Conference with the British Association of Former United Nations Civil Servants at LIMUN 2025

written by Grace Lituba, Journalist, LIMUN 2025

The British Association of Former United Nations Civil Servants, founded on 21 July 1977, brings together all those who have worked for the United Nations system and have ties to the United Kingdom. Once again this year, the Career Paths Programme of Limun Foundation had the privilege of welcoming them to share their invaluable insights with LIMUN attendees. The theme of the Career Paths panel was “Navigating the UN System: What It Means to Work for the UN”, featuring panelists Tomoko Nishimoto, Nicholas Rosellini, and Stephen Rudgard. As the instagram invitation was saying “Whether you’re aspiring to make an impact in international affairs or looking to explore diverse career avenues post-UN service, this event is for you”. 

Values and Missions at the core of The United Nations 

Our panelists revisited the role of the United Nations, allowing everyone to return to the fundamentals. This meeting was particularly insightful as it brought discussions back to the basics and provided key insights. 

Nicholas Rosellini was the first to highlight the foundational nature of the UN Charter. The preamble of the Charter begins as follows “We the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights,[...] and for these ends to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security [...]”. This is precisely what Rosellini emphasized: peacebuilding, development, human rights, and humanitarian rights are at the core of UN agencies.

The panelists also pointed out that funding allocation among UN agencies is not equitable. In fact, peacekeeping and humanitarian work receive significantly more funds than other UN agency programs. This raises critical questions: Why are these areas prioritized more than others? To what extent is this prioritization justified? And how effective is it in practice? These questions are particularly relevant to the various UN agencies represented at the LIMUN conference. According to Stephen Rudgard, funding challenges push UN agencies to highlight individuals who have the ability to secure financial support. 

The Panelists Background 

After a general presentation of the UN, we moved on to the part the delegates had been eagerly awaiting: the career paths. Indeed, even though we participate in MUN - whether for the first time or for a while - opportunities to meet people who work in the field and within UN agencies are rare. This is why the chance to meet them and understand their career journeys is so important. 

Tomoko Nishimoto is a Senior Leader in International Development, Humanitarian, and Human Rights Work, with extensive experience in Africa and Asia. After earning a Master’s degree at Sophia University, she began her career within the UN - and never left! 

Nicholas Rosellini has been the United Nations Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Program Resident Representative in the People’s Republic of China since October 2016 and is now retired. He worked a lot around Asia and Africa. He studied economics. 

Stephen Rudgard is the vice chair of BAFUNCS. With almost 40 years of experience in areas related to sustainable agriculture - with a scientist background as well - and food security in tropical countries, he is currently an independent agricultural strategy and policy expert, and is working part-time for FAO. 

It was with tremendous enthusiasm that each panelist shared their career path, and ultimately, they were all different, all impressive, and all unique. 

How do I integrate the United Nations ? 

Regarding the degrees and the ways to integrate the UN, the panelists made it clear: all roads lead to Rome but if you want to succeed in this area the best thing is to have a specialized master degree depending on what you are interested in. According to them, having a PhD is not mandatory but having a degree is important. 

For our panelists, if you want to work at the UN, you must carry strong values and be driven by the need to have a social impact internationally. “You feel like you are in the right place [...], you are sharing values (with your coworkers) and supporting each other” said Tomoko Nishimoto. 

Also, as a woman, she wanted to make it clear that women are treated equally within the UN and that the work ethic is actually a “role model”, since “you have female bosses that you can look up to”. 

Furthermore, as a civil servant you travel a lot. We could see in Tomoko’s eyes that she had traveled extensively—from Barbados to Lesotho, she had circled the globe more than once. She could also testify to the fact that we live in a deeply connected world, and when you work with the UN, you are truly part of this international network. She gave us an example: “A huge quake in Pakistan meant that Zambia could not get blankets - everything that is happening in the world is part of your job”, so working at the UN really makes you feel concerned! Nicholas added that it is one of the only jobs where “you can zoom in and zoom out” as you can work on headquarters or around the world. 

While explaining all the benefits of working as a UN civil servant, the panelists also didn’t forget to mention the downsides. They explained that it becomes difficult when you have a family even if the UN makes sure that you are covered by any means. Similarly, sometimes you have to adapt to the country's requirements in order to fit in and to have access to it which can raise questions about gender, race, sexual orientations as well. Some positions require rotational work, while others do not, depending on the agency - “so you have to think both short and long term”. Tomoko Nishimoto made it clear there are questions you should ask yourself before you take the decisions to work for the UN such as where do you want to 

live, how often do you want to move etc. Aware of the struggle of choosing to live abroad - even if they absolutely loved it - the former UN civil servants gave us clues and made sure that we realised what it meant to work abroad. 

Advice from experienced Former UN civil servants 

But now, you may ask yourself, "Who should I be?” The panelists made sure the attendees left with advice that would stay with them for a long time and potentially guide them toward their professional path. Assertiveness, patience, teamwork, skill-sharing, and “bringing parties together” are some of the most important skills that those aspiring to join the UN should develop! But we couldn’t end this panel without questions, and among them was one related to the current status of the UN. The question was: “Regarding the international situation, what are the three most urgent issues that the United Nations should tackle in order to improve the pursuit of multilateralism and peacebuilding?”. To that, the panelists replied that the UN will not look the same in the future, but the nature of this change is unpredictable. The UN has evolved, and its role in different countries has changed. However, they emphasized that criticism of the UN arises because governments are complex and driven by the interests of member states. They reminded us that delegations represent national interests that may not have the same trajectories as others and that obviously can come with challenges. 

Additionally, the operational unit needs to adapt to upcoming changes, as the world is changing fast - climate change, widespread diseases, diplomatic crises. The operational unit still struggles to be fully operational when it is needed the most. 

This brings us back to the issue of the veto and the Security Council. The question of UN reform, particularly concerning the Security Council has been a recurring topic in international discussions. Reform proposals have emphasized the need for greater efficiency, improved coordination at the country level, and a more representative Security Council. The ongoing debates within the UN General Assembly and the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) process highlight deep divisions among member states, with disagreements over expanding permanent membership and limiting the use of the veto. National interests often take precedence, contributing to decision-making deadlock and reinforcing criticisms that the system is in need of reform. 

This year the conference is directing a great deal of attention on reflecting on the role of diplomacy and its impact on humanity. Regarding the conference’s theme, having these former-un civil servants around was a huge chance to get knowledge about the gigantic world of international relations in order to realise that not only it is reachable but also it carries as much fun as it carries exciting experiences!