JPO Stories
Hakan Bjorkman:
From JPO with UNV in Switzerland to UNDP Country Director in Indonesia
Hakan Bjorkman is a former Swedish UNV JPO in Switzerland (1988-1989) and is now in Indonesia as UNDP Country Director.
Published in UNDP Bulletin, May 2007.
Vitals:
I was born in Sweden but I grew up in Brussels, Belgium. My father is a retired businessman and my mother was a chemical engineer by training and school teacher by profession. I have two sisters, three nephews, one niece and two grandnieces. I live with my partner Banjoed and our dog Deejay, a high-strung Jack Russell Terrier.
Current post:
Country director with UNDP Indonesia in Jakarta.
Previous post:
Deputy Resident Representative at the UNDP Thailand Country Office.
His story:
I studied political science at Leeds University in the U.K. and got my master's in international relations and trade policy at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva. While I was getting my degree in Geneva, I had a series of part-time jobs to support myself. I worked at a bookbinding factory and operated heavy machinery. I also drove a bus for a day care centre for older people suffering from memory loss. Every morning, I would pick them up from their houses but they did not remember having seen me the day before. So each day I had to convince them to get on the bus with me - it was challenging work.
I joined UNDP in 1988 as Junior Professional Officer with the UN Volunteers. My first field posting was in Laos as assistant resident representative for four years. Laos was a very serene and isolated place. Once during a project site visit, I strayed away from the group and tripped on an anti-personnel cluster bomb! It rolled out in front of me but did not explode, so I was OK.
In 1995, I went to New York to work at the Human Development Report Office. It was a completely different job. In 1998, I went to the Nordic liaison office in Copenhagen. I wanted to be posted there because my mother became very ill and I wanted to be close to her. I am very grateful to UNDP that I was able to do that. Then I went back to New York and worked as senior advisor on HIV/AIDS at the Bureau for Development Policy.
In 2002, I went off to Thailand and stayed there for four and a half years. And now I am in Indonesia. So I have lived in nine countries.
Crowning glory:
I am still working on it. I have done a few things I am proud of. For instance, I helped start the Lao programme for clearing unexploded ordinance from the Viet Nam war, or "the American war", as they call it. I wrote a controversial chapter entitled "The Politics of Poverty Eradication" in the 1997 Human Development Report, which received a lot of attention. I am also proud of positioning UNDP as an important partner for the Global Funds to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria when it was being set up in 2001-2002. In Thailand, I think I did a good job managing UNDP's post-Tsunami recovery efforts. But as for my "crowning glory", I would like to save it for later...
Favorite book:
"Krakatoa" by Simon Winchester. Krakatoa is a volcanic island located between Java and Sumatra islands in Indonesia. It exploded in 1883. I love the book because it is full of historical details and suspenseful narratives. And now that I'm in Indonesia, I would really like to go and visit site.
Behind the suit:
I am crazy about downhill skiing, and I also love photography. Downhill skiing is an obsession, actually. I love the experience of being close to nature and the thrill. I love the crystal clean air, especially on a sunny day after a night of snowfall, when I ski past the trees in several feet of snow. There is no room for thinking of work - I only think about making it and, believe it or not, it is the best way to relax. Unfortunately, there is not much skiing in Jakarta.
Indulgence:
Flying half way around the world to Wyoming with my dog to ski each year.
Favourite quote:
Friedrich Nietzsche's "What does not kill me makes me stronger". When things get rough, this quote is reassuring.
Inspiration:
My dad has always been my role model. He is a man of immeasurable curiosity, and I have inherited that desire to know and explore things. He is 87. He is in Florence right now taking an Italian language course.
When working, it is very important not to lose sight of what is really important. We get lost in bureaucratic processes and forget that we are all contributing to something immensely important, and that stakes are high. There are bureaucratic obstacles within UNDP, of course, but because it is so decentralised, there is also room for creativity and initiatives.
Why it's all worth it:
I work for UNDP for two reasons. First, it provides me with an amazing opportunity to make a difference. It motivates me and energises me. Second, I get to work with amazing people. UNDP is like a huge family, maybe a little dysfunctional like all families, but it is still a family. We work hard, we share the ups and downs, and we become very close. With UNDP, I feel that I am at home.
