TheJourneyVolume1 - Book - Page 104
#NextGenUNDP
Christine Musisi
Coun tr y o f O r igin :
UNDP Co u n t r y O f f ic e:
Date o f Ap po in tm e n t :
UGA N DA
TA N Z A N I A
S E PT E M BE R 2 019
“WE LIVE IN A COMPLEX AND
FAST-CHANGING WORLD. WE NEED
TO LEARN TO ADAPT.”
I
was born in Kampala, Uganda, to a family of educators,
who were also farmers and business entrepreneurs.
As a Christian family, we were brought up to love and
fear God. We were taught to value education, not only
as a channel to success but also as a means to contribute
to the community. As a teenager, I thoroughly enjoyed
working on our family farm. The first vehicle I ever drove
was a tractor! I also enjoyed the leadership opportunities
that were given to me the few times I was left in charge
of the farm.
THE EARLY YEARS AND CAREER PATH
The 1979 war in Uganda was a difficult experience and
certainly influenced my desire to change my sphere of
influence. As a young girl walking for miles among a
crowd of people fleeing their homes, I was determined
to do something in life that would prevent war, devastation, and the loss of livelihoods. By the time I reached
university however, I was more inclined towards
becoming a successful entrepreneur, particularly in the
auto industry.
My introduction to the informal sector as part of
my business degree totally changed my career focus. I
quickly became aware of the immense inequalities that
existed in business and the poverty trap that the informal
sector created for many families across generations. I was
determined to become part of the solution.
After completing my degree, I worked with the Ministry
of Women in Development in Uganda, focusing on
supporting small-scale businesses, especially for women.
This inspired my commitment to gender equality and
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women’s empowerment. Hence, my further studies in
the UK were on Rural Extension and Gender Analysis in
Development.
After my master’s degree, I took up work in an International Development Consultancy in Sheffield, UK and
later an International Projects Officer position at the
Health Education Authority in London. None of these
gave me real satisfaction. Therefore, in 1996, I applied for
and took up my first UN assignment as a UN Volunteer
Gender Specialist (UNDP) in Mongolia. And I never
looked back.
Since then, I have solely served in the UN – including
as Chief Technical Advisor for Poverty Reduction in
Kyrgyzstan; Regional Policy Advisor on Civil Society
Empowerment and Poverty Reduction in Slovakia,
covering Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of
Independent States (2001-2003). I later worked in Addis
Ababa covering Central and Eastern Africa (2003-2004);
then to the Johannesburg Regional Centre covering
Eastern and Southern Africa. I returned to Addis Ababa
as UNDP Deputy Country Director; served in Kenya as
UN Women’s Regional Director for Eastern and Southern
Africa (2012-2016); and then as Director for External
Relations at UN-Habitat Headquarters in Nairobi (20162019). I have now joyfully returned to UNDP as Resident
Representative in Tanzania.
CHALLENGES AND HOW I OVERCAME THEM
My greatest inspiration is the hope that transformation is
possible even for the most seemingly difficult and critical
situations in life. My belief in God inspires my respect for
human dignity and the need to do everything possible, in
my power, to see all people live dignified lives and exercise
their right to influence decisions that affect them.
The most significant challenge I have faced in my
journey is that of poverty and its multi-dimensional
nature. The impact of a poverty mindset and powerlessness to change one’s situation exacerbates the physical
state of economic, social, and political vulnerabilities. I
have learned that working with communities alone (which
is my passion), can bring great local solutions. These
may, however, not be sustained when the governing,
policy and legislative environment is not conducive.
I have had to build my capacity to work at both levels.
In Kyrgyzstan, for example, as UNDP we successfully
empowered over 90 villages to overcome income poverty
but had to strengthen local self-governance and facilitate
community influence of national policies to help sustain
the gains made at the local level.
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