 |
| During a downpour in Sulawesi |
What was your last assignment with UNICEF?
Chief of child protection in India.How old do you feel?
Since retiring I think less about my age and more about the years I have left – this morning I feel like my body and mind have a few more years in them.Where do you live?
Tokyo, JapanWhat book do you currently read?
Ian McEwan “What We Can Know” – and a lot of news about the senseless Israel-US war in Iran, the first war that’s played like a computer game but with devastating consequences for the people affected.If you could travel without restrictions, where would you go?
I am aiming to go on wildlife photography safaris a couple of times a year. My next trips are to the Pantanal in Brazil to see jaguars and to the Serengeti in Tanzania for the calving season. I’m always open to suggestions.Your best experience with UNICEF?
Working in India, a country with a vibrant civil society, innovative social entrepreneurs and a government with a clear strategy. International organizations were in support roles (the way they should be).Your biggest challenge when working for UNICEF?
Mission creep and not focusing on a few things that had a chance of success. Unrealistic timeframes and the “conspiracy of optimism”.What is your biggest fear, in relation to the future of children?
AI, climate breakdown, techno feudalism and extreme inequality.What is your greatest hope, in relation to children?
Finding creative solutions to the mess we have created.What is your one piece of advice you wish to give to the UNICEF Executive Director:
Spend time listening to children in villages, slums and refugee camps.Joachim Theis can be reached at: joachimtheis@gmail.com
I like the "conspiracy of optimism" point - I often found we were so caught up in yarning a positive story that we failed to conduct honest assessments to learn from our mistakes - first my admitting them and then by looking deeper into the flaws and what we could do better. I was in an.office once - we did an MTR - we looked at all pilots we could recall - well over 20 of them - and only 1 was taken to scale by government in 2 decades of reflection - and the rest were still running on the UNICEF teat - but have not moved beyond small pilot hobby projects. We did not even have the common sense to stop doing things that don't work.
ReplyDelete