Duty of Care, obligations for international organizations deploying civilian personnel: OSCE hosts a workshop in Vienna on October 17 to present a study coordinated by Sant’Anna School researchers

The OSCE Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe will host a workshop on Wednesday, October 17 in Vienna Hofburg Palace to present the study “The Duty of Care of International Organizations towards Their Civilian Personnel. Legal Obligations and Implementation Challenges (Springer, T.M.C ASSER Press, 2018) by A. de Guttry, M. Frulli, E. Greppi, and C. Macchi. Esteemed academics will join the authors to discuss how to ensure safety and security of employees of international organizations conducting missions in crisis or conflict areas. Andrea de Guttry, Full Professor at the Dirpolis (Law, Politics and Development) Institute and his colleagues of the University of Florence and the University of Turin reflected on the broader implications of the duty of care obligations for organizations deploying personnel to multilateral missions and conducted a critical assessment of the policies and practices of the employers.  

For the past decade, international organizations have conducted a series of workshops and seminars to discuss the employer’s responsibility for the health, safety, security and well-being of their globally mobile employees. “Once employers assumed greater awareness of their Duty of Care responsibilities, all organizations needed more research, tools and advice to follow up on their activities undertaken” said Professor Andrea de Guttry. This Duty of Care benchmarking study is a comprehensive research publication on the topic. As a result, measurement instruments were designed to assess employer practices and provide empirical support to ONU, OSCE, NATO, the Council of Europe and the European Union members.

This event in Vienna will also provide an opportunity for research exchange and a basis for further reflection and dialogue with academics from the university of Vienna, ONU, OSCE, and the European Union representatives, Ambassador Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger (Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations Office at Geneva) and Ambassador Alessandro Azzoni  (Permanent Representative of Italy to OSCE).

“We are honored to be invited to present our unprecedented investigation into relevant jurisprudence and legal sources” – commented Andrea de Guttry. “This research fills a gap in the existing academic literature on the topic and is aimed particularly at academics and practitioners interested in the legal implications of the deployment and protection of civilian personnel”.

For additional information: Chiara Macchi – chiara.macchi@santannapisa.it

Cover photo: OSCE Headquarters at the Hofburg Palace