This volume was prepared for publication jointly by the Division for Public Economics and Public Administration (DPEPA) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS), which is headquartered in Brussels. It is a follow-up to the Expert Group Meeting on Managing Diversity in the Civil Service organized by DPEPA and held on 3 and 4 May 2001, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The Meeting was arranged in the context of the Year of Dialogue among Civilizations and attended by scholars and practitioners in the field of public administration. The publication contains selection of papers presented at the Meeting, together with the conclusion and recommendations advanced by the participants. The papers represent a conceptual framework for managing diversity in public organizations, strategies for meeting the challenges of diversity management in the civil service, as well as different dimensions of diversity in the civil service: regional differentials of diversity and selected themes such as women and persons with disabilities. The editors found it difficult to select the material for this volume because all contributions to the Meeting were extremely valuable, but the producers endeavoured to secure a thematic and geographical balance. Those who wish to read other papers and follow the debate between the participants, are welcome to visit the DPEPA website at http://www.unpan.org/conf_diversityy01.asp
