Leaving the United Nations & Coming Back at a Leadership Position

Having extensive experience conducting executive search assignments for the United Nations across diverse agencies and international organizations, specializing in senior and executive levels up to Assistant Secretary-General/Under-Secretary-General positions, I have gained a unique perspective on how top leaders ascend to the highest echelons. This experience has allowed me to discern common patterns shared by most leaders and explore how outliers navigate the United Nations recruitment system. I delve into when and why exceptions are acceptable, drawing on my extensive knowledge of career pathways that the most astute professionals leverage to accelerate their careers.

In this article, I address a prevalent challenge faced by United Nations staff from developed countries, where citizens from these nations tend to be overrepresented at senior executive levels. Consequently, many find themselves stagnating at the same level for extended periods. This issue has become increasingly pronounced as emerging economies worldwide produce highly qualified professionals at an unprecedented rate.

While various options exist, I will focus on one that may not initially seem like the obvious career step. However, time and again, professionals have achieved remarkable results by adopting this particular career strategy. I will explore the obstacles they encounter along this path and provide insights on overcoming them.

Additionally, I will consider whether this strategy is applicable to nationals from emerging economies and developing nations. Importantly, I offer recommendations on the most effective approaches for them to attain higher seniority at the United Nations in a shorter timeframe.