About the Guest

Mr. Haoliang Xu of China, Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme

On 26 June 2023, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment of Haoliang Xu of China as Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Mr. Xu has been serving as the Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, UNDP since 2019. His extensive background also includes his time as the UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, a position he held between 2013 and 2019.

Review of Lecture

On the morning of June 26, 2023, the online lecture “The Path to be a Qualified International Civil Servant” was successfully held in 401 Lide Building, Renmin University of China, by Mr. Haoliang Xu, then Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the UNDP. Professor Cui Shoujun, Vice Dean of the School of Global Governance, RUC, Li Lianjing, Director of the School Office, and Ye Jian, Secretary General of the Student Secretariat, attended the lecture.

Lecture Content

First of all, Cui Shoujun delivered a welcome speech to express his gratitude to the participants before giving abriefly introduction to Mr. Haoliang Xu’s work experience in the UN.Following that, Xu shared information about the United Nations system, the responsibility of UNDP, and his own work experience in the UN in detail.

Proceeding from the mission of the United Nations, Xu first introduced the practice of human rights, peace and development in international affairs, with special emphasis on the importance of current development projects and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

UNDP is the largest multilateral non-reimbursable aid agency in the United Nations system, with intellectual support centers for innovative development in Rome, Seoul, Singapore and other places. Currently, it has more than 20,000 employees. “Focusing on the sustainable development goals, UNDP is making continuous efforts to solve the debt crisis faced by many countries in the world”, said Xu Hao Liang. Xu believed that Chinese talents who areinterested in international organizations can make more contributions to China’s development on the world stage and to the development of the world in the future.

Mr. Haoliang Xu then introduced the requirements of UNDP and provided students with valuable advices on job hunting based on his own experience. He noted that, in addition to academic and language requirements, UNDP set store by candidates’ work experience in developing countries. The work of UNDP mainly covers poverty alleviation, rule of law, governance, development financing, intelligent disaster mitigation, etc., which puts forward higher requirements on the comprehensive quality of staff, requiring staff not only to have relevant knowledge of traditional disciplines in the field of development, economy and law, but also be capable of handling emerging technologies such as data processing, artificial intelligence, GIS, etc. Mr. Xu Hao Liang then explained the importance of the 'T' shaped knowledge structure, emphasizing that future talents of international organizations should not only broaden their knowledge, but also have certain in-depth research in specific fields. In terms of the job application process, Mr. Xu suggested that job seekers in international organizations should be ambitious and flexible.

Speaking of job-hunting experience in international organizations, Xu Hao Liang highlighted “leadership”. According to the relevant United Nations documents, leadership includes the ability to organize and coordinate affairs independently, the ability to work as a team, and the ability to coordinate in the field, etc. He also pointed out that teamwork requires the leader and members to discuss and accommodate different opinions based on mutual trust. Besides, it also means each person should work hard for the team’s shared goals, and achieve the final purpose through coordination and cooperation among the team.

In the end, Mr. Xu,proceeding from his own experience, pointed out that the most important qualityof a United Nations staff member is to understand oneself and choose a position that suits one’s strengths and interests. Xu Hao Liang believed that working in the UN is a process of continuous learning and improvement, hoping young ambitious people can continue to improve themselves, make clear self-planning, and contribute to global governance.

Question and Answer Session

Q: The domestic information about job vacanciesat the UN is always limited, making it hard to get the job. What is the solution?

A: I think there are currently many vacancies in international organizations. Talents with expertise are always needed. Students can first accumulate experience in relevant platforms, which are not necessarily confined to international organizations, but also include private enterprises. The key is to find your own strengths and keep exploring and better tap your advantage.

Q: How do you see the challenges brought about by new technologies to international organizations and the world?

A: I think the advantage of young people is their ability to learn. The development of artificial intelligence now provides more opportunities and more challenges for the younger generation. The ability to learn things quickly gives them an advantageous position. The development of technology also brings another problem, how can the quality of technical support be assured by human beings? This puts higher requirements on mastering and understanding technology, and there are many opportunities.

Q: Can you tell us the importance of language learning in career development in international organizations?

A: PersonallyI have a long experience of language learning. I had some basic Russian language in elementary school, and I have never gave up Russian language until now. Later, I got relevant job opportunities because of my advantage in Russian language, so it is very important to learn foreign languages for job hunting in international organizations. Students are advised to build up their foreign language skills based on their interests and time.

Q: How to adapt to the transformation from student to employee?

A: When working in an international organization, you should first learn to adapt to the new working environment, know how to show yourself and finish the task beyond the expectations of others, which will make your ability better recognized and help you continuously improve your working ability.