2005

Sector?

Minority Issues, Inter Ethnic Relations

What?

Dialogue Management, Strategic Partnerships

Where?

Republic of Macedonia

Why?

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The Ohrid Peace Agreement signed between the Republic of Macedonia and the Albanian armed groups in 2001 was meant to end the armed conflict in Macedonia. The peace negotiators felt that if the communities would not see rapid implementation of the agreement, it would have no meaning and violence would stage a comeback in the country.

When?

2004, 2005

What Exactly?

 

I performed the needs assessment was to examine what intervention would lead to rapid results and de-escalation of ethnic tensions.This led to the design of a dialogue project in the Republic of Macedonia that provided politically influential persons with the opportunity to work together to create more sustainable and inclusive policies. A highly committed team led by Michael Szporluk implemented the project. I supervised the implementation and ensured support from all political parties and donors.

With Whom?

ECMI

What Happened?

Policy recommendations generated by the multi-ethnic, multi party working groups were channeled to policy and decision makers. This led to emergence of new policies, which contributed to making the peace agreement work for the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia.

Sector?

Women, Child Rights, Hiv Aids

What?

Dialogue Management, Strategic Communication, Strategic Partnerships

Where?

Malaysia

Why?

UNICEF has enjoyed a longstanding fruitful partnership with the Government of Malaysia. However with Malaysia graduating into a fast developing middle-income country it was felt that UNICEF could support the government better by becoming a policy partner. Countering HIV AIDS was one of the two MDGs that were eluding Malaysia. UNICEF felt that it could add value to the efforts of the government in that area.

When?

2005

What Exactly?

Identifying key areas of support required by the Ministry of Health of Malaysia to address HIV AIDS & children & Youth in Malaysia. Key components of this support involved

Identification of potential partners and analysis of their capacity & risk

High level negotiations and building of strategic partnership with government and civil society representatives.

Policy analysis and advise on partnerships, HIV AIDS.

Development of project portfolio on HIV/ AIDS.

With Whom?

UNICEF

What Happened?

UNICEF became a close partner of the Malaysian government in addressing HIV AIDS through policy interventions.

Sector?

Women, Child Rights, Hiv Aids

What?

Dialogue Management, Strategic Communication, Strategic Planning, Strategic Partnerships

Where?

Malaysia

Why?

It was clear that Malaysia could not address HIV AIDS effectively without a national strategy in place. In turn for the National Strategy to be effective it needed to not only be a consensus document but also collaborative arrangements of implementation would need to be foreseen in the concept and planning. The HIV AIDS landscape in Malaysia as in many other countries was deeply fragmented and finding ways to bridge the fissures required the support of a party like UNICEF, which had a stake in addressing the issue but not in the power play that happens in every country when it comes to HIV AIDS.

When?

2005, 2006

What Exactly?

The UNICEF Representative in Malaysia Gaye Phillips tasked me to come up with a strategy on bringing the movers and shakers in the HIV AIDS arena and find entry points to engage with them. I conducted a rapid nationwide mapping exercise meeting with key players and understanding their perspectives. This helped create common grounds to launch a consensus process for drafting the national strategic plan. I supervised the work of consultants brought in to support specific technical inputs and worked as one team with the HIV AIDS division of the Ministry of Health.

Adopting the first national strategic plan was a huge success for Malaysia because it paved the way for a fully budgeted HIV AIDS program to be launched by the government. The plan also provided a platform for collaboration between government, civil society and the private sector.

While UNICEF’s Representative ensured that there was strong political backing for UNICEF’s support to the process and to my services being made available, the intelligence and expertise of Indra Nadchatram were unmatched. With Gaye, Indra and our Malaysian counterparts we worked around the clock with a sense of urgency of the epidemic.

With Whom?

UNICEF, Institute Of Health Management, Malaysia

What Happened?

Malaysia’s first National Strategic Plan (2005-2010) was adopted, budgeted and implemented.

Sector?

Women, Child Rights, Harm Reduction

What?

Capacity Development, Dialogue Management, Strategic Partnerships

Where?

Malaysia

Why?

Implementing harm reduction at a national level was a giant step and a political risk that the Minister of Health of Malaysia took. Before launching a pilot it was felt that a study visit to a successful implementation of a similar program around the world would be important.

When?

2005

What Exactly?

I mapped the case studies of implementation of government funded harm reduction programs around the world to see what would be make a good study visit for a high level Malaysian delegation and also be acceptable in the political context of the country. I negotiated with the governments of Hong Kong and Malaysia the details of the study trip including protocol arrangements.

I made a reconnaissance visit to Hong Kong and with the support of the key actors there designed a study trip. I visited all the sites myself and met with the stakeholders briefing them on the objective of the visits and also making them aware of the challenges that Malaysia faces in addressing these issues. Meticulous planning of the visit was only possible because of my intimate knowledge of the gaps in the various programs on HIV AIDS in Malaysia. I ensured that the study visit is comprehensive and demonstrates the value of investing early in a holistic program. Prevention, Treatment, Care, Advocacy, Finance, were all covered in the visit. Along with UNICEF’s Representative Gaye Phillips, I accompanied the delegation for the study trip.

With Whom?

UNICEF, Institute Of Health Management

What Happened?

The study trip was a huge success. The Minister of Health H.E. Datuk Chua Soi Lek led the Malaysia delegation. The delegation was handpicked to ensure that this would indeed be the team charged with implementing the country’s HIV AIDS program. The Honk Kong government was wonderful hosts who appreciated the far-reaching consequences of this study trip. One of the outcomes of this trip was that the Malaysia model for the harm reduction program was simplified further to ensures effective implementation.

Sector?

Minority Issues

What?

Dialogue Management, Strategic Partnerships

Where?

Republic of Macedonia

Why?

The Ohrid peace agreement signed in 2001 marked the end of the armed conflict in Macedonia. As part of confidence building measures it was important to highlight the position of minorities in democracies. South Eastern Europe had much experience to share and learn from each other.

When?

2002, 2003, 2005

What Exactly?

I negotiated a strategic partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Germany to advance this conference jointly. Andreas Klein who was the Director of this foundation and was posted in Macedonia was that rare breed of expatriates who knew what was happening and what was hurting in the country. Equally comfortable with the grassroots as with the political elite, Andreas ensured that there is a strong buy-in from the office of the President of Macedonia for this initiative. Marc Weller, the Director of the ECMI was quick to see value in the initiative and as a global authority on this subject galvanized a star studded line up of international experts for the conference. Florian Bieber, Eben Friedman and Tom Trier all with affiliations to ECMI and a deep commitment to the region provided cutting edge content and moderation. The South East European university had collaborated in the past with the ECMI and was an excellent partner for this initiative. Among other things I was also responsible for raising funds for hosting this conference. The ECMI team in Macedonia led by the Office Manager Gordana Cvetkoska managed the invisible backend of this huge logistic challenge as always without any show of fatigue or stress.

With Whom?

ECMI, Sida

What Happened?

An annual dialogue forum “Minorities in democracies” has been established which brings international and regional south-east European experts to debate on the position of minorities in democracies. The first two editions saw the late President of the Republic of Macedonia HE Boris Traijkovski deliver the opening speeches before his untimely death in an airplane crash.

Sector?

Child Rights, Hiv Aids

What?

Strategic Communication, Strategic Planning

Where?

Malaysia

Why?

For many years UNICEF had partnered with the Government of Malaysia to deliver numerous and effective grassroots initiatives. With the rapid strides Malaysia made in development and achieved a middle-income country status, it was felt that UNICEF could advance the well being of children in Malaysia more effectively by becoming an upstream partner of the government. UNICEF’s then executive director Carol Bellamy had hand picked the dynamic CEO of UNICEF Australia Gaye Phillips to set in a Malaysia a model of engagement with middle-income countries.

When?

2004, 2005, 2006, 2007

What Exactly?

In 2005, UNICEF’s Representative appointed me to link the organization’s HIV AIDS programs to a meaningful communication strategy.

In addition to developing a comprehensive strategy on up-streaming UNICEF’s HIV AIDS program in Malaysia, key Strategic Communication products were developed:

Video documentary- “Women in AIDS”: Conceptualized this video documentary to celebrate and document the contribution of women from various walks of life in the fight against HIV AIDS in Malaysia. This video galvanized support from the Govt. of Malaysia and the donor community for UNICEF’s HIV AIDS program.

Video documentaries- Conceptualized video documentaries on joint projects of UNICEF & Ministry of Health that reflect the impact of good partnerships. These included the video capsules on ProStar Youth Initiative (Peer counseling), Village Health Promoters and Youth & Drugs. Youth volunteers for UNICEF in Malaysia filmed the films.

 

With Whom?

UNICEF, Institute Of Health Management, Ministry Of Women

What Happened?

UNICEF became the partner of choice of the Malaysian government on HIV AIDS

Sector?

Minority Issues, Inter Ethnic Relations

What?

Assessments And Evaluation, Dialogue Management

Where?

Sri Lanka

Why?

The Muslims in Sri Lanka are a minority spread out across the island state. They tended to be the balance of power in parliamentary equations. However the peace process in Sri Lanka did not include them as a party in negotiations. The inner divisions within the Muslim community further diminished the chances of their participation. It was felt that for the eventual peace agreement to be implemented the participation of a Muslim representation is a must.

When?

2005

What Exactly?

Sunoor Verma was retained to conduct Needs assessment; Stakeholder Consultations; Situation analysis and Institutional capacity assessment of the divided Muslim communities in Sri Lanka in relation to the peace process in that country. This involved, consulting with political, religious, community leaders and other members of the Muslim communities, the government, international missions and further relevant actors in Sri Lanka. The project was carried out in a climate of growing security concerns and travel restrictions.

With Whom?

Cambridge University

What Happened?

Visible and invisible opinion makers were consulted thus ensuring a report, which is highly reliable. This substantive report detailed the identity, interests and positions of Muslim political actors in Sri Lanka in relation to the peace process. This report was presented to the peace process facilitators.