424 Global Ethics for Leadership
32.5.2 Particular Role of the International Civil Service Commission
(ICSC)
The International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) is an independ-
ent expert body established by the United Nations General Assembly. Its
mandate is to regulate and coordinate the conditions of service of staff
serving in all of the entities that belong to the UN System. Though not
part of the UN Secretariat, the ICSC is critical in setting the framework
within which UN staff members perform their jobs. The nature of the
international civil service is the domain of this body that meets to set the
wages, terms, and conditions of employment. It is the ICSC that sets the
overall parameters for employment of UN staff members.
The vast majority of the work of the ICSC focuses upon wages, ben-
efits, and other conditions of employment. However, the ICSC has also
promulgated the Standards of Conduct for the International Civil Ser-
vice. These Standards are presented as guidance—not as regulations and
rules—and are an effort to describe in behavioral terms precisely what is
it that international civil servants must do to demonstrate personal integ-
rity. The Preamble to the 2013 version of the standards states:
“They exist to inform, but also to inspire us and, when needed, to
provide explanations. They reflect the philosophical underpin-
nings of the international civil service and inform its con-
science.” 332
The Standards have certainly informed the UN Ethics Office’s work.
However, the work of both entities continues in parallel, with limited
interaction. This may be attributed to their differing scopes: The ICSC is
a standard-setting body, independent and international, impacting the
employment relationships of all staff who are part of the UN Common
System. The Ethics Office focuses primarily on the ethical attributes,
332
ICSC Standards of Conduct, page 2.