NCJ Number
222916
Date Published
2006
Length
42 pages
Annotation
This publication is intended to assist United Nations field staff in addressing the challenges of institutional and personnel reform in postconflict states through the creation of vetting processes that exclude from public institutions persons who lack integrity.
Abstract
The report consists of three major sections. One section addresses the concept of vetting in the context of institutional reform and transitional justice. The second section focuses on the political conditions of postconflict or postauthoritarian reform, identifying the sources of a personnel reform mandate, recommending priorities in transitional personnel reform, and proposing the development of a public consultation and information strategy. The operational guidelines themselves are presented in the third section. The operational guidelines provide a methodology for developing context-specific vetting and personnel reform programs. The report advises that although the three basic steps of the proposed methodology should be followed--assess the situation, define the objectives, and design the process--these guidelines should be used as a resource rather than an operating manual. Although international law requires states to adopt measures, including vetting, to prevent the recurrence of human rights abuses, there is significant flexibility regarding the form of such processes. Vetting strategies should address the unique historical, social, and political challenges of each society that is confronting a legacy of serious human rights abuses and seeking to reform institutions in order to prevent the recurrence of such abuses. Various types of public institutions also are associated with specific concerns, so vetting strategies must respond to the particular requirements of the institution being staffed. The guidelines also emphasize that the challenges of transition require a comprehensive approach to institutional reform, with vetting being but one aspect of institutional reform.