Our JPC Daniel shares his exceptional experience in Bangladesh

Working for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Bangladesh has been a truly wonderful and exceptional educational experience. As a Junior Professional Consultant, I am currently working in Dhaka, Bangladesh for the duration of six months, having begun in August, 2015. I work for the Results and Resources Management Cluster (RRMC), a department which is essentially at the highest level of quality assurance for UNDP. At any given time, there are between 20-40 projects running in the country and each of these projects reports to RRMC on a regular basis. Since I am with the Monitoring & Evaluation Team, consisting of myself and 3 others, I communicate with project managers and M&E officers frequently.

I’ve had the opportunity to learn the intricacies of the internal UN corporate planning intranet system. I have also worked with project M&E officers to refine their M&E plans and indicators in line with the International Aid Transparency Initiative, built excel databases aggregating M&E data from over 30 projects, provided support to the development of UNDP Bangladesh’s next Country Programme 2017-2021, and currently working on the Results Oriented Annual Report 2015 for UNDP Bangladesh which will be submitted to New York. I assisted in organizing and supporting 4 workshops, acted as a rapporteur, and worked with several international short-term consultants brought in to expertly develop the country programme. In between all of this, I have been using the internal UNDP corporate platform to monitor and update data. Further, I had the amazing opportunity to give a co-presentation, in support of my supervisor, an M&E Specialist, on Results Based Management at the Prime Minister’s office.

In my M&E unit in Bangladesh, results are everything. Sometimes it’s looked at from a financial perspective, but majority of the time considers what we are doing and ensuring that results are being achieved (results supported by clear evidence). Today, I really enjoy Results Based Management and emerging concepts such as Theory of Change. In a changing development context where full transparency is becoming the norm, expectations for clear and well thought out planning are high.  

My work has been interesting and challenging. While at times, some of the work has been mundane, most of it has been engaging, and I would not trade any of it to do anything else. I have had a great time reflecting and learning about each and every assignment. All of the M&E work, meeting minute reports, organizing workshops, and results reporting, has improved my understanding in some way. For each and every task that I have contributed to, I can specifically note something I have learned. I have developed several skills working in the M&E unit of the Results and Resources Management Cluster. First, my ability to understand results language has significantly increased. I now have a full and clear understanding of the progression of results from activity all the way to impact. I have developed a specific set of skills involved in writing meeting minutes and rapporteur reports. Additionally, my skill in research and result reporting has exponentially increased. Writing for the Results Oriented Annual Report has been a truly amazing experience. All of these have given me the opportunity to explore and learn about the internal UNDP corporate platform, including ATLAS. I am very thankful that I have been granted access to these platforms and that I have been able to review and edit data accordingly.

As my placement draws to a close at the end of January, I am exploring the possibility of continuing to work with UNDP Bangladesh as an International consultant. I’ve really enjoyed my time in Dhaka and all the interesting work I’ve done. Both inside and outside of work, I have met many interesting people and made new friends. I would definitely consider working in Dhaka for a couple of years; however, an unexpected result from this placement has been that I have decided to obtain a Master’s in Statistics. On my application to UNAC, I indicated I wanted to do a Master’s in International Relations or Public Policy. While these are still interesting, my direct supervisor has guided me toward pursuing statistics which is fascinating to me. Working abroad can be difficult, but also a lot of fun. For those considering upcoming practicums, I highly recommend considering international placements. I’m tremendously thankful to my university, Canadian Mennonite University, for my education and helping me to develop a critical skill set and also United Nations Association Canada for this great opportunity.

Daniel