ECA STAFF VOICE Issue 8 www.uneca.org/staff-union November 2014 COUNTING DOWN TO UN@70 “Freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect.” —Eleanor Roosevelt, American Delegate to the United Nations Pictures that made history in the life of ECA The United Nations at Seventy: By H.E. Ambassador Berhane Gebrechristos, State Minister President of the Republic of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, visits the Africa Hall ECA’s Publication and Distribution Unit (PDU) wins 2014 UN 21Award for Efficiency San Francisco Conference, signing ceremony of the United Nations Charter ECA boss Carlos Lopes receives the Lifetime Africa Achievement Prize Kofi Annan Foundation: Africa and the United Nations Could you even imagine a world without the United Nations? San Francisco Conference, signing ceremony of the United Nations Charter Special Issue Madrid CITY OF GREAT MONUMENTS Joining our large network from September 02 , 2014 www.ethiopianairlines.com com Contents Editorial • Could you even imagine a world without the United Nations? 4 • Introduction to the 70 years of service by the United Nations to the African continent 5 Messages • Pictures that made history in the life of ECA 6 • Executive Secretaries of the Economic Commission for Africa, 1958 - 2014 8 • The United Nations at seventy By H.E. Ambassador Berhane Gebrechristos, State Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia 10 • Statement by Abdalla Hamdok, Deputy Executive Secretary 12 • Innovation: The new currency for emergence in Africa: preliminary draft for discussion By Abdoulaye Mar Dieye, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa 14 • United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), Judith Karl, Executive Secretary 15 • UN@70 Personal thoughts By Firmin Edouard Matoko, Diretor of UNESCO Office in Addis Ababa 18 • From Addis to Malabo By Wanja Kaaria, Deputy Director of WFP 19 • Message from Dr Pierre M’Pele-Kilebou, Representative to Ethiopia 20 • Kofi Annan Foundation. Africa and the United Nations. A personal perspective By Alan Doss, Executive Director 21 • The Executive Secretary’s Blog: Innovative Financing a Must for Africa 22 • Les Financements Innovants sont une Obligation Pour L’Afrique 24 • ECA boss Carlos Lopes receives the Lifetime Africa Achievement Prize 26 Feature Articles • UN Day Celebration at the Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA ) 24 October 2014 By Seble Demeke 27 • Inauguration of the North Office Facility Building at the UNECA compound to host United Nations Agencies By Seble Demeke 28 • ECA’s Publishing and Distribution Unit wins 2014 UN 21 Award for Efficiency By Seble Demeke 29 • President of the Republic of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, visits the Africa Hall 30 By Seble Demeke Contributions by the African Union and UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes • Long-live the partnership between the United Nations and the African Union By Ambassador Olawale I. Maiyegun 32 • United Nations Resident Coordinator (UNRC) and Coordinator of the UN Country Team in Ethiopia, Eugene Owusu 34 • The HIV/AIDS African epidemic over time. Hopes and gaps of ending AIDS by 2030 By Dr. Warren Naamara, Country Director, UNAIDS 35 • Two major UN achievements for Africa which every African should be proud of By Firmin Edouard Matoko, Director of UNESCO Office in Addis Ababa 38 • Creating a brighter future for Uganda By Vincent Wierda, Programme Manager for the UNCDF CleanStart initiative 40 Contents • Partnerships are key By WFP 42 • Journey of WHO in Ethiopia By Dr Pierre M’Pele-Kilebou, WHO Representative to Ethiopia 44 Contributions by ECA Substantive Divisions • UN support to Africa using ICTs to accelerate socioeconomic development By Makane Faye, Chief, Knowledge Services Section (KSS) 46 • ECA milestone achievements By Capacity Development Division 48 • What has the United Nations done for Africa in terms of health? By Dr. Grace Fombad, Chief Medical Officer, UN Health Care Center (UNHCC) 49 • The UN: Over 50 years of concrete results to support the development of West Africa 50 • L`ONU : Plus de cinquante ans de réalisations concrètes pour soutenir le développement de l’Afrique de l’Ouest Ingoila Mounkaila Communications Officer: Bureau sous régional pour l’Afrique de l’Ouest 53 • Thinking it first for Africa (a Letter from Molakisi to Mwalimu), Letter transcribed by Abel Akara Ticha, Communications Officer ECA/SRO-CA 56 Contributions from Staff • Literature resources on Ebola 58 • Thank you to President Barack Obama for taking immediate action on Ebola By Seble Demeke 59 • Executive Secretary’s Town Hall, 21 October 2014: Statement on staff concerns By Makane FAYE, President, ECA Staff Union Executive Committee 60 • Tree planting by Staff Members of UN system organizations By Makane FAYE, President of FUNSA 62 • Enhancing UN-Africa partnership using technology (ICT) Special Contribution to UNECA staff magazine on the occasion of UN 70 years Anniversary By Yimer Al Amin, Information Systems Technology Supervisor, ITSS/UNECA 64 • The pragmatic relationship between organizational culture and knowledge management: the Case of ECA By Bewketu Bogale, ECA/HRSS 66 • How is the UN perceived by its staff members? By Tamra Tekeste, International Labour Organization (ILO) 68 • I am a mom and a UN employee By ZebibTekle, HumanResources Assistant DoA/HRSS (UNECA) 69 Announcement • Message from CCISUA on the Pension Fund 70 • Statement of the Coordinating Committee of International Staff Unions and Associations (CCISUA) to the Fifth Committee of the General Assembly 71 • Ms. Judith Karl, a US national is appointed as the New Executive Secretary of the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) on 1 August 2014 73 • United Nations Women’s Association (UNWA) 73 From the News • The African Union Commission Pledges One Million to Ebola Response AU/WHO Joint Press Statement, 13 August 2014 74 • Six Toxic Beliefs That Will Ruin Your Career Source www.linkdin.com, Emotional Intelligence (Provided by Tsetargachew Zewde, finance assistant, UNECA, Staff Union) 75 2 UNECA - StaffVoice In an attempt to stop wars between countries and to provide a platform for dialogue, the United Nations was established after 50 nations met in San Francisco. Ethiopia was one of the 50 nations, which met in San Francisco to sign the United Nations Charter in 1945 Those in the picture include, Ak- ililu Habtewold, Foreign Minister, Ephrem Tewolde Medhin, Ambas- sador to the United States of America and Dr. Ambaye Woldemariam, Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Justice of the Imperial Government of Ethiopia Editorial Committee / Meet Your Focal Persons Comité de redaction Pamela Youth, African Union Rokas Butanavicius, DoA, UNECA Makane Faye, President of the Executive Committee Marcel Ngoma-Mouaya, DPMU/PS, UNECA Abraham Tameru, Vice-President of the Executive Committee Dr. Fikir Melese, WHO Seble Demeke, Editor-in-chief Roger Gakira, GSS, SCMS, UNECA Ebenezer First-Quao, English Editor UN Women Ethiopia Adjoa des Bordes-Imboua, English Editor Stephanie Savariaud, WFP Awoke Moges, Staff Rep. UNICEF Megan Rees, English Editor Martha Mogus, UNDP Ezigbalike Chukwudozie, African Center for Statistics Lamin Fatty, HRSS, DOA Abou Lawan Mahmane, French Editor Aida Awel, Staff Rep. ILO Getaneh Anteneh, French Editor Rubel Sasha, UNESCO Dad Ould Maouloud, Arabic & Spanish Editor Dr. Ayana Kebede, UNHCC, ECA Marcellin Vidjennagni Zounmenou, French Editor UNECA/OES Patriciah Thoronjo, OCHA Dereje Wondimu, Photographer UNECA - StaffVoice 3 Editorial Could you even imagine a world without the United Nations? By Seble Demeke “Imagination is more important than knowledge”. Albert Einstein It seemed as if I had left my home My nightmare was endless, and this to go on a journey, and I met a time, I was terrified at the strange group of well-dressed and well-built scene I had just witnessed. It looked people. They looked like humans, like a vast space of land, an earth- harassing the little ones who looked like planet, with no green trees, no like them. They were bossing water, no humans. I came to the them around – “do this don’t do conclusion that the place must have that, don’t move, don’t talk”. I said suffered, once upon a time, from all kinds of people, men, women, to myself, “Oh, let me just steer natural and man-made disasters. children, black, white, yellow and away from this group of manlike The whole place was burnt to ashes. strangely enough, others had no creatures and continue toward my I said again, “Good Lord, what is colour at all. I said, “What are destination. While I was rushing, this and where am I? Are there other these people doing here?” Someone I again saw a place, which looked people around? I better continue to outside the fence looked at me as like a market, filled with all kinds my destination and get out of here”. I if I had come from another planet. of beautiful agricultural produce. I then saw a familiar looking place. It I was scared that if I asked ques- realized, however, that those stand- used to have beautiful lakes. How- tions he might be angry and put me ing next to the produce were not ever, now, it was an empty land with along with those inside the fence. saying much, they were just looking no sign of life anywhere. I again felt I said, “Oh! I better run and con- at their wares. I thought it strange as if I was near a place where the sea tinue toward my destination”. I then that they seemed so distant from used to look as if it was meeting the thought I saw thousands of people the very produce that was sup- sky. That place too was empty, filled with their hands stretched towards posed to belong to them, their faces only with dead fish and other sea the sky as if they were asking for expressionless.