UN Careers

The Public-Relations Industry Grabs a Foothold in the UN

• July 14, 2021

As the final round of the Generation Equality Forum was about to open in Paris in late June, some reporters, including from PassBlue, were directed by a few United Nations agencies most involved in the event, to ask their questions to public-relations companies. Knowledgeable communications specialists in the UN system were “too busy,” reporters …

Journalists, Secretary-General, Security Council, UN Careers

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A Now-Retired UN Force Commander From Norway Double-Billed for Expenses

Dulcie Leimbach

• April 27, 2021

Maj. Gen. Kristin Lund of Norway double-billed her government and the United Nations for moving expenses, according to a new report from The Norwegian Business Daily (Dagens Naeringsliv/DN). Lund was the first woman force commander for the UN, holding the post at its peacekeeping mission in Cyprus. That stint was followed by her heading …

Middle East, Security Council, UN Careers

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Leadership of UN Missions: Halting Progress on the Road to Gender Parity

Foteini Papagioti and Paul von Chamier

• September 30, 2020

It has been a banner year for the long-overdue push to appoint women to the notoriously male-dominated leadership ranks of United Nations peacekeeping and political missions. Five out of six mission-leadership jobs in the first half of 2020 went to women. That includes all-female leadership teams not only in Cyprus but also in Iraq, …

Secretary-General, UN Careers, Women

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COVID-19

How to Land a Job at the UN, Even in a Pandemic

Stéphanie Fillion and Kacie Candela

• July 21, 2020

Ever wonder how to crack the door open to a prestigious United Nations position? That’s a question that Stephanie Playford, the founder of United Career Coalition, was asked over and over again when she worked for the International Atomic Energy Agency, a UN entity based in Vienna. So she left that job and created …

Covid-19, UN Careers

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TOPIC: WOMEN

A Taste of Running for Political Office Has Left This UN Retiree Ready for More

Kacie Candela

• April 10, 2018

ORANGE, Conn. — Margaret Novicki is a 22-year veteran of the United Nations, having served in various regions in Africa and as the director of strategic communications at UN headquarters in New York. Upon her retirement in 2017 at age 62 from an eventful, complicated career at the UN, Novicki, an American, ran as …

Africa, UN Careers, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

UN’s First Female Force Commander Talks Gender Equality in the Military

Shana L. Childs

• April 13, 2017

Maj. Gen. Kristin Lund made history in 2014 when she was appointed the first female force commander of a United Nations peacekeeping mission — in this case, Cyprus. Still in active duty in the Norwegian military, General Lund, 58, gives lectures and advises the Norwegian Defense University College in Oslo. Although she is proud …

UN Careers, UN Peacekeeping, Women

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TOPIC: WOMEN

Alice Hecht, Longtime UN Career Officer and Chief of Protocol, Dies at 67

Susan Manuel

• January 13, 2017

Alice Hecht, who died in New York City on Dec. 28, 2016, at age 67, after a 35-year career at the United Nations, was most well known there for her role as chief of protocol. Appointed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2006, Hecht’s job was to guide presidents and popes to UN daises and …

UN Careers, Women

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Women Managers Sought for Jobs in UN Peace Operations

Susan Manuel

• May 28, 2016

The United Nations is looking for new blood to staff its peace operations while prompting long-serving employees to get out of headquarters and work in the field. In demand for jobs in UN peace operations are female managers, bilingual English-French speakers and those psychologically capable of performing effectively in a difficult environment where there …

UN Careers, UN Peacekeeping

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Sage Advice on Job-Seeking at the UN

PassBlue

• November 12, 2014

Two United Nations officials with long careers at the world body and based in New York recently offered tips on how to get a job at the UN. Speaking at a careers forum held at the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York in …