TheJourneyVolume1 - Book - Page 46
#NextGenUNDP
Elsie Laurence-Chounoune
EQ UATORI AL GU I N E A
M Y FAVO U R I T E Q U OTAT I O N
It’s the action, not the fruit of the action, that’s important.
You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your
time, that there will be any fruit. But that doesn’t mean you stop doing the
right thing. You may never know what results come from your actions.
But if you do nothing, there will be no result.”
M A HAT M A G A N D HI
less experience than I have now but was nevertheless
equipped with a great deal of hope. Although CAR was a
very difficult and unstable country, I was happy working
there. I had found myself.
Seeing how people and things change for the best
is something that continues to inspire me. Being able
to drive that change or to be a part of it, is even more
thrilling. I was also inspired by Mother Teresa and the
profound changes she made on people. As a religious
person growing up, I wanted to work for the disadvantaged sections of society and saw my time in UNDP as
a real opportunity to do so, while preparing me for my
longer-term objectives.
BEING RR AND COVID-19 CHALLENGES
I became Resident Representative in UNDP at a very
critical and defining moment for the organization. It was
during the UNDS Reform, which has so far turned out to
be a positive decision. It has allowed UNDP to be bolder,
and more independent, without the constraints of handling
coordination. Thanks to the Reform, the Country Office
can also be more innovative, and it has played a major role
in the transformation of Equatorial Guinea.
Under my leadership, the CO has advanced digitalization in the country, strengthened our support to youth and
entrepreneurship, and engaged important actors around
the challenges posed by climate change. My main takeaway
is that UNDP remains well positioned, with the Reform
enhancing UNDP’s integrator role, which has made the
Organization more visible.
The main challenge of being RR during COVID-19 was
how to maintain the activities of the Country Office in a
virtual mode, while supporting the country in its fight
against the pandemic. We all had to make a great effort to
transform the way we work, particularly given the technological challenges of Equatorial Guinea.
We finally discovered that the new system was an
opportunity for easy access to other colleagues and people.
Difficulty was turned into challenge, and the challenge
in turn became opportunity. We have also supported the
country’s Ministry of Health from the beginning, while
ensuring that no one is left behind.
TO MOVE EQUATORIAL GUINEA FORWARD
To recover from the pandemic, Equatorial Guinea will
need strong support in its educational system. The quality
of training is low due to the lack of a stable, trained, and
economically motivated teaching staff. The fact that 60%
of the population is young means that the country needs
adequate teachers and training opportunities for the youth.
The Government must be supported in the selection
and training of an adequate teaching body for the entire
population. It is also urgent to promote the private sector,
and entrepreneurship in general, in all economic sectors,
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