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Insight From the UN: A Conversation with Sebastian Von Einsiedel
As part of a series from SIPA’s United Nations Studies Program, Ophelie Namiech (MIA ’11) interviews alumnus Sebastian von Einsiedel.
After graduating in 2002, Sebastian von Einsiedel began working with the International Peace Institute. In 2004, von Einsiedel joined the research staff of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges, and Change. After several years at UN headquarters, he joined the UN Mission in Nepal as a political affairs officer. In 2008, von Einsiedel returned to New York to work with the Secretary-General’s Counter Terrorism Implementation Task Force. He now serves with the policy planning unit of the UN Department of Political Affairs.
Q: Can you describe the work and mission of the policy planning unit?
The policy planning unit works primarily on thematic rather than country or region-specific issues. Our main areas of focus are conflict prevention, mediation, and peacebuilding. The Department of Political Affairs has 14 political missions deployed in the field, many of them in post-conflict settings.
We try to learn lessons from past engagements in hopes of improving UN policies and response mechanisms over time. For instance, we look at security implications of drug trafficking and organized crimes, explore UN strategies of response to unconstitutional changes of government, or examine the relationships between terrorism and conflict prevention.
Typical tasks include writing talking points, speeches, or policy papers for senior UN officials and liaising with key stakeholders on any given issue (UN departments and agencies, member states, regional organizations, and think tanks).
Q: Which aspects of your work do you find the most/least interesting?
Our work tends to be quite substantive and, from where we sit, we occasionally have the opportunity to meaningfully influence policy development at the UN. The Department of Political Affairs is in the midst of a transformation to become a more operational, field-oriented, nimble actor in conflict prevention and mediation. Partly as a result of this transformation, the Department’s leadership is remarkably receptive – even keen on – new ideas and policy initiatives.
Some of these policy initiatives reach the level of the UN secretary-general and his cabinet, which is very gratifying. For instance, on the question of unconstitutional changes of government, we developed policies and mechanisms to guide the UN system on how to respond to situations of coup d’état. Besides, in DPA the quality of the staff is very high and it is a pleasure to work with a great number of young, smart, dynamic, idealistic, and hard-working colleagues.
That said, working at the UN can also be quite frustrating on occasion. Especially some of the most capable and initially enthusiastic UN staffers tend to feel somewhat discouraged after a few years. Often, the human resources system is suboptimal and colleagues get stuck for many years at the same level without ever getting promoted. Like many large bureaucracies, the UN feels at times excessively hierarchical and even more senior colleagues sometimes complain that they feel like “glorified desk officers.”
Moreover, the UN is a highly politicized environment and we work on issues where there is sometimes considerable disagreement among member states (or among UN departments and agencies). As a result, UN documents are often bland, losing their punchiness in the process.
Also, sitting at UN headquarters, it is sometimes hard to see the real impact of your work on the ground. I recommend any young UN colleagues to spend some time with UN field missions, because it is on the ground that the UN makes the biggest difference. However, despite these flaws, I never regretted my decision to seek a career with the United Nations. Indeed, I very much enjoy my work.
Q: What are the most important skills needed for this type of work?
The Department of Political Affairs is looking for people with a range of skills. Most graduates from graduate programs in international affairs or other relevant fields who seek employment with the UN have a very good education and already two or three years of relevant work experience.
It is difficult for any candidate to distinguish himself or herself in this highly competitive environment. The following skill sets would help candidates stand out among the lot:
First, relevant language skills. Speaking French is important because many of our main missions are in francophone countries. And if you speak Arabic, Chinese, Kiswahili (especially as someone not hailing from a region where these languages are spoken), this is a major plus.
Second, relevant field experience and regional expertise. If you’ve spent a couple of years working in a fragile, conflict, or post-conflict state, that immediately makes you more interesting. Everyone has thematic expertise. But few people can claim to have serious expertise on West Africa or the Great Lakes region. In light of the fact that DPA is becoming more and more field-oriented and operational, we are also looking for people who know how to run things – who have experience that will help set up a field mission or a mediation initiative.
I also found it very helpful in my work to have at least some background in international law, given that much of the language used at the UN is couched in legal concepts. Good drafting skills are very important at DPA as written documents are ultimately the main currency in which we trade. You also need good team and personal skills. You have to have a good feeling of how to work with people and a degree of humility helps a lot.
Q: How does one get into the UN?
It is rare for people to enter the UN straight after graduate school. You need to first buildup a little bit of a record of practice in your CV. Even at the entry level, most staff has worked for a few years with NGOs or think tanks before joining the UN. Again, we do not necessarily want to see how much academic expertise you have on any given subject, but what your work record shows, your experience, and ability to engage people.
There are three ways to enter the UN. You can get in via the front door, by taking the yearly national competitive exam. It is reserved to selected under-represented countries. It is a very complex and lengthy process. At the entry level, even if you pass the exam, it can take two to three years before you get your contract.
You can also enter through the side entrance and work for a UN agency as a consultant or as a volunteer for a field mission.
Finally, you can also access the UN via the back door, by joining a think tank or an NGO working around the UN and develop relationships that may help you eventually land a job at the UN.
Q: How did your degree from SIPA help you get this job? Are there any courses or activities you would advise us to focus on at SIPA to prepare ourselves for a possible future career at the UN?
A large majority of UN folks have a degree from U.S. or U.K. universities – among them Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, SIPA, SAIS, Fletcher, Georgetown, or the Kennedy School.
I would recommend students take international law classes at SIPA as well as a good international relations theory class – Professor Robert Jervis’ class for instance. Such a class helps you think conceptually about international affairs, which is helpful if you work in policy planning.
Another piece of advice would be to try to get some of your writing published. Publications can really differentiate you from the rest of the students and show that you can write well. In the meantime, it is important for you to accumulate field experience and live in conflict zones to strengthen your regional expertise. Field experience should really be your priority as the UN is now a field-oriented organization. At the end of the day, the UN is not just looking for mini-Kissingers, but for staff who know how to manage initiatives and engage with people.
Ophelie Namiech (MIA ’11), December 2010