The IEU Interns Visit the UNPOG Office in Songdo, South Korea
On Tuesday, 7 February 2023, the Head of the IEU, Andreas Reumann, and IEU interns Josephine Ngala, Junior Abdul-Wahab, and Martina de Vries visited the United Nations Project Office on Governance (UNPOG) in Songdo, South Korea. This activity was undertaken as part of the IEU Interns’ Day programme for the month of February. The office tour and briefing session were kindly organized by the UNPOG.
The IEU team learned about UNPOG’s mandate, as well as some of the activities embarked on to influence the strengthening of capacities of public institutions in developing countries at national and local levels, as they are considered the catalysts of change. The strategic translation of the SDGs into strategies and programmes at the country level is the focus of UNPOG’s work. During the discussions, UNPOG emphasized that “right mindsets lead the change” when striving towards achieving the 2030 Agenda. They introduced the idea of experimentation as a “listening” mindset to understand citizens better and incorporate their input and ideas in the development process.
During the event, the IEU team managed to engage with a number of UNPOG officials, including Ms. Ana Thorlund, Ms. Hye Yong Kim, Mi Kyoung Park, and Mr. Samuel Danaa, as well as Prof. Myungjae Moon, a visiting academic from Yonsei University.
Furthermore, Ms. Ana Thorlund and Mr. Samuel Danaa led an afternoon “career talk” modeled for the IEU and UNPOG interns. The session aimed to assist the interns in their career development process, as well as give them insights into how the UN system works. This particular part of the programme inspired many questions from the interns which were met with highly practical and invaluable feedback.
The IEU would like to thank UNPOG for making this exchange possible. Forward-looking, the IEU hopes to continue to build stronger relations with our international and local partners.
About the IEU Internship Programme:
As a part of the larger GCF internship programme, the IEU internship offers young graduates an opportunity to learn and grow by supporting the development and undertaking of evaluations for six months. The IEU’s monthly Interns Day programme allows the interns to put aside their usual day-to-day tasks and learn about other areas of the IEU’s work, the GCF, or climate change.