Post Residency Essay on Global-Local Challenges in Leadership

This essay examines the challenges of ethics, responsibility, and sustainability in the context of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). The author explores ethical dilemmas, including corruption and environmental degradation, and the UN's role in addressing them. The essay discusses the importance of ethical leadership, partnerships with local communities, and the implementation of sustainability development goals (SDGs). It highlights the need for collaborative leadership and emphasizes the significance of human rights, particularly for women. The author reflects on the impact of the residency experience and advocates for democratic leadership approaches, drawing parallels between the UN's intervention in Kosovo and the need for ethical practices in organizations. The essay also touches upon the role of the United Nations in fostering environmental sustainability and the importance of maintaining ethical business practices.

Running head: POST RESIDENCY ESSAY
Post Residency Essay
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1POST RESIDENCY ESSAY
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Ethics...............................................................................................................................................3
Responsibility..................................................................................................................................4
Sustainability...................................................................................................................................6
Study Case: United Nations Mission in Kosovo.............................................................................9
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................10
References......................................................................................................................................11

2POST RESIDENCY ESSAY
Introduction
The intervention of the United Nations in Kosovo is regarded as a historical incident in
the European history. The main purpose of the intervention by the United Nations was to settle
down the problems in Kosovo and mitigate all the challenges within the country. In short, the
abbreviation form for United Nations Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK is used in the most
appropriate manner. Many ethical issues rose within the region and no other way was left for the
United Nations but to intervene.
In this essay, I will discuss about the management and leadership challenges that the
United Nations had to face in this discourse. Other challenges have been found in the partnership
and leadership approaches within the organization (Beka 2015). The concept of ethics is indeed
very crucial for the shaping the essay to achieve its original purpose. The development programs
implemented in Kosovo will be my focus in this essay. The urge of United Nations to save the
older traditions of the country has been very praiseworthy. The reviews will have to be done on
the basis of environmental issues and its connection with ethics, sustainability and responsibility
of the United Nations that they took control of Kosovo.
Ethics
At first I would like to focus on the ethical challenge of belligerent political leaders in the
country because the political condition of Kosovo was really pathetic by the activities of their
leaders. Their economy was completely destroyed and finance ministry of the country was full of
corruption. The people-centered approach would have been very helpful for the United Nations
to take since they could formulate the problems properly and take the decisive action in this
context. Partnerships with the common people and governments of surrounding countries would

3POST RESIDENCY ESSAY
really be effective for the organization like UN to succeed (Coleman 2014). The unethical
activities of the political leaders pushed Kosovo into darkness and their production levels had
dropped won completely. They were suffering from financial challenges and internal conflicts
were increasing.
Due to the unstable condition in Kosovo, it was very evident that the environment had
suffered. Too much violence has harmed the environmental stability a lot. However, it has also
been noticed that businesses cause environmental harm because of carbon footprint and emission
of polluted gases. The rich countries like Britain, Germany, France and others were getting richer
and smaller countries like Kosovo were getting poorer day by day. The United Nations also shed
its focus on keeping the environmental stability because countries like Kosovo were not able to
maintain the stability by tackling the challenges of environmental pollution. They are unable to
use the renewable energies since their resources are very small. It was the responsibility of the
United Nations to implement the faith based ethics into this matter. Collaboration with the
United Nations would definitely help Kosovo to improve their environmental stability. Several
innovative steps would let them achieve their targets in this scenario.
It is because all the members in this dialogue process from Kosovo are males. Therefore,
it is highly needed for everyone to step up and encourage the women to take stand about their
opinions and expressions (Newman and Schnabel 2014). Women voice was hitherto suppressed
by the organization by the tortures imposed by the male political leaders. This seminar was
indeed of a high rank and it was organized by the United Nations Women and Italy. More than
70% committee members of the Security Council of United Nations voted for the rights of
women.

4POST RESIDENCY ESSAY
If the structure of UNMIK is analyzed in this perspective, it should be declared that the
UNMIK had divided their structures in four pillars. The committee members of the United
Nations kept a strong vigil on all the people in Kosovo. This helped the civilians to stay in peace.
The security personnel deployed by the United Nations Security Council were very sincere and
they created a strong bonding between the common people. They interacted with those
commoners and asked about their complaints (Coelho 2015). Here I find the reflection of the
organizational success through providing proper organizational culture. The concept of the intra-
organizational relationships must be built upon by the stakeholders.
In this case of intervention in Kosovo by the United States, partners in business for UN
are the common people. The government and political leaders betrayed them completely and this
became their ultimate problem. I suppose all the organizations should build up the friendly
atmosphere within their business environment. This would provide them with better results.
Some crucial aspects for building up effective organizational atmosphere are to form cross
functional teams, using all collaborative techniques and technologies and engaging in the
collaborative leadership.
Responsibility
The context of the responsibilities was very high for the chosen United Nations Mission
in Kosovo. United Nations were indeed largely responsible for stopping all the problems that
took place there. The internal administration was completely destroyed. This is why the United
Nations wanted to bring the condition under stability and maintain the status quo there. The
involvement of the United States began in the year 1999 and they wanted to take the
responsibility of a stable government in Kosovo until the internal issues and challenges of the

5POST RESIDENCY ESSAY
country are sorted out (Unmik.unmissions.org 2020). This was completely a peacekeeping
mission and they wanted to set up the interim administration with the peace loving countries.
The responsibility sense of the United Nations became very clear when they took the
initiative of rescuing Kosovo from the hands of lawlessness. They put up several campaigns
within the country making people aware about the environment. They organized the distribution
of clothes among the war torn Kosovars. They also made arrangements for the fund raising
campaigns among the public sphere that helped the economy of the country a lot
(Unmik.unmissions.org 2020).
The Sustainability Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations must be maintained
by Kosovo properly so they will emerge as one of the leading countries in Europe to deal with
climate change. United Nations must be responsible in appointing the business organizations so
they can help the common people in Kosovo. Mass awareness about the climate change must be
initiated there so people will get used to the changes and take precautions to deal with this issue.
United Nations can also work to build up the resilience among the Kosovars so they can be ready
to deal with this issue. Proper balance should be maintained between the people, planet and
profit so this environmental degradation can be stopped. They should be made eligible by the
United Nations to focus on the decision making in climate change issues.
The form of collaborative leadership form had been reflected through the practices of
United Nations through their activities. The partners in the collaboration process have looked to
convince common people (mostly women) that all their rights are ensured and they will not face
any kind of security troubles in the future. I have come across the information that frost is the
reason for their environmental threats. The geographical location of Kosovo in the Balkan region

6POST RESIDENCY ESSAY
is responsible for frost and snow in the country. Therefore, some other alternatives must be
found out that will secure the rights of common people in Kosovo.
The task to be administered by the United Nations was very difficult and complicated at
the same time. Amidst these difficulties, they had set up an infrastructure that would neutralize
all (Bargués-Pedreny 2016). The Security Council of United Nations had given all the rights to
the personnel they deployed. They gave their personnel about the rights over the territorial
regions and all the people in the country. They were also handed down with all sorts of
legislative, judiciary and administrative powers. After few years of these events, it was official
that Kosovo had declared their independence. The new constitution had been forced on 15th June
in the year 2008. The focus of the organization United Nations turned towards security of
everyone in Kosovo especially the women. They wanted to establish proper human rights in the
country so people would not be afraid of living there for the outbreak of civil war like Syria.
Sustainability
The establishment of sustainability was the most useful thing for the people of Kosovo
because they were suffering from the law and order within their jurisdiction. Almost 700
volunteers of the United Nations went on to serve Kosovo and save the common people of the
country (Unmik.unmissions.org 2020). Otherwise it would have been practically impossible
settle for peace in the region. The decade full of civil conflicts had completely destroyed the
internal control of administration over the common people. People wanted a stable government
but most of the politicians were corrupted during that time.
Therefore, it was upon the shoulders of the United Nations to take up the responsibility
and settle for peace with the help of local native people (Unmik.unmissions.org 2020). The

7POST RESIDENCY ESSAY
relentless air strikes had dismantled the law and order of the country and they had to use their
reserve forces to bring the law and order on track. These volunteers of the United Nations had
helped the people of Kosovo with all their skills and energy so they could restart their lives
properly. Here I would like to highlight the fact Kosovo had been going through several
struggles with their internal situations. I also support this principle of participation and inclusion
within the society that helps all the communities in the country to stay together. It had been
recommended by the members of UNDP that policies should be made properly to support the
people and their needs. This would also cater to the overall needs of marginal people in the
society. They have requested all the policymakers that they should combine and engage with
people in the communities. It would be useful for them to address their needs. This will also
cater to implementing their inclusion policies. The people belonging to the civil society would
also ask the decision makers regarding all their activities. Otherwise, they cannot strive in this
multiethnic society.
The stakeholders in the new business opportunities must be made aware by the United
Nations about maintaining the sustainability in the environment. Environmental sustainability
has indeed emerged as one of the biggest challenges. Business profits have become the most
important factors for the organizations these days. In the greed of making profits, most
organization crosses the ethical boundary that they have to maintain the environmental
sustainability. United Nations should always make the people aware that they cannot engage in
profit making business procedures within Kosovo. They will only have to think about the well
being of the country’s environment. Thus, they can maintain the sustainability within the
environment. The legal rules about the carbon footprints must be maintained by the organizations
in Kosovo who will come to conduct business operations there.

8POST RESIDENCY ESSAY
I would like to highlight to all respected readers that International Day of Democracy is
the wake up call to all the governments in the world that they should not suppress the rights of
their citizens. Otherwise, they would feel the outburst of this suppressed rage one day and UNDP
would take strict actions against them. Similarly, I will compare this scenario with organizational
leadership. The leadership program in Kosovo before the intervention of UN was running in an
autocratic manner.
After reading the case of Kosovo intervention by the United Nation, I have come to learn
about the fact that democratic leadership approach should be completely followed in all the
sectors. The democratic theory of leadership is the most appropriate thing in this concern. I
believe all the leaders should value the opinions of their subordinates. This would definitely help
them to run their organization in a smooth manner. This way they will get more views and
opinions from different persons. The autocratic fascism by the Government of Kosovo destroyed
the social structure and economic base of the country.
The contexts of social structure in Kosovo have been very interesting for me to learn in
this scenario. I suppose it is very important to think about the focus on the socioeconomic
structure to analyze why this kind of UN intervention was needed to solve their crisis. Lack of
food and shelter, rapid urbanization by cutting trees, unable to manage the growth of population
and economic conditions of lower middle class people are most crucial reasons for this
degradation. In my personal view, I am quite happy that United Nations had intervened into the
matters of Kosovo because their prior purpose was to save the economy, society, environment
and integrity of Kosovo (Phillipps 2018).

9POST RESIDENCY ESSAY
Study Case: United Nations Mission in Kosovo
The cultural heritage of Kosovo was in deep danger and the United Nations came up with
the aid. The primary initiative had been taken by United Nations Security Council as they wanted
to secure the peace within the country and ensure all the people could live happily and peacefully
(Unmik.unmissions.org 2020). In this concern, they took the steps through which all the people
in Kosovo would be able to lead a normal life despite all the problems that came up then. The
United Nations was very concerned about the peaceful living and security of all the people in the
Balkan region. Therefore, they wanted to make sure that regional security could be there
amongst all the problems among the western Balkans.
UNMIK has to be very much conscious about environmental sustainability in the region.
They should make the programs that will help the Kosovars to remain as a leading country
tackling with environmental challenges. The collaboration and partnership with the finance
ministry must be done by UNMIK so the environmental issues can be sorted out properly.
Biodiversity should be retained within Kosovo so it does not damage the overall environment.
Through engaging in the acts of environmental sustainability, Kosovo should encourage the rise
of global middle class and focus on the economic improvement.
There might be shortage of the resources in the country but they must learn to cope up
with this by the help of UNMIK. Rapid urbanization might also cause harm to the environment
of Kosovo. United Nations must keep this in mind and make the arrangements of shelter for poor
people according to that only. Some other issues that United Nations should look forward to in
this section is to look after the scarcity of water, preventing deforestation rapidly, control the
growth of population, save the renewable energy resources and most importantly establish an

10POST RESIDENCY ESSAY
authoritative control over decline of the ecosystem. All these factors will help Kosovo to thrive
amidst all the challenges.
The establishment of UNMIK was done by the United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1244. This article had been passed in the United Nations in the year 1999 on 10th
June. The international security forces were deployed in Kosovo thereafter after these challenges
of violence came to the front (Unmik.unmissions.org 2020). I think that UNMIK has done a
superb job in Kosovo since they settled for peacekeeping there and helped the country to adjust
to the new social structure. In the later years, Kosovo had prepared their constitution (Skendaj
2014).
However, it should be mentioned that overall day-to-day operations of UNMIK has got
down today. The results of this UN mission have been excellent in terms of their social security,
health and welfare of all the common people. From this scenario, I must point out the fact that
purpose of all the organizations is to keep all their stakeholders happy to provide a smooth
business (Patomäki 2018). If the companies cannot keep their employees happy, it is definite that
employees would not be able to deliver best kind of efforts if they are not given security and
treated with development programs. Similarly, Kosovo was the victim of ill treatment of their
people by the government and military forces.
Conclusion
In the concluding part of the essay, I should again say that collaborative and partnership
are the two most interesting things for the success of any entity whether private or government.
The intervention of United Nations in Kosovo has been one of the most inspiring steps that world
has seen. The relentless efforts put in by the United Nations personnel to establish peaceful

11POST RESIDENCY ESSAY
environment through the interim government is definitely the best outcome for the people of
Kosovo. The partnership between all the people of Kosovo and UN’s attempt to engage with
them are really something to be proud of. Through this experience, I have learned about the
importance of partnership to gain better outcomes.

12POST RESIDENCY ESSAY
References
Bargués-Pedreny, P., 2016. From promoting to de-emphasizing ‘ethnicity’: Rethinking the
endless supervision of Kosovo. Journal of Intervention and Statebuilding, 10(2), pp.222-240.
Beka, A., 2015. The Kosovo education for sustainable development's role in promoting the
decade of education for sustainable development in Kosovo. Applied Environmental Education
& Communication, 14(2), pp.126-131.
Coelho, J., 2015. Building state failure in Kosovo?. Contemporary Southeastern Europe, 2(2),
pp.7-15.
Coleman, K.P., 2014. The political economy of UN peacekeeping: Incentivizing effective
participation. Providing for Peacekeeping, 7(7), pp.1-44.
Eckhard, S., 2014. Bureaucratic representation and ethnic bureaucratic drift: A case study of
United Nations minority policy implementation in Kosovo. The American Review of Public
Administration, 44(5), pp.600-621.
Newman, E. and Schnabel, A., 2014. Recovering from civil conflict: reconciliation, peace and
development. Routledge.
Patomäki, H., 2018. Kosovo and the end of the United Nations?. In Mapping European Security
After Kosovo. Manchester University Press.
Phillipps, J., 2018. The role of epistemic communities: Local think tanks, international
practitioners and security sector reform in Kosovo. Southeast European and Black Sea
Studies, 18(2), pp.281-299.

13POST RESIDENCY ESSAY
Radin, A., 2014. Analysis of current events:“towards the rule of law in Kosovo: EULEX should
go”. Nationalities papers, 42(2), pp.181-194.
Skendaj, E., 2014. Creating Kosovo: International oversight and the making of ethical
institutions. Cornell University Press.
Terziev, V. and Brava, F., 2018. The role of the security policy in Kosovo. Available at SSRN
3276596.
Unmik.unmissions.org (2020). UNMIK. [online] UNMIK. Available at:
https://unmik.unmissions.org/ [Accessed 21 Feb. 2020].