LocationsJPO Story - Hiroaki Oikawa
June 26, 2024
Hiroaki (second row from top in the middle) with delegates from Member States who participated in UN Tourism Workshop on 2024 Programme of Work for Asia and the Pacific held in Madrid in December 2023
What is your educational background?
MSc in Tourism Management
What made you apply to the JPO programme/what is your motivation to work with your UN agency?
Opportunity to work in an international environment in my field with good working conditions.
What are the main activities/tasks you are working on? What is a day at the office/in the field like?
I work as Project Officer in the Regional Department for Asia and the Pacific. My main tasks are maintaining communication with Member States in the regions, organising events, collecting and analysing information on tourism trends and policies to offer best consultation service to Member States.
In your day-to-day work, what SDG(s) are you helping to implement?
I would say, my day-to-day work involves all the SDGs, because tourism is a system that stands on a very wide range of industries. However, if I have to pick just 1 SDG most relevant to my work, it is probably the SDG 8―Decent Work and Economic Growth, since tourism creates approximately 10% of the world’s GDP and jobs. Promoting sustainable tourism, which is a concept to spur the economic benefits of tourism while protecting environment and local culture, is the mission of my organisation, and so is my professional mission.
What is the most challenging project that you have worked on/are working on?
My most challenging project was a mission to Japan. My colleagues and I were going to join the delegation led by the Secretary-General, but he had to cancel in last minute for family reasons. When we heard of his cancellation, we were already on the way to Japan and had to coordinate with our colleagues in Madrid from afar for logistic rearrangement and with the Japanese side for rearrangement of the event programme. As a result, an Executive Director joined the delegation on behalf of the Secretary-General and the mission was successfully completed.
What has been the most rewarding experience to date for you at your duty station? (work and/or non-work related)
The best thing in my JPO assignment so far is the opportunity to be able to work with my talented colleagues. Every colleague has unique strength. Especially, my current department has solid teamwork backed by mutual respect and the “help mentality”. My colleagues are always willing to help me, and I also try to help them. It is a pleasure to be able to work with such outstanding professionals.
Hiroaki posing with the flags of UN and UN Tourism at the reception of UN Tourism Headquarters in Madrid
What set of skills have you developed most throughout your assignment?
Coordination, formal and diplomatic languages, task management. I had never been involved in coordination of governmental communication and high-level meetings until I joined UN Tourism. Although I had high proficiency in English, I had to learn unique expressions and words that are seldom used in our daily life to prepare official documents. As several projects are often ongoing at the same time, task management is a key to deal with my everyday workload.
What piece of advice would you give to those who are considering applying to the JPO Programme?
Gather as much information as possible. Do not hesitate to contact people who are working at your desired organisation. Learn one more language other than English (aim to obtain a certificate of B1 or above). Ask others for help. Relationship can be built by asking and offering help.
How do you feel your JPO assignment will influence your career choices/opportunities within the UN?
Many job vacancies of UN agencies require experience of working in an international organisation. It is difficult to fulfill this requirement without experiencing JPO.
Do you feel that you are part of a community of purpose?
Yes, all colleagues have passion and believe that tourism can make positive impact.
What is the biggest motivator for you when it comes to your work?
Pride to be a UN Official and ambition to make impact. I always keep asking myself if my work is creating value and meeting expectation of others. I want to extend my responsibilities to make bigger impact through my work, and moving my career forward is important to realise this ambition.
In what ways do you feel you are part of an organization that fosters people’s development?
My organisation offers online courses of the UN official languages. My supervisor understands the purposes of the JPO programme and always gives me tasks taking them into consideration. When I joined my organisation, I worked for another department. However, I submitted a request for transfer to my current department because I found the work at my current department fitted me better. Although the coordination was not easy, the directors kindly worked to make it happen. This owes to their understanding of the JPO programme.
Could you tell us about a funny anecdote or a curious tradition that you have experienced in your duty station?
It is prohibited to use electric kettles anywhere except at the canteen to prevent the risk of fire in the headquarters. I found this rule a little inconvenient at first, but it forces us to go to the canteen and, as a result, it provides us with opportunities to talk with colleagues from different departments.
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