International organizations and local staff: the case of Sarajevo

Addressing human resource development is an essential dimension of the transition process from war to peace. This chapter argues that local staff members hired by international aid agencies are more than employees. They represent an important segment of broader local capacities and a key element in the process of post-war recovery where a lack of resources generally limits direct employment and other forms of assistance to the most vulnerable conflict-affected groups (Carbonnier, 1998). By employing personnel from the region, international aid agencies have, in our view, the opportunity to expand the impact of their intervention. Having set out the wider debate surrounding the humanitarian employment sector, this chapter will recommend that agencies should aim to draw maximum benefit from the potential capacities that the involvement of local staff provides. They should, we suggest, use the chance to empower staff to confront, and positively respond to, the challenges of postwar development.