Juan Patiño's Journey at UNDP Colombia

LIFE IN COLOMBIA: A JPC’S JOURNEY

Juan Patiño’s Reflection

 Countryside in Santa Elena, Antioquia

November 7^th officially marked the halfway point of my internship here at UNDP Colombia in Bogotá. It is easy to say that these past three months have been filled with an incredible amount of learning, laughter, and without a doubt good food. I am a Junior Professional Consultant (JPC) in the Democratic Governance Unit, surrounded by incredibly talented and kind people. The unit focuses on promoting a participatory citizenship and democratic institutions that construct peaceful, resilient, and sustainable territories and societies, all while contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). My work mostly involves the management and analysis of geospatial data and geographic information—including projects like the mapping and analysis of electoral results and royalty payment distributions, georeferencing intercultural and interethnic conflicts, among a few others. I have also been fortunate enough to attend a number of events and field visits throughout my time in Colombia.

In El Paso, Cesar during the UNDP-PRODECO SDG workshops

Within my first month here and again in October, I was given the chance to travel to Cesar, one of Colombia’s northeastern departments that shares a border with Venezuela, to help facilitate a workshop focusing on the SDGs and productive reconversion as part of a joint project with PRODECO (a mining company owned by Glencore). The workshops took place in municipalities in the mining corridor of the department, where the economy relies heavily on carbon resources which are estimated to run out within the next fifteen years—something which is of great concern for the communities.

At the launch of Conexión Geográfica at the IGAC

I have attended various events, such as the launch of the geographic platform, Conexión Geográfica, at the Geographic Institute of Agustín Codazzi (IGAC). I also attended an intercultural event hosted by the Canadian Embassy with the Indian Resource Council (IRC) and the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia (ONIC) to create an open dialogue for shared experiences and the discussion regarding First Nations communities and the energy sector.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to get an insight into the different activities of UNDP across all four of its units, while also being given the chance to focus on my interests and apply the skills I gained throughout my post-secondary education. However, I must point out that this internship is not just work, there is definitely room for play as I have also had the chance to do some travelling with friends and family throughout the country; whether it is incredible hikes in the outskirts of Bogotá, 8-hour road trips to some of Colombia´s most beautiful towns, camping getaways or long weekends in Medellín, there is so much to explore in this beautiful country!

Exploring Barichara, Santander with fellow JPC, Andrea Pasic

These are just a few examples of the valuable experiences I’ve had within the last few months in Colombia as a JPC, and it is very exciting to know that there are many more to come in the latter half of my internship.