United Nations Career Journey Podcast

"Life is about different chapters. I think this idea of a linear career is a little old-fashioned. There were things I wanted to learn to bring with me to the next step of my journey".  In this podcast episode, we explore the inspiring journey of Linnea Van Wagenen – from her career at the United Nations to becoming the Head of Strategic and Sustainable Development at Ljusdal Municipalit...

“I'm most proud of the fact this is the one truly global institution that has weathered some really serious challenges and still provides a forum for people to come together to talk, to listen and to negotiate” says Salvator Cusimano, a Coordination Officer in the Department of Peace Operations. Tune in and hear from this inspiring young professional who has served in the Central African Repub...

"I will never forget how he came to my office with a small book of the UN Charter and asked me to put my right hand on it. It was a symbolic gesture, but it meant a lot to me. It was my oath of office to the UN." Join us in this episode as Anna Chernyshova, Deputy Resident Representative at UNDP Georgia takes us through her diverse and dynamic career journey with the United Nations. With...

Découvrez le parcours fascinant d’Ezéchiel, qui a passé son enfance au Tchad, puis ses études supérieures en France avant de traverser l’Atlantique pour New York et un stage aux Nations Unies. Un jeune homme optimiste et déterminé à devenir “un médecin de la société” au service de ce qu’il nomme, “un grand hôpital” que sont les Nations Unies. Un parcours unique et inspirant aspirant à un monde mei...

Welcome to the first Chinese episode of the UN Career Journey Podcast!  In this special episode, we interview our colleague who works at the United Nations World Food Programme.  Yingying Geng is a Campaign Coordinator at WFP in Rome. She shares her career journey and experience with us, from graduating from her master's to working at the United Nations.  Stay tuned and listen to the episode!...

Quand on a demandé à Marie quelques conseils à propos de son expérience à l’ONU, elle nous a répondus qu’il fallait se laisser vivre ce genre d’expériences parce que ce sont des opportunités qui restent et marquent pour toujours. Entre les différentes rencontres, opportunités internes, l’apprentissage constant, Marie nous décrit cette expérience comme étant “unique”.   Écoutez l’épisode en entier...

“My job as an interpreter is to deliver messages.  I am not here to transpose words and to be able to put one word with its equivalent in different languages” says Prisca Chaoui, Arabic Interpreter at the UN Office at Geneva. Tune in and hear from this UN veteran on the rewards and challenges of her fascinating career in language interpretation!     Listen to the full episode and find the  transcr...

"I never shy away from challenges. I've learned from experience that these challenges make you grow, and make you grow faster." Join us in this episode as Tomoki Matsuura, Programme Specialist at UNDP in Senegal, shares his valuable insights on international development and what it takes to succeed in this field. Tomoki emphasizes the importance of gaining trust, continuous learning, and embracing...

“Cette expérience donne un côté très enrichissant au niveau personnel aussi bien que professionnel et nous aide à développer certaines capacités d'analyse et trouver des solutions adéquates à toutes circonstances, peu importe où nous nous trouvons.” Anthony Toscano, nous livre ici l’expérience qu’il a vécu en tant que stagiaire à Genève, et tout ce qu’il en a tiré et appris. De ses projets per...

Hear from Jingbo Huang, who joined the Secretariat as a General Service staff (G3) while working on her doctorate degree. These days she heads a research think tank on digital technology and sustainable development. How did she achieve 7 promotions across 5 UN organizations? Tune in and find out!   Find the transcript here .

“And of course, we have our level of challenges going on in our daily lives, which of course, is very normal. But be optimistic and do believe in yourself, because when you do believe in yourself, you are courageous and explore new things, you'll see the world is full with opportunities..." Azima joins us in this episode sharing her insights on young professional who start their work with...

Quand on a demandé à Hélène quelques conseils à propos de son expérience à l'ONU, elle nous a répondus qu'il fallait "se laisser l'opportunité aussi de vivre ce genre d'expérience parce que c’est des expériences qui serviront toute la vie. En termes autant professionnel que personnel. Je pense que c'est extrêmement enrichissant." De France à New York, Hélène nous parl...

“Being in such an international environment and organization can be intimidating and what helped me to overcome that is to understand that everyone has their own strengths.[…]. That’s why the takeaway that I want to share is to recognize your strengths, but also celebrate each other’s ones and share that also motivates and positively reinforces everyone’s professional and personal development. Kno...

“La verdad es que siento que mi trabajo marca la diferencia, porque apoyo cada día a los funcionarios de las Naciones Unidas y de Cepal México concretamente. En cada momento que estas personas han tenido dudas, yo pues he estado ahí para apoyarles”, comenta Camila Pardo Jiménez, Asistente en la oficina de Recursos Humanos de la CEPAL en México.  Si te has planteado cómo tu trabajo puede tener un i...

“I wanted to work in different areas of the Organization to learn more, to acquire more skills and experience. And by doing that I was able to progress and advance and I'm aware that it is not easy.” Says Asmita Barua, who works in programme oversight at UN Headquarters in New York. Starting out as a Japanese and English tour guide over 20 years ago, she has worked in 13 offices in her tenure,...

"Things are happening, but they are on the slow pace[…] I think still because the ecosystem is still so fragile outside the UN system, there should be other higher positions on upper tier the initiatives are required on the upper tier as well, because without including the marginalised people, to be specific the persons with disabilities, I think if you don't include them in decision maki...

“One of the things that happens is that you end up growing - growing more than you would ordinarily…. It's almost like a being an elastic band - you get stretched, sometimes you get stretched more than you might like to.” Says Kian Lovett, Joint Operations Officer at MONUSCO.   If you have considered working at a peacekeeping mission, tune into this interview. Kian shares candid impressions ab...

‘We have to be exposed to lifelong learning. If we don't do that, we're only working with looking at the rear-view mirror and we're not looking at what's happening in front of us. And our job is being ahead of the curve and not being in back of the curve’. A long-time consultant in UNDP, Alejandro Rausch joins us on this episode and shares his insights on a creating a long and sati...

‘It's important to follow your heart and your passion, when you enjoy what you do, it makes it all so much easier and it shows also in the results you deliver.’ Iina takes on a journey through her career and her transition from the private sector into the Un system, which ultimately led her to her present role as Chief of the Talent Development Unit at UNDP. Tune in to hear about what career s...

'I always find those that are most impactful, those that are best able to serve the countries that we serve are those that have other softer skills, most importantly your ability to listen to the people you serve, your ability to understand or your interest in passion, understanding where they're coming from. So, you could actually you know, sort of respond to their needs, your ability to...

"People must be encouraged to work together. It must be teamwork, and teamwork needs positive people who appreciate the work of others, and can build effective relationships with their colleagues and with other partners in the field." says Ali Abdullah. For the first special podcast episode in Arabic, we have been honored to dive into a conversation with Ali about his remarkable journey....

Meet Simon Onyango, an inspiring lawyer and human rights expert working for United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Syria. Hear about his role in managing a team who protect the rights of Palestine refugees. He derives great satisfaction from the multiple hats he wears across advocacy, humanitarian law and directly helping people in crises. Also le...

“I was just captivated. And I was inspired by all the great speeches of the heads of state. And I remember telling myself that I want to stay and that I want to make a difference and that I'm in the right place” says Mira Perrier about her first days at the UN, 14 years ago. Mira Perrier is an Associate Training Officer at United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG). Tune in and hear about her pass...

In the spirit of inter-agency collaborations within the United Nations, we are thrilled to introduce to you Lauren McWilliams, tuning in from UN Women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Lauren McWilliams is a Programme Specialist for Gender in Humanitarian Action at UN Women Ethiopia. Lauren walks us through her background and how her interest in promoting equalities led her to pursue a career in the human...

UN Volunteers go by the slogan of ‘We are inspiration in action’, but what do they really do and what is it like to be one? Meet Irene Izquieta, currently working as a UN Volunteer on an assignment with UNAIDS Guatemala. Apart from hearing her insights on being a UNV and how she has become one, you will get to hear about Irene’s work which revolves around human rights, gender, and fighting stigma...