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Interview with

Amir ]:)ossal

Founder of the

Global Partnerships Forum and
co-initiator of the Pearl Initiative

Amir Dossal, a well-known figure in the international commu-
nity, and former Executive Director of the United Nations Office
for Partnerships, worked for many years at the UN on the deve-
lopment of strategic alliances with corporations, foundations
and philanthropists in the perspective of the Millennium De-
velopment Goals. He really has been the right man in the right
place, because there are not many people who have a public
relations gift like him --- he simply seems to know everybody!

After "graduating" from the United Nations in 2010, and being a
man who likes to keep himself busy, Amir founded the Global Par-
tnerships Forum and co-founded the Pearl Initiative.

Q: You have had a long inter- to set up a new office to handle to streamline their operations.
national career in the UN. reforms within the United Nations - Working together, we were able to
Looking back, what has given the Management Policy Office. It just so simplify processes, reduce bureau-
you most satisfaction? happened that we had been introducing cracy, and then reinvest the resul-
a lot of innovation within the mana- tant savings in development activities
The most gratifying period was when gement of peacekeeping operations. - this was the genesis of the
I was with the UN Department of We were leading an effort to streamline Development Accounts, as the funds we
Peacekeeping Operations, when glo- how peacekeeping, financial mana- generated from this effort were in
bal events meant that we had to ope- gement and logistics could focus turn channeled to support projects
rate around the clock "24/7". Our on delivering results in an efficient in developing countries. While there
purpose was to support the UN's manner. We had a lot of help from was some apprehension initially, most
peacekeeping force in its operations Member States, who were ready to departments came up with new ideas
around the world, and respond in- provide the expertise, so we set up a to improve efficiency and process,
stantlyto their critical needs. This goes working group. The UN Secretary- including through the use of new
back to 1993, a tumultuous moment General at that time, Kofi Annan, technology, and other innovative
in history as the world witnessed asked: "You are doing all this, and approaches.
the crisis in Somalia, the Bosnia- now that I am the Secretary General
Herzegovina conflict, the elections I really need support to make the UN Quite an extraordinary thing hap-
in South Africa, and the escalating Secretariat responsive to 21st century pened during my tenure at the
conflict in Rwanda-Burundi. At that needs." Joe Connor, who was then Management Policy Office when Ted
time, what we needed was to ensure Under-Secretary General for Mana- Turner approached Kofi Annan in
that the peacekeepers had all the sup- gement, asked if I could help set up September 1997, with a US$ 1 billion
port they required, and without delay. the Office. It was indeed a question personal donation. Ted said: "Kofi,
It was an incredibly satisfying period of being at the right place at the right I have looked at my balance sheet. In
in the sense that we saw the instanta- time, although looking back; it was January 1997 I was worth US$ 3 billion
neous, tangible results of our work. quite a challenging task. and now in September I am worth
US$ 4 billion. The additional US$
Q: You have gone from Peace- Q: It seems you did a very good 1 billion does not make a big difference
keeping to Public/Private Par- job and that you liked what you to me. I have also noticed that my
tnerships. How did that happen? were doing? government has not paid its dues to the
UN, so I would like to personally give
I happened to be, as they say, at the While nobody wanted reforms, be- US$ 1 billion to the UN." Kofi Annan
right place at the right time. After five cause that would mean cutting their was delighted by the generous offer,
years in peacekeeping, I was asked budgets, we encouraged departments pointing out however that the UN did

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