Milbert Dongjoon Shin
The Department of Politics and International Relations welcomes Milbert Dongjoon Shin to the first-of-its-kind UN Peace & Security Fellowship.
Research
Milbert's research examines how UN peace operations could more effectively respond to non-state armed groups and organised crime when they pose a significant threat to peace and stability. It explores why current UN responses can often be fragmented or overly technical, and how political economy analysis, integrated planning and impact assessment, and justice and security approaches can be strengthened.
The study aims to develop practical guidance for more coherent, peacebuilding‑focused engagement, with a particular application to Haiti as a new multinational force deploys.
Interview
What motivated you to apply for and join the Fellowship?
The Fellowship offered a unique setting, among a community of experts, to deep dive into complex challenges which a number of peacekeeping missions have faced over the years and which I had long wanted to explore further.
How do you feel about coming to Oxford to study here for eight weeks?
I’m very grateful for this opportunity to learn from and contribute to the work the Oxford community is doing on UN peacekeeping.
What are you most looking forward to during the programme?
I’m most looking forward to the rich exchanges with the academics and students at Oxford.
Could you tell us a little about your research and its aims?
My research focuses on the complex challenges peacekeeping missions face in contexts where non-state armed groups and organised crime groups constitute a significant threat to peace and stability. The objective is to develop strategy and implementation frameworks to structure more effective responses.
Biography
Milbert Dongjoon Shin was appointed as the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) on 24 July 2024.
Mr Shin brings to the position 30 years of wide-ranging experience in international peace and security, international law and human rights, including field experiences. Since 2022, he has served as Chief of the Rule of Law and Security Institutions Section in the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
Prior to that, Mr Shin was Chief of Legal and Analysis Strategy and Chief of Investigations in the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD) in Iraq. Previously, Mr Shin was Chief of the Justice and Corrections Section in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). Mr Shin has also served as Chief of the Political Affairs Section in the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), and earlier in his career, in UNMIK as Legal Adviser. In addition to his assignments with the United Nations, Mr. Shin worked with the United States Department of State in Washington, D.C and was consultant to several multilateral and non-governmental organisations.
Mr Shin has a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, in the United States, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in classics from Harvard College, also in the United States. He is fluent in English and French.