JPO Stories
Toshihiro Nakamura:
From JPO in Timor-Leste to UNDP Assistant Resident Representative in Sierra Leone
Toshihiro Nakamura is a former Japanese UNDP JPO in Timor-Leste (2002-2004) and is now in Freetown, Sierra Leone, as UNDP Assistant Resident Representative.
Published in UNDP Bulletin, August 2007.
Vitals:
I grew up in Osaka, Japan. I'm the middle child of three boys.
Current post:
UNDP Assistant Resident Representative in Sierra Leone.
Previous post:
UNDP Assistant Resident Representative in Indonesia and Head of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit.
His story:
I studied law at Kyoto University in Japan and political science at the London School of Economics. I was always interested in the United Nations, so after getting my master's degree, I got an internship with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva. But I felt that the UN was not as effective as I had thought - some people took long coffee breaks four, five times a day. Others did not seem "driven" by the mission of the UN.
I knew I would always want to work for the UN, but I also wanted to get private sector experience. So I went to work for McKinsey & Company in Tokyo as business consultant. It was a very humbling experience. I thought I knew a lot, but it turned out that I actually knew nothing and was completely useless! The time I spent at McKinsey taught me how to be a professional.
Then I joined the peacekeeping mission in Timor Leste. First I worked as assistant to the Deputy Special Representative, and then as UNDP programme officer on governance and capacity development. It was right after the independence, and there were a lot of hope and energy in the country and among colleagues at the UN. After two years in Timor-Leste, I joined the LEAD programme in Geneva with the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery. In 2005, I went to Indonesia to work on post-Tsunami recovery - I also started the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit at UNDP Indonesia. And now I'm in Freetown.
Crowning glory:
The joint Tsunami assessment we did at UNDP with colleagues from the World Bank, the German development agency GTZ and the Asian Development Bank was perhaps a good achievement. We set up everything from scratch, including adjustment to the assessment methodologies and data collection. I am also happy that I received the best definition of democratic governance award at UNDP in 2006.
Last favourite book read:
Stephen Young's "Micromessaging" was an interesting book. It talks about how people treat others unconsciously through different tones of voice or body gestures and how those can affect the morale and productivity in the workplace. If you want to find out if it has helped me become a better manager, though, you will have to speak to my colleagues.
Behind the suit:
I used to have a Bossa Nova band called M.T.V., named after the first letters of the three members' first names (Matthias, Toshi and Véronique). And I played the guitar. I learned to play the guitar when I was 14 and that's a lot of fun.
Indulgence:
I enjoy different kinds of sake, the Japanese drink. Like wine, there are so many different flavours, depending on the kind of rice and water they use. I visited some of the sake breweries in Kyoto last year.
Favourite quote:
"After night comes the day". I was in high school when I first came across this quote in Lee Iacocca's autobiography. The words stuck to me, and they have helped me get through difficult times.
Inspiration:
I didn't really have a specific mentor or role model, but I always learned things from my friends and colleagues. In a way, everyone is my mentor.
When working for a large organisation like UNDP, I think it's important to keep the motivation and drive you had when you first joined the organisation. It's not easy, but it's the best way to maintain your perspective and professionalism without getting caught in less important things, like internal politics.
Why it's all worth it:
UNDP is not a typical job - it is a job that allows us to do good things for societies and people. It has given me opportunities to live in many places and meet with many people of different backgrounds. And I believe that the experience will eventually help me get a sense of why we are all here.
