Global Values in International Organisations 411The UN Oath of Office is modelled, it is believed, on a similar oath
of office required of the staff who worked for the League of Nations, the
United Nations’ predecessor institution. And that oath was based on a
comparable oath required of either German or British civil servants,
during the early 20th century. So, the language of the UN Oath of Office
is deeply historical, imbued with tradition, and Victorian in sentimentali-
ty and language.
The Oath does have embedded within it very specific ethical virtues,
which through the instrumentality of the public declaration, become
incumbent upon each staff member. However, these virtues must be
teased out of the language of the oath, before they can be made explicit
and thus meaningful.
What are these virtues hidden within the UN Oath of Office? In
modern parlance, they include:
- Loyalty
- Discretion
- Promise keeping
- Ethical mindfulness
- Independence
- Objectivity
- Respect for authority
- Accountability
- Integrity
32.2.2 The Standards of Conduct for the International Civil Service
We then examine the Standards of Conduct for the International Civ-
il Service, as promulgated by the International Civil Service Commis-
sion (ICSC) and then subsequently adopted by the highest legislative
body of each of the UN system agencies that collectively participate in
UN Common System. The most recent adoption of the Standards of
Conduct occurred in 2013 through resolution of the UN General Assem-