Hyun Hee Ban

1. What kind of work are you doing in New Delhi?

Since September 2021, I have been leading the Social Policy & Social Protection programme for UNICEF India, based in New Delhi and across 13 UNICEF state offices, to support government and partners around using child poverty analysis and evidence towards expanding and strengthening the design of social protection programmes for children, using public finance analyses such as Child Budgets across 10 states, to advocate and support governments invest more funds and spend resources more efficiently towards programmes that benefit children. The programme also focuses on institutionalizing child participatory mechanisms in both rural (“Child-Friendly Villages”) and urban settings (“Child-Friendly Cities” approach), so the voices of children and adolescents are reflected in local plans and budgets. The programme aligns with UNICEF Strategic Plan Global Area 5 “Every child, including adolescents, has access to inclusive social protection and lives free from poverty”, and strongly contributes to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1 End Poverty; and overall underpinned by the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

2. Tell us about your career so far and what made you decide to pursue a career in international development cooperation?

I joined UNICEF in 2003 as Assistant Programme Officer in the Office of Public Partnerships, NYHQ, as part of the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) programme sponsored by the Government of the Republic of Korea.  Since my JPO, I had the privilege to learn and gain experiences from UNICEF Headquarters, Regional Office, Supply Division and Country Offices in several regions. 

My interest in pursuing a career in international development and UNICEF started during my student days - I had studied political science and international affairs in Korea, did various internship and student exchange programmes, including participating in a Model UN simulation, and internships at the United Nations; I also worked with the Médecins Sans Frontier (MSF) Liaison Office based in Seoul, which spurred further my interest in a career in international development.

After my two-year stint as a JPO, I joined the UNICEF in Khartoum, Sudan Country Office to support the response to the Darfur crisis, as Special Assistant to the Special Representative for Darfur and Chad. Afterwards, I joined as a Regional Report Specialist in the Regional Office of Eastern and Southern Africa (ESARO) covering 21 country offices based in Nairobi in the Social Policy, Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation (SPPME) section.

In between, I served in the UN-HABITAT Iraq Programme based in Amman, Jordan, and went on a surge assignment for the International Rescue Committee (IRC), a Non-governmental Organization (NGO) to support the cyclone “Nargis” response in Myanmar. I joined UNICEF again as Project Manager for UNICEF’s Supply Division based in Denmark, working in the Knowledge Management Unit (KMU), looking at revamping UNICEF’s digital Supply Catalogue spanning essential medicines and supplies for children, such as school-in-a-box and recreational kits deployed for various emergencies. I also worked as a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Technical Officer, UNITAID funding grants through innovative financing initiatives on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, hosted by the World Health Organization, Switzerland.

I later returned to UNICEF ESARO in the Programme Planning, M&E (PPME) where I supported strategic country programme planning processes including the Regional Management Team (RMT) meetings and rolled out Results-Based Management (RBM) trainings for country offices as part of a core RBM master trainer, and conducted peer reviews of the UNICEF planning, M&E, contribution management functions in the region. In 2018, I took on the Chief of Social Policy, Planning, M&E role for UNICEF South Sudan, overseeing social policy, strategic planning, M&E, civil society organization (CSO) partnerships management and budget management for the Country Office. Since 2021, I have been leading the social policy programme in UNICEF India, based in Delhi, as Chief of Social Policy, also supporting 13 state offices.

3. What was the most memorable moment working for UNICEF?

Each experience in UNICEF has been memorable and rewarding. If I were to pick one, I would pick my first-ever field experience in Sudan in 2004, where I was deployed to support the Darfur emergency on a surge mission, as a JPO. I operated from one of our Field Offices in El-Geneina in Sudan and went on a field mission to the site of one of the largest Internal Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. UNICEF and its partners were supporting children and women with access to basic health, nutrition, education, water and sanitation, child protection, and shelter services. I was tasked to lead the hygiene promotion campaigns together with the Communications Officer, as there were increasing cases of water-borne illnesses. It required various rapid coordination efforts to convene and communicate with partners for a coordinated approach to spreading awareness of safe hygiene practices among the communities.

I admired the dedication and commitment of my UNICEF colleagues working under such challenging contexts to deliver life-saving services for the most vulnerable children.  I also experienced the strong camaraderie among the UNICEF team; when I fell ill due to food poisoning one time, my colleagues, including the Health Officer were all there to help me cope and recover fully.  My experiences and impressions during this surge mission, eventually brought me back to Sudan, immediately following my JPO tenure, which I believe was one of my best career decisions.

4. Do you have any advice or message for students or professionals who want to work at UNICEF?

Gain hands-on practical experience in the field, and seize opportunities to learn about UNICEF and its relevant programmes, not only from UNICEF but also through various other organizations. For example, many colleagues I have worked with also have extensive field experience working in NGOs before joining UNICEF.  In addition, within UNICEF and the UN, there are many opportunities from internships and UN Volunteer Programmes (UNVs); we also have the Generations Unlimited Programmes targeting youth in many countries, which offer various opportunities to engage and contribute to UNICEF programmes.

I did not have a linear career development path, and each one of us will have our own path and journey that works. I left UNICEF and took some breaks and rejoined, especially when I started a family. I ended up taking several assignments including short-term ones, in new duty stations given my spouse also has an international career. Every time I started a new job, especially in a new organization, it was an opportunity to really ‘stretch’ and ‘learn’ new skills. In hindsight, all the experiences and skills I gained, I can connect back to the work I am doing now.

5. Do you have a particular motto in your life?

I used to put the following quote in my office in South Sudan. “Start Where You Are. Use What You Have. Do What You Can.”  Arthur Ashe. In an emergency situation, the context can be fluid and dynamic, and in order to progress, move forward, and deliver life-saving results, you have to be resourceful and get things done. One cannot get stuck and aim for everything to fall into place and be perfect first, before taking action.

Irrespective of the type of duty station, whether it’s a family or non-family duty station, it is important to focus on not only your well-being but also support your colleagues/team members – UNICEF emphasizes the importance of a “people” first approach and culture.