op 18 front pages-converted - The Watson Institute for International ...

The highest rate of personnel turnover came during the
start-up phase. At that time, various organizations fielded
assessment teams and then follow-up contingents to rent
office space, hire local staff, and lay the groundwork for
operational activities. The initial UNHCR cadre included personnel
quickly transferred from other field positions around
the world. Some were fresh from operations winding down in
northern Iraq and Central America. Others came on temporary
assignment from headquarters in Geneva. Still others
were provided by governments and NGOs.
UNHCR quickly activated arrangements formalized with
the Norwegian and Danish Refugee Councils after the Persian
Gulf crisis to access expertise outside the U.N. on short notice.
By September 1993, the Norwegian Council was providing 72
personnel. Together, the two councils supplied more than ten
percent of UNHCR’s staff for this emergency.
The early progress was characterized by quick personnel
decisions and short-term commitments, and the situation took
a while to stabilize. A succession of ten program managers in
the UNHCR office in Split before early 1993 undermined
activities along the Dalmatian coast and in central Bosnia and
hampered development of productive working relationships
with the many NGOs there. The management of program
operations throughout Croatia from Zagreb also suffered
from early ins and outs. It was not until early 1993 that the Split
and Zagreb positions were anchored by seasoned professionals
who provided a steadiness that had been lacking in responding
to the widening crisis during 1992.
It is difficult to assess the overall quality of U.N. leadership
in the region. UNHCR benefited from continuity in senior
positions, with its first Special Envoy serving for 19 months
and its Belgrade chief serving there for four years, beginning
long before the crisis. Transitions in the senior ranks of WHO
and UNICEF happened sooner. UNPROFOR had one head of
Civil Affairs during the period covered by this report.
While the quality of leadership provided by such persons
is a separate matter, their continuous presence among fastmoving
events and otherwise rapid personnel turnover was
undoubtedly positive in the face of a steady stream of missions,
visitors, and staff. While most of its appeals were prop-
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