I began my career with the United Nations with the United Nations Office of Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq in 1998 as a Geographical Observer, where I came to appreciate first-hand how different the reality on the ground can be from theory.

My next role took me to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Balkans, where I was part of a team that established a multi-ethnic police force with oversight to ensure the enforcement of impartial policing. My particular focus was to reduce minority-related incidents and increase the number of police officers from minority ethnicities, a majority of whom were Internally Displaced Persons. Part of this responsibility was also to ensure that the well-being of officers from minorities was being addressed from a holistic perspective. While I was saddened to see the often grave consequences of conflict arising from ethnic differences, the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina also provided me with the joy of knowing that I was participating in rebuilding a country, and working towards a lasting peace that would replace the conflict of the past.

My next assignment took me to Ethiopia as an Emergency Officer with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) where I coordinated humanitarian assistance for people affected by recurring droughts. Much of my time was spent undertaking field trips to identify areas that required urgent humanitarian assistance and also to identify actions that could be implemented within a short timeframe to address these requirements. I worked across multiple areas of expertise from water, sanitation and hygiene to health, child protection and education to support disaster-affected populations.

I then spent almost three years studying French in Paris, which brought me into contact with many people from French-speaking countries in Africa and encouraged me to return to my life in the field. Subsequently, I became the head of a field office working for the Resident Coordinator’s Support Office in Sudan. I led a small team which jointly coordinated the humanitarian efforts of United Nations Agencies, Funds and Programmes (AFPs) and non-governmental organizations in complex emergency situations as well as recovery and reintegration activities. In an environment where peace had only recently been established and where disputes had resulted from competition over resources, I directed the team to do its utmost to pre-empt further issues by delivering basic services as peace dividends to reconciled parties. One of my proudest achievements was the support I was able to provide on capacity-building in natural disaster mitigation for the host government. I facilitated the creation of a flood map which illustrated key features such as high risk areas, safe areas and flood monitoring locations. This later became the basis for a major town planning initiative.

Next, I joined the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) and was deployed to the Khartoum Liaison Office to bridge communication gaps and address any operational challenges between the mission and the AFPs due to the physical distance between Darfur, where UNAMID Headquarters is located, and the capital Khartoum, where the AFPs Headquarters are situated. I have worked to ensure better coordination and improved synergies between the mission and AFPs on humanitarian responses as well as early recovery activities. Recently, our focus has shifted to the issues related to the protection of civilians due to the Security Council’s mandate review.

Through my United Nations career, I have found that working in the field allows you to see the results of your work first hand, which is tremendously rewarding. I enjoy working in peace operations, which allows me to directly support those I joined the Organization to serve.