TheJourneyVolume1 - Book - Page 18
#NextGenUNDP
Mohamed Abchir Aouale
BENIN
been an option. My dreams and mission were always
bigger than the challenges.
When the UN reforms process started, I was in New
York and was closely involved, with an HQ perspective.
But, my work also included supporting and guiding RRs
on the ground to navigate through it. The UN reform is a
great opportunity for UNDP to do much more in terms of
supporting countries’ development agendas.
When I joined the Country Office (CO) in Benin as RR,
most of the key operational challenges linked to the UN
reforms and delinking process were almost settled. But,
unfortunately, the position of RR had been vacant for
more than two years. Therefore, my first priority was to
reposition UNDP more strongly with the government of
Benin, other partners, and UN agencies.
In Africa, the RR is the key thought leader and operational backbone, whose duty is to position UNDP as the
government’s partner of choice. In Benin, we are already
placing ourselves in key strategic areas such as Preventing
Violent Extremism (PVE), green economy, digital and
innovation, SMEs, youth, and gender.
CREATE. INNOVATE. TRANSFORM.
We are also establishing strategic partnerships with
other UN agencies. Being part of the #NexGen RRs is
a great opportunity to create, innovate, and transform.
The organization is giving us all the support and tools we
need to succeed. The Renewed Strategic Offer is a great
opportunity to deliver tangible results on the continent
on critical areas such as energy.
COVID-19 is representing a real challenge, and as
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And, although I am fully
aware of the many challenges that
we face and fight, I have never been
an Afro-pessimist. Africa will rise.
Being part of that adventure is a
privilege and an honor.”
a manager, I need to ensure that we deliver but also
provide the duty of care. We are responsible for the safety
and the security of all staff and as such, we have to create
an enabling environment where they feel safe, in order
for them to be able to deliver.
The pandemic has also provided us with many
programmatic opportunities and new ways to position
the Country Office. We need to adjust our overall strategy
in each country, to respond to local needs. There is,
however, no one-size-fits-all strategy. Benin is a very
ambitious country with a clear vision for development.
One of my tasks is to ensure that the UNDP Country
Office, can respond to the new challenges and expectations from the government of Benin. This means,
providing high-quality expertise and high-standard
program and operational capacities, to help implement
the government’s ambitious vision. We can only do so
by assisting them in mobilizing even more resources for
development in line with their priorities. n