LocationsJPO Story - Aminata Ndiaye
January 18, 2024
Aminata in a field mission in Chad, January 2024,
What is your educational background?
I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Sciences and a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Sciences Po Paris. I spent one year as an exchange student in Stellenbosch University in South Africa (as part of the Erasmus programme). During that time, I was introduced to a broad range of themes that have greatly benefited my current career, including political theory, comparative politics, international law, and transitional justice, among others.
What made you apply to the JPO programme/what is your motivation to work with your UN agency?
Since my first years of college, I have developed a real interest in everything related to the art of managing the city. Over the years, as I was growing in a post-2000 Senegal, experimenting its first power alternation since its independence, I was able to articulate this passion under the concept of good governance. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), with its unique mandate in favour of democratic governance and peacebuilding, appeared to me to be the United Nations agency par excellence where I could embody this interest of mine in terms of good governance.
Towards the end of summer 2019, while I was working in Brussels for an NGO working to promote good governance in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), my husband told me about a new initiative proposed by the UNDP for young African women starting their career. Three months after submitting my application, I joined the UNDP in Guinea-Bissau as an African Young Women Leader Fellow. This opportunity provided me with a comprehensive introduction to UNDP, including its structure, acronyms, innovative working methods, and various positions, but also and above all to better understand its offer in its diversity.
Following my introductory position at UNDP through the AYWL program, the JPO position appeared to me as the next step to consolidate my newly acquired skills, deepen my knowledge and gain more responsibilities.
During my assignment at UNDP Senegal as a Program Analyst which was also foundational in my career, I came across, during my research, a job description for a JPO Program Analyst/Rule of Law at UNDP Chad. This position seemed to be the ideal opportunity for my professional development. Through this position in Chad and with the rule of law as an entry point, I had the chance to touch a broader scope in the field of governance and through an integrated approach considering the intersecting and mutually reinforcing challenges in human rights, peace and democratic transition that the country is experiencing.
Aminata attending a project technical committee in Nov 30 2023, Credit
What are the main activities/tasks you are working on? What is a day at the office/in the field like?
I am currently working on the Support project for the strengthening of the criminal justice system while also contributing to other projects within the Governance Unit, such as the Project in support of an Inclusive and Peaceful Transition.
I am responsible for activities related to legal assistance, the establishment of e-justice in Chad (including the setting of its legal and institutional frameworks) as well as the integration of the human rights dimension in the transition. I also support the office with the organization and coordination of high-level missions in Chad.
On a day-to-day basis, I participate in meetings with technical and financial partners (PTF) as well as with national partners, draft legal analyses, reports or terms of reference and organize (and represent UNDP at a technical level) thematic workshops.
In your day-to-day work, what SDG(s) are you helping to implement?
The common denominator in my work at UNDP Chad is the SDG 16, Peace Justice and Strong institutions. My activities within the framework of the Criminal Justice Project directly contribute to the realization of the targets linked to the promotion of the rule of law and access to fair justice (16.3); and the promotion of public access to information and protection of fundamental freedoms (16.A). My work in the Transition Project contributes to the development of effective, accountable, and transparent institutions (16.6) and the advent of responsive, inclusive and representative decision making (16.7).
What has been the most rewarding and/or challenging experience to date for you at your duty station?
I co-organized a series of training sessions for civil society organizations on the monitoring of human rights violations in electoral context. This training aimed to provide the participants with the necessary tools to prevent and provide adequate responses (in collaboration with the authorities) to human rights violations during the upcoming electoral events (notably the constitutional referendum scheduled for December 2023).
The challenges were numerous. They were related to the diversity of the stakeholders involved (the UNDP, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the National Human Rights Commission), the scale and geographical scope of the training (the 23 provinces of Chad), the weather conditions (rainy seasons and impassable roads), and the logistical constraints (major acquisitions and rentals despite limited offers in certain contexts).
I contributed to the development of sustained communication materialized by joint analysis of the situation, clear action plans (and contingency plans) and a good division of tasks and responsibilities between the different actors involved. Ultimately, 185 participants (from human rights association, and media) from the 23 provinces of Chad gathered in four geographical pools benefited from the trainings which clearly show the interconnection of human rights and the transition.
I was impressed by the degree of commitment and team spirit of the people involved in the organization of the trainings who individually and significantly contribute to making this event a real success. We formed a team united by professional complicity and the desire to transmit knowledge and skills. The beneficiaries were committed to sharing the acquired knowledge. They also formulated a series of recommendations to UN agencies and national departments and organizations.
Aminata (far right ) at a cocktail with UNDP Chad colleagues on the margins of the RD mission in Chad August 2023.
What set of skills have you developed most throughout your assignment?
This experience helps me enhance my strategic thinking and coordination skills. Building bridge between the two main projects I am involved in as a way of creating more impact from our interventions and being involved in many strategic interventions were instrumental in developing these skills.
What piece of advice would you give to those who are considering applying to the JPO Programme?
The application process for the JPO is a demanding but accessible one, requiring, on the one hand, a high level of self-confidence in order to maintain the positive energy needed throughout the process.
It also requires preparation. Personally, I practiced writing CVs and cover letters, and conducting competency-based interviews. I also sought the good advice of my mentor and then supervisor.
How do you feel your JPO assignment will influence your career choices/opportunities within the UN?
Working as a JPO at UNDP Chad provides me with a unique opportunity to observe and experience the wide range of UNDP offer in governance. It fosters my interest in working on building inclusive, just and human rights, and sensitive political processes. Moreover, it provides me with the necessary tools, expertise - working in parallel with colleagues with different expertise in the Transition and the Rule of Law projects - and it provides me with a structured methodology to embark on that path.
Moreover, being able to participle and contribute to high levels events in the Chad country office has been instrumental in my professional growth in terms of acquiring new organizational and strategic thinking skills.
What is the biggest motivator for you when it comes to your work?
Meeting the expectations and the hopes that the Chadian people place on the United Nations at large is my biggest motivator. This goes with some sense of responsibility to create positive impact in the lives of the people we are serving.
In what ways do you feel you are part of an organization that fosters people’s development?
UNDP Chad delivers on what matters most to Chadian communities by contributing to the country’s stabilization, recovery, transition and justice. I am always amazed to see the agility of UNDP Chad even in responding to crises with development lenses. For instance, the leadership and the staff have demonstrated lot of determination and commitment to support the country to deal with the floods in 2021 and the refugee crises in the aftermath of the war in Sudan.
My participation at the JPO programme has been a great experience at the intersection of learning and creating impact at the same time.Aminata Ndiaye
