CC BY
18
GLOBAL SOCIETY
Wang Li
Ph.D, Associate Professor, School of International and Public Affairs,
Jilin University Wangli@jlu.edu.cn Yuan Meng
Postgraduate Student, School of Slavonic and East European Studies,
University College London zczlmy2@ucl.ac.uk Li Menglong
Ph.D, Assistant Professor, School of International and Public Affairs,
Jilin University limenglong@jlu.edu.cn
RESEARCH ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF TALENT VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF GLOBAL
GOVERNANCE
Abstract: As one of the most important components of international organizations, international civil servants have received more and more attention in recent years. Owning a considerable number of international civil servants in international organizations not only enable the country's reasonable demands and interests to be sufficiently expressed in international affairs, but also to some extent is a sign of the country's international status and international influence. With the increase of comprehensive national powers and the development of multi-polarization, China and Russia have gradually expanded their international participations. However, due to the international discourse system has been dominated by Western countries, the international discourse power of China and Russia is still limited, the international public opinion towards both countries remains vulnerable. Meanwhile, there has been a large shortage of international civil servants of China and Russia, and the reasonable demands of both countries somehow have not been properly taken into account in international organizations. Focusing on the cultivation of international civil service talents is both a requirement of the era and a demand of the national development of China and Russia. Therefore, on the basis of pointing out the importance of international civil service talent cultivation, this article will discuss the cultivation of international civil service talents for international organizations in China and Russia in line with their goals of shaping better national images, improving international influences and contributing to the construction of a new and fairer order.
Key words: International Organizations, International Civil Servants, Global Governance, International Participation
1. Introduction and Literature Review
In the contemporary era, as many global issues have arisen and the role of international organizations has gradually increased, international civil servants, as one of the important components of international organizations, have also gained widespread attention. For individuals, becoming an international civil servant is beneficial to broaden their horizons, strengthen their comprehensive ability and enrich their work experience; for countries, owning a considerable number of international civil servants in international organisations is a great help to enhance a country's international participation and international discourse. With the increase of comprehensive national powers and the development of multi-polarization, China and Russia have gradually expanded their international participations. But constrained by the international discourse system dominated by the West, the international discourse of China and Russia has remained limited, and
international public opinion towards both countries has stayed vulnerable. Since the outbreak of COVID-19, there have been many negative international comments directing the blame of the pandemic towards China and smearing the Chinese anti-pandemic measures and Chinese vaccines. These fake claims not only damaged China's international image, but even triggered some people's discrimination against overseas Chinese, which had a harmful effect to the safety of overseas Chinese. Since the start of 2022, the Russia-Ukrainian situation has deteriorated again, with the US-led Western countries spreading a war atmosphere, describing Russia as an "aggressor" and threatening to impose sanctions on Russia again. It has certainly worsened Russia's already less-than-optimistic international environment. Therefore, sending more high-level talents to international organizations is of significance for both countries to shape their international image better, gain the support of international public opinion, increase international participation more widely and deeply and build a new international order.
Previous studies on international civil servants are mainly characterized as follows:
(1) Introduction and overview of the development history and recruitment criteria of international civil servants. Scholars have indicated that the lack of knowledge about the criteria for recruiting international civil servants has been a constraint to sending more high-quality talents to international organizations, and thus the issue needs to be carefully considered in order to draw insights. Under this perspective, some scholars have made methodological innovations. For example, Teng and Qu as well as Zhao have summarized the value requirements and capability requirements of international organizations for talents through combination of model construction and coding analysis, as well as the differences in the degree of requirements for each capability of talents in different positions12.
(2) Analysis of talent capability cultivation for international organizations. For example, Liu et al have explored the talent training modes for international organization in Chinese universities by using the methodology of comparative analysis and have suggested to optimize the cultivation paths of international organization reserve talents for China3.
(3) To learn from the experiences and insights of other countries in sending talents to international organizations. Some developed countries have actively promoted the close ties between governments, universities and international organizations, have sent a large number of talents to international organizations, which deserves to be widely learned by other countries.
While based on the above, this article will discuss the importance of cultivating international civil service talents and deeply analyze the key elements that international organization talents should equip with, by using a method that combines theories and empirical evidence in relation to current events. Through this article, we expect to contribute to the talent cultivation for international organizations, the shaping of international image and the enhancement of international discourse of both countries.
2. The Importance of International Civil Service Talent Cultivation
As one of the most important components of international organizations, international civil servants directly contribute to the operational efficiency of international organizations, dedicate themselves to maintaining world peace and security, and influence the development of international affairs. Having a considerable number of international civil servants in international organizations not only enables the country's reasonable demands and interests to be sufficiently expressed in international affairs, but also to some extent is a sign of the country's international status and
1 Teng Jun and Qu Mei. The Recruitment Standard of International Civil Servant and Its Implications to ICS Preparation in China. Comparative Education Review,34(09):70-74, 2012.
2 Zhao Yuan. Study on the Competence of International Civil Servants - An Example of Professional Category and Director Category in UN. Chinese Public Administration, (02):137-142, 2018.
3 Liu Mengting, Lu Yingyi and Wang Conghui. A Comparative Study on the Path of Training Talents for International Organizations in Colleges and Universities. EDUCATION AND TEACHING FORUM, (19):5-8, 2021.
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international influence. For a long time, however, the composition of international civil servants' nationalities in international organizations has been somewhat unbalanced. Taking the UN as an example, as of the end of 2019, there were 36,574 UN employees, of which among the five permanent members, a total of 565 were Chinese, representing only 1.54% of the total number of employees, 547 were Russian, representing only 1.50% of the entire number of employees, and their UN staff numbers were much lower than those of the UK, US and France (see Table 1). In contrast, under the established desirable ranges, the UK and France are overrepresented, while China and Russia are always underrepresented, leaving a large talent gap, and a large proportion of the employees engage in translation-related work1.The number of employees in management positions is rare, and the number of staffs in key positions is much lower than in Europe and the United States2. These situations are undoubtedly causing significant limitations to the global governance participation of both countries.
Table 1. Top 22 countries with the largest number of UN employees, their numbers and proportions _(Data from the UN report A/75/591)3_
Ranking Country Number of Employees Proportion
1 United States 2513 6.87%
2 Democratic Republic of the Congo 1866 5.10%
3 Kenya 1710 4.68%
4 France 1491 4.08%
5 South Sudan 1376 3.76%
6 Sudan 1238 3.38%
7 Lebanon 1172 3.20%
8 Afghanistan 950 2.60%
9 Mali 848 2.32%
10 United Kingdom 834 2.28%
11 Ethiopia 809 2.21%
12 Italy 809 2.21%
13 Philippines 669 1.83%
14 Uganda 667 1.82%
15 Central African Republic 660 1.80%
16 Canada 639 1.75%
17 Spain 580 1.59%
18 Iraq 579 1.58%
19 India 569 1.56%
20 Germany 567 1.55%
21 People's Republic of China 565 1.54%
1 United Nations. Report of the International Civil Service Commission for the Year 2021 (A/76/30), https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB150/A_76_30-en.pdf, 2021.
2 Xu Jingqi and Tan Shujun. Analysis of the Current Situation and Development Trend of International Civil Servants Cultivation in Universities. Theory Search, (11):187-189, 2016.
3 United Nations. The UN report A/75/591, https://unhabitat.org/sites/default/files/2021/02/chinese-a-75-591.pdf, 2020.
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22 Russian Federation 547 1.50%
In 2010, the Chinese government has launched the Outline of National Medium and Long-term Education Reform and Development Plan (2010-2020), which has emphasized the need to cultivate a large number of international talents with international vision, knowledge of international rules, and the ability to participate in international affairs and international competition in accordance with the requirements of the country's economic and social opening to the outside world1. These has illustrated the importance of cultivating more talents for international organizations by policy.
On the national level, international civil servants represent the image of their country, their outstanding capabilities would bring good reputation to their country and could help shape their national image. On the international level, international civil servants are the bridge between countries, their personality charm and broad network resources could be transformed into the cultural influence of a country, which is important for promoting cross-cultural communication, public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy2. Facing with the current unsatisfactory international situation, recognizing the important and special role of international civil servants in the field of diplomacy and international communication and paying more attention to the cultivation of international civil servants are the crucial means for China and Russia to change the international public opinion, to ensure their international expectations could be better taken into account and to gradually remove the misunderstandings of the world about both countries. At the same time, it has positive significance for the development of multi-polarization towards a more balanced direction.
3. The Value Requirements for International Civil Servants
Good values are the basis for all the behaviors and works of international civil servants. It is difficult to be a qualified international civil servant if one does not fundamentally agree with these following values.
With respect, inclusiveness and an open mind
Working in an international organization means that employees have to deal with colleagues from different countries and different cultural backgrounds. Therefore, respect for diversity and a broad view on cultural diversity has become a general requirement for applicants in many international organizations. In the UN Standards of Conduct for the International Civil Service, it is mentioned that forgiveness and inclusiveness are fundamental human values, both of which are extremely important to international civil servants. Civil servants must treat all people with respect and without any discrimination. This respect contributes to an atmosphere and work environment that cares for all people. Open-mindedness and inclusiveness make international civil servants respect cultural differences, good at international understanding, and could handle international affairs in a fairer way. In addition, because of the awareness of gender equality and respect to women, many international organizations also give full consideration to female gender as a factor in recruitment and job promotion, and require their employees to respect gender equality as well.
Neutrality in combination with the reasonable balance of national interests
International organizations generally require staff members to be neutral in the conduct of international affairs, to consider only the interests of the international organization they serve, to be free from the influence of their homeland and any interest entities, not to express their views publicly on controversial matters, and not to be guided by consideration of how their decisions may
1 Outline of China's National Medium and Long-term Education Reform and Development Plan (2010-2020). http://www.gov.cn/jrzg/2010-07/29/content_1667143.htm, 2010.
2 Xu Jingqi and Zhang Dan, The Role of International Civil Servants in Public Diplomacy. Theory Search, (04):53 -54, 2017.
affect the national interests of their home country. This does not mean, however, that international civil servants have to give up their personal political views and completely dissociate themselves from their homelands. On the contrary, it is possible to maintain a global perspective and serve the international community as a whole, while reasonably taking into account national interests which are in line with the development goals of international organizations1. Especially when some international organizations are under the control of a few countries, proper considerations of national interests could better serve the goals of international organizations to benefit all member states and make the conduct of international affairs more just.
4. The Requirements of Basic Competencies for International Civil Servants
In addition to the value requirements, regardless of country, position, or field of work, international civil servants have to equip themselves with the following basic capabilities, which play a crucial role in the efficiency and results of international affairs conduct.
Language and Communication Skills
The ability to use multiple languages proficiently is the most basic ability that should be equipped for international civil servants and has an advantage in international civil service recruitment. Some employees of the human resources department of international organizations have said that language ability is the primary criterion for candidate selection. Even with the best professional skill, candidate will not be accepted if the language skill is unqualified. English is the most commonly used working language in all international organizations, and native English speakers or those who are fluent in English have a relative advantage in applying for jobs. In addition to English, fluent in those other UN working languages such as French, Spanish and Arabic can also be beneficial to the work of international organizations. Communicating with audiences and clients in languages they understand, or even in their native languages, is more likely to be trusted and will support the conduct of international affairs. However, along with mastering multiple languages, outstanding communication skills should not be forgotten. Effective and clear communication both in speaking and writing, the ability to adopt different modes of communication depending on the target audience and work environment, the willingness to listen to others' ideas and of valuing two-way communication are all professional qualities that international civil servants should have.
Professional Competence and the Ability of Learning Continuously
Professional competencies are the cornerstone of international civil service jobs. Many positions in international organizations require candidates to have a degree or work experience in the relevant professional fields. Some positions also require that the candidates be experts in the fields or have publications. The strict requirements for the professional competence of the candidates allow international organizations to use the professional skills and specialized opinions of international civil servants to deal with international affairs very effectively and with high quality. Moreover, since the work of international organizations often involves knowledge related to many fields, the candidates are also expected to have a strong willingness to learn, to keep up with the development trend of the fields in order to acquire new knowledge, to learn quickly and to pay attention to study in other fields. One UN employee has said that the frequent realization of her lack of competence in some areas at work has become a motivation for continuous learning. Learning has already been a part of the daily work. In addition to specific work agendas, employees also have learning plans in their work schedules. In order to encourage employees to continue to learn and improve their capabilities, UN offers various training programmes and encourages them to use the extensive online information platform and library.
1 Lemoine Jacques. The International Civil Servant: An Endangered Species. Hague: Kluwer Law International, 1995.
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Interpersonal and Cooperation Skills
Teamwork is of great importance in carrying out the work of international organizations. Good interpersonal and cooperation skills are conducive to enhancing trust between people, bettering the team atmosphere, and promoting efficient work in a diverse environment. These require international civil servants to clearly define their own position in teamwork, establish effective collegial relationships with their working partners, be willing to accept others' opinions with an open mind, be good at negotiation, mutual learning and know about compromise; have a strong sense of teamwork and respect the team resolutions reached collectively1. When dealing with audiences or clients, international civil servants need to consider the demands and think from the other side's perspective so as to win their trust as well as establish and maintain a good relationship with them.
Organizational, Planning and Execution Skills
Organizational, planning and execution skills mainly include planning, strategic analysis, time management, organizational skills, coordination skills and integration skills. When dealing with urgent and difficult international affairs or international negotiations, international civil servants are required to think strategically, mobilize and use available resources as much as possible to calm down the situation effectively and reasonably, to avoid unnecessary conflicts, and to make the event develop in a desirable way.
Management capacity
Management capacity is one of the most important factors in the effective functioning of international organizations. It includes building and facilitating teamwork, decision-making and leadership, performance management skills, ability to manage in complex environments, self-management, delegation and trust building2. Management skills are, to some extent, collections of basic competencies that international organization civil servants should have Self-management is a driving factor for continuous learning for international organization civil servants. Teamwork and effective communication also require effective cooperation among teamwork, leadership and trust building. Usually, when the work team faces many issues, good management and coordination skills can effectively deal with conflicts, strengthen the cooperation between various parts and enhance work efficiency.
5. Inspiration
In the current international situation, constrained by the inequality of power, influence, resources and opportunities in the global governance system, the international participation of all countries is extremely unbalanced, and the achievement of global governance goals is limited. As influential powers in the international society, China and Russia's role in building a new international order is highly expected. It is in accordance with China's and Russia's strategic goals of building positive national images and strengthening international discourse. Simultaneously, it also places a demand on both countries to increase their international engagement and send more high-qualified international civil servants to international organizations.
Requirements for Governments
The cultivation of international civil service talents cannot be achieved without the strong support of the governments. Therefore, the governments should make better plans to cultivate
1 Teng Jun and Qu Mei. The Recruitment Standard of International Civil Servant and Its Implications to ICS Preparation in China. Comparative Education Review,34(09):70-74, 2012.
2 Teng Jun, Qu Mei, Zhu Lingling and Zhang Tingting. What Capacities are Important for International Organizations: Case Study on Professional Position Recruitment Standards in UN's Special Institutes. Comparative Education Review, 36(10):78-84, 2014.
international talents: incorporate the cultivation of international organizations' talents into national strategies, strengthen ties with international organizations, and establish relevant training institutions for international organizations' talents to be cultivated, selected and recommended. The governments should also provide guidances and institutional guarantees for the cultivation of international civil servants' talents in terms of policies. In this regard, the Swiss government could be referred since it considers the presence in international organizations as its diplomatic interest, specifically mentions to increase the number of Swiss employees in international organizations and to assist talented young people to serve in international organizations1. The governments should introduce relevant policies to encourage and support talents with certain qualities to serve in international organizations, and make institutional arrangements from the cultivation, selection and sending of talents to international organizations, to the resettlement and welfare treatment when they back to homelands. At the same time, the government should also make full use of the information service platform to provide training, assessment, recruitment and other important information of international organization talents on the internet.
Requirements for Universities
Universities are important in cultivating talents for international organizations, and they should play their role in constructing solid knowledge system and cultivating language ability to students so as to contribute to cultivating more reserve talents for international organizations. In terms of teaching staff employment, universities could expand the scale of teachers who can use foreign language to take courses, teachers with overseas education background or professional background in international relations and diplomatic studies. Universities also could employ experts with rich working experience in international organizations or experts in international organization issues to give seminars, short-term lectures and provide guidance for students' internship and employment.
In terms of educational aspect, courses related to international organizations should be incorporated into the courses: for example, offering public optional courses related to international organizations, introducing knowledge related to international organizations in specialized courses, establishing training programmes of international organizations talents with overseas universities or international organizations, etc. In particular, universities need to pay attention to the cultivation of values and basic capabilities that international civil servants should have. At the same time, universities should strengthen students' comprehensive foreign language skills: increase the proportion of practical parts such as official writing and diplomatic negotiation in the curriculum design of English courses. Universities also need to support the development and construction of other UN working languages and encourage students to master more than one foreign language.
In terms of guiding practice, universities should carry out long-term cooperation with international organizations, encourage and support students to go to international organizations for internship, so that they can be familiar with the operations of international organizations and have experience working in international organizations, thus giving students an advantage when applying for internship in international organizations or facing the candidate selections of international organizations for employment.
6. Conclusion
The development of globalization has made global governance and international participation increasingly an essential part of international politics, which has given international organizations an important role in dealing with international issues and solving global problems. And as globalization gradually progresses, the influence of international organizations will further increase, the demand for talents in international affairs will further increase as well. Cultivating
1 Li Li. International Organizations and China's Experimental Mechanism. International and Comparative Education, (4): 39-47, 2018.
more talents for international organizations is not only the choice of the era, but also the need of national development. In order to further strengthen the discourse power and international influence as well as to shape a better national image, China and Russia have to take a more active part in the process of international affairs and global governance, emphasize the special role of international civil servants of international organizations in international affairs, and pay more attention to the important role of both governments and universities in the cultivation of international civil servants' talents. These will not only benefit the participation of China and Russia in international affairs and the reasonable demands of their interests which could be better considered in international community, but will also promote the international order in a fairer direction.
The project is funded All Education Department of Jilin Province the "13th Five-year Plan" social science project in 2020 (No. JJKH20201131SK), General Research Project on Teaching Reform of Vocational Education and Adult Education in Jilin Province (2019ZCY323), Jilin Association for Higher Education research project (No. JGJX2019D4).
References:
1. Xu Jingqi and Tan Shujun. Analysis of the Current Situation and Development Trend of International Civil Servants Cultivation in Universities. Theory Search, (11):187-189, 2016.
2. Outline of China's National Medium and Long-term Education Reform and Development Plan (2010-2020). http://www.gov.cn/jrzg/2010-07/29/content_1667143.htm, 2010.
3. Xu Jingqi and Zhang Dan, The Role of International Civil Servants in Public Diplomacy. Theory Search, (04):53-54, 2017.
4. Lemoine Jacques. The International Civil Servant: An Endangered Species. Hague: Kluwer Law International, 1995.
5. Teng Jun and Qu Mei. The Recruitment Standard of International Civil Servant and Its Implications to ICS Preparation in China. Comparative Education Review, 34(09):70-74, 2012.
6. Teng Jun, Qu Mei, Zhu Lingling and Zhang Tingting. What Capacities are Important for International Organizations: Case Study on Professional Position Recruitment Standards in UN's Special Institutes. Comparative Education Review, 36(10):78-84, 2014.
7. Li Li. International Organizations and China's Experimental Mechanism. International and Comparative Education, (4): 39-47, 2018.
8. Liu Mengting, Lu Yingyi and Wang Conghui. A Comparative Study on the Path of Training Talents for International Organizations in Colleges and Universities. EDUCATION AND TEACHING FORUM, (19):5-8, 2021.
9. Zhao Yuan. Study on the Competence of International Civil Servants-An Example of
Professional Category and Director Category in UN. Chinese Public Administration, (02):137-142, 2018.
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ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИК ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ ТАЛАНТОВ В МЕЖДУНАРОДНЫХ ОРГАНИЗАЦИЯХ С ТОЧКИ ЗРЕНИЯ
ГЛОБАЛЬНОГО УПРАВЛЕНИЯ
Ван Ли
кандидат исторических наук, доцент института публичной дипломатии Цзилиньского университета Wangli@jlu.edu.cn Юань Мэн
1 курс магистратуры кафедры российской и постсоветской политологии школы славянских
и восточноевропейских исследований Университетского колледжа Лондона
(Великобритания)
zczlmy2@ucl.ac.uk
Ли Мэнлун
кандидат исторических наук, старший преподаватель института публичной дипломатии
Цзилиньского университета
limenglong@jlu.edu.cn
Аннотация: в последние годы международным гражданским служащим, являющимся одним из важнейших компонентов международных организаций, уделяется все больше и больше внимания. Наличие значительного числа международных гражданских служащих в международных организациях не только позволяет в достаточной степени выражать разумные требования и интересы страны в международных делах, но и в некоторой степени является признаком международного статуса и международного влияния страны. С увеличением всеобъемлющих национальных полномочий и развитием многополярности Китай и Россия постепенно расширили свое международное участие. Однако из-за того, что в международной дискурсивной системе доминируют западные страны, влияние Китая и России на международный дискурс по-прежнему ограничено, международное общественное мнение по отношению к обеим странам остается уязвимым. Между тем, в Китае и России наблюдается большая нехватка международных гражданских служащих, и разумные требования обеих стран почему-то не были должным образом учтены в международных организациях. Сосредоточение внимания на развитии талантов международной гражданской службы является как требованием эпохи, так и требованием национального развития Китая и России. Поэтому, указывая на важность развития талантов международной гражданской службы, в этой статье будет обсуждаться развитие талантов международной гражданской службы для международных организаций в Китае и России в соответствии с их целями формирования лучшего национального имиджа, улучшения международного влияния и содействия построению нового и более справедливого порядка.
Ключевые слова: международные организации, международные государственные служащие, глобальное управление, международное участие
Для цитирования: Wang Li, Yuan Meng, Li Menglong. Research on the characteristics of talent vocational education in international organizations from the perspective of global governance// Архонт, 2022. № 2 (29). С. 118-126.
