Update: UN General Assembly Approves Reform of Dispute System

The General Assembly today responded to what it termed the "slow, cumbersome, ineffective and lacking in professionalism" United Nations system of internal justice, with its "flawed" administrative review, by mandating the first overhaul since its creation six decades ago with a pledge to redress these problems. According to General Assembly President Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, the reforms include:

A more robust informal system with the emphasis on resolving a large number of disputes between staff and managers before they go to "litigation" - a strengthened Ombudsman function for the Secretariat and its Funds and Programmes that will be integrated, yet de-centralized and with the capacity to conduct formal mediation services.

The new system is expected to be fully functional in January 2009. (UN News Centre; Khalifa's Comments; via On Holiday Travel; prior post UN Considers Unified Ombuds Office.)