success at influencing changes to public policies, practices and laws to improve services and programs for children and youth. This exploratory study compares and provides explanations regarding the CYAs’ evolution, institutional designs, legislated mandates, implementation, expectations and accountability structures. This study is based on reviews of publicly available documents and interviews with CYA key contacts, members of their legislative oversight committees and informed experts. The CYAs are statutory officers who assist their legislatures in protecting children’s rights and holding governments to account. They also provide a valuable source of information and advice for decision-makers and government agencies. Each CYA is uniquely designed to serve the needs and interests of their jurisdictions. They have overlapping functions and use some common approaches to systemic advocacy aimed at laying the groundwork for change. This study identifies several factors that contribute to the CYAs’ success at influencing systemic change. Comprehensive legislation and adequate resources enable some CYAs to undertake a full range of systemic advocacy functions. Raising awareness helps to build a common understanding of children’s rights and promotes a collective will for change to better serve their needs and interests. Effective use of the media is a powerful tool for raising awareness about the CYAs’ systemic concerns and recommended changes and for putting pressure on governments to take action. Educating and providing guidance to the media aids in controlling messages that are reported. Elevating the views and interests of young people who have direct experience with government systems is an effective strategy used by some CYAs to influence systemic change and increase the participation of young people in public decision-making. Building positive relationships with government agencies promotes greater cooperation with CYAs’ advice. The use of strategic plans for systemic advocacy may aid the CYAs to clarify their goals, objectives and performance measures and to monitor changes over time. / Graduate / Public Administration / thunter@uvic.ca

This thesis aims to understand the relative influence of institutional, cultural and organizational factors on the adjustment of the United Nations’ (UN) and multinational companies’ expatriates in Egypt. The research makes a contribution to the field of expatriate research through its application of the institutional lens in examining the factors impacting on adjustment; and through testing a traditional adjustment model in an under-researched host context. As a result of the research this thesis proposes a new framework for understanding the factors impacting on adjustment which adopts a contingency perspective and incorporates a stronger focus on institutional determinants and the organisational infrastructure supporting the management of expatriates. The study relies, for its theoretical basis, on certain cultural and organizational factors borrowed from the expatriate literature, in addition to introducing other factors (mainly institutional factors) which have not been previously examined in the literature as predictors of adjustment. The research questions the utility of these organizational, cultural and institutional factors, especially those from traditional models, when applied to relatively new national and organizational contexts, the Egyptian national context and the United Nations organizational context. Both contexts are under-researched areas in the expatriate adjustment literature and in the international human resources management literature in general. The Arab cultural context introduces many differences to the Anglo-Saxon and European context, more traditionally the subject of research studies and thus it provides an opportunity for testing the wider application of expatriate models. Equally the UN is a highly multicultural organisational context with a socio-political mission which is highly distinct from the ‘for profit’ based multinational. Thus both these contextual factors offer fertile ground for the further development of a framework for understanding expatriate adjustment during contemporary times. In addition, the novelty of the context brings to the fore the opportunity for examining the utility of institutional theory as an alternative or complement to cultural theory as a way of understanding the factors influencing expatriate adjustment. In terms of the method, the research relies mainly on quantitative data obtained by surveying expatriates in multinational and United Nations organizations working in Egypt. In addition a qualitative technique (interviews) was used to aid questionnaire development and data contextualization. The results highlight the role of institutional measures in explaining expatriate adjustment. The evidence suggests that the institutional variables provide additional explanatory power beyond that provided by traditional factors studies. However, the research also demonstrates that the institutional measures do not replace the cultural measures and therefore there is not a substitution factor at work. Rather, we would argue that the institutional lens provides additional understanding and is tapping into other factors not already captured through measures of culture. The research puts forward a contingency model incorporating additional organisational and institutional variables which are often overlooked or underemphasised in some of the traditional organisational focused models.