Looking for lawyers who help employees of international organisations fight their fights?

International Administrative Lawyers

AAPC focuses it's time and expertise on supporting survivors and other complainants of prohibited conduct and matters related to a complaint of prohibited conduct. We provide pro bono consultations to all callers and undertake legal counselling to make sure the complainant can make the most informed decision in seeking justice from international administrative tribunals.

We appreciate this is a very niche and indeed limited area within international administrative law. Staff and other employees face a range of issues, a whole range of which can (and do) also arise from a prior complaint of prohibited conduct. So as to be able to make sure that every person who speaks with us gets the best and most suited help for them and their cases, AAPC has had to look for other lawyers with knowledge of this rather specialised area of law. Over time, we have accumulated the names and contact details of established practitioners of the law that applies to international civil service, also called law of international organisations. We hope this list of attorneys, with a range of different specialties such as EU bodies, INGOs, or international financial institutions and many more, can help the people who need it over a greater range of subjects.

I wish to acknowledge the lists of lawyers prepared by a range of United Nations Staff Unions and Associations, particularly FICSA, which resulted in the first few names on this compilation. While AAPC knows and refers cases to some of these lawyers, this list does not comprise in any way an endorsement of the individuals or the services they offer. Please contact us should you wish to be included on this list.

 

1. Ms. Priyanka Chirimar (Singapore)

Speciality: UN system

Email: counsel@aapc.legal

Phone: +65 82652517

2. Ms. Rose Marie Dennis (Reston, WA)

Specialty: International financial organisations

Email: rmdennis@aapc.legal

Phone: +1 703 391 6211

3. Ms. Maddalena Ghezzi (The Hague)

Speciality: UN System

Email: mghezzi@aapc.legal

Phone: +31 614373551

4. Ms. Neha Dubey (Perth)

Specialty: International Organisations

Email: neha@modu.law

Phone: +44 7707 469772

 

5. Ms. Ludovica Moro (Vienna)

Specialty: International Organisations

Email: ludovica@modu.law

Phone: +43 676 6855658

6. Ms. Monica Bileris (New York)

Specialty: UN system

Email: monika.bileris@gmail.com

Phone:+1 (917) 826 4588

7. Ms. Maria Teresa Cirelli (Rome)

Specialty: International Organisations

Email: mariateresa.cirelli@libero.it

Phone: + 39 347 125 89 97

8. Ms. Amel Oummih (New York)

Specialty: International Organisations

Email: info@oummihlawgroup.com

Phone: +1 (718) 433-9993

 

9. Ms. Nathalie Rossette-Cazel (Geneva)

Specialty: UN system

Email: avaiki@mac.com

Phone: +33 6 175 11551

 

10. Ms. Carolin Alvermann (Geneva)

Specialty: International Organisations

Email: carolin@alverlaw.ch

Phone: +41 21 802 28 72

 

11. Ms. Héloïse Bajer-Pellet (Paris)

Specialty: International Organisations

Email: Avocat@Bajer.fr

Phone: +(33) 1 73 72 51 36

 

12. Mr. George Irving (Salem, MA)

Specialty: UN system

Email: GIrving030@aol.com

Phone: +1 508-843-2590

 

13. Mr. Laurence C. Fauth (Vienna)

Specialty: International Organisations

Email: info@unattorney.com

Phone: +43664 205 8458

 

14. Mr. Edward J. Freeman (Orlando, FL)

Specialty: UN agencies, funds, and programmes

Email: Equityintern2inc@cs.com

Phone: +1 (202) 468 9850

 

15. Mr. Alex Haines (London)

Specialty: International financial organisations

Email: alex.haines@outertemple.com

Phone: +44 (0)7752 020198

 

16. Mr. Giovanni Michele Palmieri (Dakar)

Specialty: EU bodies

Email: gio.mi.palmieri@gmail.com

Phone: +33 650 44 55 96

 

17. Mr. Geoffrey Roberts (The Hague)

Specialty: International Organisations

Email: info@geoffrey-roberts.net

Phone: +31 6 169 50869

 

18. Mr. Christopher Bollen (Geneva)

Specialty: UN system

Email: cb@advise.ch

Phone: +41 022 318 56 36

 

19. Mr. Jean-Didier Sicault (Paris)

Specialty: UN specialized agencies

Email: cabsicault@free.fr

Phone: +33 1 463 36270

 

20. Mr. Timothy Lemay (Vienna)

Specialty: UN system

Email: tlemay1090@gmail.com    

Phone: +43 699 11666067

 

21. Mr. Edward Patrick Flaherty (Geneva)

Specialty: International Organisations

Email: flaherty@sfalegal.com

Phone: +41 022 840 5000

22. Mr. Grégory Thuan Dit Dieudonne (Strasbourg)

Specialty: EU Bodies

Email: contact@thuan-avocat.fr

Phone: +33 (0)9 83 29 93 15

23. Mr. Felix Ross (Renningen)

Specialty: International Organisations

Email: ross@rosslaw.de

Phone: +49 (0)7159 4979767

24. Mr. Joseph Lehmann Amisi (Nairobi)

Speciality: UN System

Email: info@lehmann.co.ke

Phone: +254 715 547 696

25. Mr. Anguel Anastassov (Vienna)

Speciality: International Organisations

Email: anguelanastassov@hotmail.com

Phone: +43664 3900 623

FAO – Food and Agriculture organization

IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency

ICC - International Criminal Court

ILO - International Labour Organization

IMO - International Maritime Organization

INTERPOL

IOM - International Organization for Migration

OECD - Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization

OPCW - Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

OSCE - Organization for security and cooperation in Europe

UNO - United Nations Organization Secretariat

UNAIDS - Joint Unirted Nations Programs on HIV/AIDS

UNDP - United Nations Development Programme

UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

UNF - United Nations Population Fund

UNHCR - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

UNOPS - United Nations Office of Project Services

World Bank

WFP - World Food Programme

WHO - World Health Organization

WIPO - World Intellectual Property Organization

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

EIB - European Investment Bank

European Parliament

ESO - European Southern Observatory

European Union of Intellectual Property

CDSP Missions and Operations

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Zero Tolerance Must Translate to Zero Tolerance in Action

Limited to no progress towards this promise and no indication that it will be achieved in a reasonable timeframe.

This promise has not been achieved, and although progress is underway, much more work needs to be done. There may also be problems with the actions taken so far that undermine the usefulness of action towards this promise.

This promise has been achieved, or strong positive progress has been made, even if some work needs to be done.

The UN Secretary General, Antonio Guteress, made a slew of promises and assurances on combating sexual harassment and abuse (SHA) in the UN. Guteress accepted that the UN had failed to gain the trust of its staff to come forward against misconduct because it had failed to stand by previous complainants. Over a period of 24 months since late 2016, he called on staff to Speak Up against harassment when they see it and to support staff who report it, while himself committing to stronger policies on reporting, retaliation and investigation, as well as a rapid response system.

When one condenses all the Secretary General’s “Zero Tolerance Must Translate to Zero Tolerance in Action” speeches from late 2016 to early 2019, they can be distilled into 10 key commitments. Since accountability is essential in targeting and addressing prohibited conduct, we tracked how the UN was performing on these promises. The following assessments are based purely on our analysis of the limited information on progress available through public domain material.

This assessment focusses on new commitments, made in the wake of the #MeToo campaign and does not cover policy changes prior (e.g. revising the whistleblower policy and the gender parity policy).

Hire SHA specialised investigators OIOS and train all existing investigators in SHA related skills

Six SHA specialised investigators were appointed globally and report to the OIOS representative in New York. It is UNKNOWN whether all existing investigators were trained on SHA related skills.

This promise seeks to improve internal resourcing to investigate and respond to complaints. Therefore, it is concerning that the Office of Staff Legal Assistance (OSLA) has been ignored. Without legal support, neither the complainant nor the accused can navigate the complex internal justice mechanism. Sadly, complainants are frequently advised that they will not require legal support during the internal investigations. The OIOS has seen over 200% increase in SHA complaints since 2016-17 while OSLA continues to work with 12 lawyers for the UN Secretariat global workforce. A holistic assessment of overall staffing needs would be a useful step for achieving the intent of this promise.

All SHA complaints will be treated as 'category A' complaints and investigated directly by the OIOS

Despite being applied for all new cases, the 2019 anti-harassment policy of UN does not make it part of the promised responses. Also, older cases continue to languish without the 'upgrade'.

The process of reporting and investigating SHA to be streamlined, with 3 months deadline and a victim-centric approach

The 2019 anti-harassment policy has done the exact opposite of this promise by completely removing any time line from the investigation and resolution process. Effectively, the SG has backtracked on this commitment.

Launch a 24 hours helpline

The SpeakUp helpline in New York HQ and can be reached at: +1 917-367-8910.

UN duty stations in Addis Abba, Bangkok, Beirut, Geneva, New York, Nairobi, Santiago, and Vienna can use extension: 78910. Peacekeeping or political mission personnel must dial an addition prefix: 1212-78910.

That said, these numbers are difficult to recall or use, especially for staff not in the United States; the helpline is staffed by volunteers, rather than a trained dedicated team; and volunteers are not equipped for tele-counselling but rather provide directory services for the most appropriate port of help for the caller.

Conduct a system-wide staff survey on sexual harassment

The Safe Spaces Survey was conducted by Deloitte and published in mid-January 2019.

The survey found 1 in 3 women in the UN face sexual harassment, rising to 1 in 2 for interns, consultants and temp staff (i.e. those on precarious, insecure contracts with greater dependency on supervisors for their UN careers). However, no actions have been identified to respond to this finding, particularly considering the escalating use of short-term and insecure employment arrangements partly as a cost-cutting measure.

Revise internal training modules on SHA, retaliation, ethics, etc.

The mandatory training on the SGB on harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and abuse of authority has been revised. UNKNOWN whether other training have been updated too.

To improve the impact of preventive measures such training, expert behavioural change trainers need to be involved in the design and delivery of any new training.

Harmonise internal rules, policies, and procedures to address SHA as well as to take similar measures

All efforts and discussion for harmonisation of the anti-harassment policy has met with such great resistance that we don't expect this to ever pass! Even the very basic - a common definition of sexual harassment - cannot be agreed by UN bodies, who believe they are all different & unique and need a fit-for-purpose policy.

Create UN system-wide HR screening database of 'confirmed' perpetrators

Clearcheck is available to all UN bodies internally, and maybe opened up to the development/ humanitarian sector at large if proven useful.

However, it continues to face a lot of resistance and concerns on privacy and data storage grounds. As per the progress report, the database is in use but not widely yet. Time will tell whether it is faithfully updated or referenced.

Rebuild trust in the organisation

Through the IASC Champion on SEA and SH, there are efforts for leadership commitment to rebuild trust by bringing to light cases themselves rather than covering up; worrying less about reputation by focusing on follow up and self-reporting; making disclosure obligations for applicants to prevent rehiring of offenders and waiving immunity. OCHA created a fund of $1 million to support and speed up investigations on SEA and SH. However, noting the grave reputational damage from SEA, it is expected that the primary focus of a "joint" mandate on SEA and SHA will remain on beneficiaries rather than what the UN views as “blue-on-blue” transgressions.

Unequivocal commitment to not invoke immunity for those accused of SHA & develop a code of conduct for delegates to the UN

UNKNOWN when and how immunity will be waived, but it certainly has not happened yet!

In existing and ongoing cases, where the Secretary General had invoked immunity, he continues to stress it to protect the officials accused to shield them from local and/or other legal proceedings.

There is no update on code of conduct for delegates visiting the UN and the latest Handbook does not even mention the anti-harassment policy.