After an independent UN panel found the existing justice system at the organization to be “…inefficient, dysfunctional and lacking in independence,” the international body embarked on the process of internal reform. As part of these reforms, the panel proposed and the Secretary-General endorsed plans to replace the current Panel of Counsel with a new Office of Staff Legal Assistance (OSLA). This office would serve as an advocate for staff members be responsible for receiving requests for legal services, investigate the claims to be filed, and defend the interests of personnel of the UN Secretariat and its Funds and Programmes in employment-related disputes.
Following consultations with the Under Secretary for Management of the United Nations Secretariat, GAP undertook a study of possible models and recommendations for OSLA, using both national and international precedents as a guide.