The international civil service: the traditional concept

Purpose: The study of formation of the traditional concept of the international civil service. Methodology: Historical-legal method and formal-legal method Results: The authors identifies four basic principles on which the concept of the international civil service is built. The first principle is that employees of international organizations should to a certain extent abandon its national loyalty and take into account when carrying out their duties only the interests of the international organization, which they serve. The second principle is impartiality. The third principle - independence. The fourth principle suggests that the staff of an international organization should be selected primarily on the basis of personal qualities and merits of the candidates. There was identified the influence of the British concept of the public service on the formation of the traditional concept of the international civil service. It was found that the ideal international civil service shall consist of permanent career officials recruited on the basis of their personal qualities and achievements that will put the interests of the organization above any other interests. It was also found that with increasing number of member states of the UN, the acceptability of the traditional concept has been questioned. Novelty/originality/value: The article presents a comprehensive historical and legal analysis of the formation of the International Civil Service concept.