Interview with Gabriela Flores, WFP Brussels
Posted 1:45 PM by Internal Voices in Labels: 11th edition
Editor, UNRIC Brussels
Gabriela, what is your current position?
I am a Public Information officer at the World Food Program (WFP) in Brussels.
Have you been a UN intern before?
No, I have never been a UN intern myself, but I have worked with interns.
How did you get to this job, and was it hard to find a UN position?
Well, I have worked for the UN for several years now. I started soon after graduation as local staff for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Ecuador. Being in the UN House in Quito, I was always up-to-date on the vacancies, which allowed me to successfully apply for a Public Information officer post at WFP in the country. Later I became an international consultant for WFP, and I worked both in the regional office and in several emergencies across Latin America, including the Haiti earthquake.
Can you give us an example of what a communication officer does?
It depends on where you are assigned to. In an emergency, the main activities are media relations, bringing the journalists in; showing what the UN is doing, keeping the press and the locals informed on its activities; coordinating messages with the other actors involved; ensuring media visibility. After the acute phase of the crisis, when you transition to a development effort, you try to keep the donors involved, make sure the attention of the International Community remains high; you start training the local staff, so that you can hand over responsibility; you engage the local government and NGOs for longer-term strategies. In a regional Headquarters, it is mainly about coordination of the various programs and emergencies, and planning communication strategies for the future.
What does it entail, being a consultant?
Well, it has its ups and downs. On the one hand, you have more freedom and flexibility, as well as a good salary. On the other hand, you don’t have the benefits that the international staff has, and your contract is constantly depending on the availability of funds.
Let’s go back to your first post for a moment. Did you have a specific background to be a communication officer?
Not exactly, my background was in international development, and Latin American studies. However, my extracurricular activities were all communication-related, involving campaigns, fund raising etc. In a way, it came naturally. Also, the programs and activities I was working on were very much development-oriented, it was communication for development, so it was related to my studies.
How do you think a young graduate could get into the UN system today?
Starting from the field is the most common way, although it is not a rule. A lot of people start as UN Volunteer (UNV) or Junior Professional Officer (JPO). Another way is deploying with an NGO, to gain some direct experience. If you apply in your country of citizenship (or if you are married to a citizen), you can get a position in the local staff, which is easier than having access to the international staff. If you are able to get a local contract, it might be easier to later apply for an international post. But remember that, on the field, you need to have specific skills and expertise, practical ones. It’s important that the CV shows and highlights what you can do, as opposed to what you studied. You have to know what your skills are, work to develop them.
How important is networking?
It helps a lot. Getting and keeping contacts with people who worked with you, who know your skills, is very important. It allows you to stay in the loop, and to be reached when a position matching your skills becomes available.
Moving continuously, deploying in different countries: what is the impact on one’s private life?
It can be hard, you can lose touch with your community, you are not able to see your family that much. You are often alone and counting only on your own strength. And I must say that it can be especially hard for women, if they are the ones moving and their partners have to follow. That being said, it is also very rewarding. If you have the passion and the right motives, it compensates.
Picture : WFP/Franck Aynes
I am a Public Information officer at the World Food Program (WFP) in Brussels.
Have you been a UN intern before?
No, I have never been a UN intern myself, but I have worked with interns.
How did you get to this job, and was it hard to find a UN position?
Well, I have worked for the UN for several years now. I started soon after graduation as local staff for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Ecuador. Being in the UN House in Quito, I was always up-to-date on the vacancies, which allowed me to successfully apply for a Public Information officer post at WFP in the country. Later I became an international consultant for WFP, and I worked both in the regional office and in several emergencies across Latin America, including the Haiti earthquake.
Can you give us an example of what a communication officer does?
It depends on where you are assigned to. In an emergency, the main activities are media relations, bringing the journalists in; showing what the UN is doing, keeping the press and the locals informed on its activities; coordinating messages with the other actors involved; ensuring media visibility. After the acute phase of the crisis, when you transition to a development effort, you try to keep the donors involved, make sure the attention of the International Community remains high; you start training the local staff, so that you can hand over responsibility; you engage the local government and NGOs for longer-term strategies. In a regional Headquarters, it is mainly about coordination of the various programs and emergencies, and planning communication strategies for the future.
What does it entail, being a consultant?
Well, it has its ups and downs. On the one hand, you have more freedom and flexibility, as well as a good salary. On the other hand, you don’t have the benefits that the international staff has, and your contract is constantly depending on the availability of funds.
Let’s go back to your first post for a moment. Did you have a specific background to be a communication officer?
Not exactly, my background was in international development, and Latin American studies. However, my extracurricular activities were all communication-related, involving campaigns, fund raising etc. In a way, it came naturally. Also, the programs and activities I was working on were very much development-oriented, it was communication for development, so it was related to my studies.
How do you think a young graduate could get into the UN system today?
Starting from the field is the most common way, although it is not a rule. A lot of people start as UN Volunteer (UNV) or Junior Professional Officer (JPO). Another way is deploying with an NGO, to gain some direct experience. If you apply in your country of citizenship (or if you are married to a citizen), you can get a position in the local staff, which is easier than having access to the international staff. If you are able to get a local contract, it might be easier to later apply for an international post. But remember that, on the field, you need to have specific skills and expertise, practical ones. It’s important that the CV shows and highlights what you can do, as opposed to what you studied. You have to know what your skills are, work to develop them.
How important is networking?
It helps a lot. Getting and keeping contacts with people who worked with you, who know your skills, is very important. It allows you to stay in the loop, and to be reached when a position matching your skills becomes available.
Moving continuously, deploying in different countries: what is the impact on one’s private life?
It can be hard, you can lose touch with your community, you are not able to see your family that much. You are often alone and counting only on your own strength. And I must say that it can be especially hard for women, if they are the ones moving and their partners have to follow. That being said, it is also very rewarding. If you have the passion and the right motives, it compensates.
Picture : WFP/Franck Aynes
0 comment(s) to... “Interview with Gabriela Flores, WFP Brussels”
0 comments:
Post a Comment