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That is more or less what our niche a little bit comfortable. Perhaps and to assemble the Secretary-
or competitive advantage is. We they find a partner and have child- General's Report on Peace-Building
conduct training on things that are ren, and then it becomes extremely and the Immediate Aftermath of
very closely related to decisions difficult to move to a field posting. Conflict. This was all about stating
that Member States have made or If you do not have field experience the obvious: that the four parts of
are going to make, and help turn -- and particularly emergency field the UN -- the Humanitarian, the
these decisions into action. experience -- it's very hard to be a Military, the Political and Develop-
senior officer in the UN, because ment -- must all sit down together
Another area of our work is UNO- you are missing that kind of first and do the strategic planning at a
SAT. By helping different parts hand in-depth experience which very early stage, with the key natio-
of the UN access this geospatial is an awful lot of what the UN is nal actors.
imagery, it helps them to obtain all about. I was lucky starting with
the information they need to sup- these very hands-on assignments. Because of that experience, I had
port good decision making (see the chance to lead the team that
page 34). We train Member States In Malawi I actually worked as an resulted in the establishment of UN
showing them how to do this for officer for the Malawian Govern- Women, and that was very interes-
themselves, and how they can use ment, which was also a very fortu- ting. I worked under the Deputy
this information for their own plan- nate way to begin. Seeing the work Secretary-General Asha-Rose Mi-
ning. For instance, we were very of the UN through the eyes of the giro. There were four very different
quickly able to produce images of government was very useful. I was units, one large programme, two
the floods in Bangkok (October a young economist working for small departments, and an inde-
2013) that showed where the situa- the Ministry of Health, and I was pendent training entity. It was my
tion was worse. Then we train na- paid a government salary, living in job to bring them all together and
tionals to use this information and governmental housing, sharing an create something new. I started
technology for themselves. office with two other governmental with a big advantage as the Mem-
officials. Then I went on to work as ber States had already made a very
I think that UNITAR should do an a UN volunteer. Once again it was strong resolution. My job was to
awful lot more to assist UN Mem- working for the government as an work with these four organizations
ber States in making good deci- economist in the Ministry of Eco- and come up with a new vision as
sions. Once they have made these nomic Planning in Liberia. While I to what the new organization would
decisions, we should be able to was there I had the chance to move look like, it's functions, it's work
help them translate these choices to UNICEF as a young professional and then to obtain the Member
to bring about meaningful change and became a UN staff member. So, States' agreement to that. Once we
in their country. Through this kind I had four years of working for go- were granted the founding resolu-
of practical action support we are vernments before I started to work tion, we had to set UN Women up
able to keep the UN relevant in the for the UN. I had twenty years of while we were waiting for the first
twenty-first century. In this way working in the field before I came Executive Director to be appointed.
we ensure that the UN is not just to the headquarters. Then I worked with her for four
a talking shop, but we increase the months, while she got her team
likelihood that the talking becomes Twenty-four years of working in together.
action -- which is what is important Africa really meant that when I
in the end. came to the headquarters I had a Q: After the setting up of UNI-
very strong field background. It FEM, did you come here?
Q: Before becoming an Assis- gives you a kind of confidence when
tant Secretary-General, you you come to headquarters because First I took early retirement. My
had a long career with the UN. most people working in headquar- husband is a little bit older than I,
ters have either no or very limited and we realized that we had always
I was very lucky. The first lucky field experience. been living overseas and did not
thing that happened to me was that have a home. We decided to esta-
I began as an overseas development Then I had a long career as a deve- blish a home in Ireland and to put
volunteer in Malawi. Then I went to lopment officer, first for UNICEF down some roots while we were still
Liberia as a UN volunteer, and then and then for UNDP. At a certain physically able to do so. We left New
to Uganda as a young programme time I wanted to understand how the York and moved everything, setting
officer. When you are young and UN Secretariat functions, how the up our home in a beautiful place
single it is much easier to accept Member States' decision-making on the coast of Ireland. After four
these quite difficult duty stations. processes work, which is very dif- months the house was finished, and
I did not realize it at that time, but ferent from how UNICEF, UNDP I realized that I was not really ready
this is a very good way to begin. and the field agencies work. Thus, I to stop working. I went back to New
People who start their careers here had the good fortune to be allowed York and walked down 44th Street
in Geneva or in New York become to work in peace-building support, just to see whom I might meet on

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