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Jaki Azmi, Deputy Chief Security Officer, Nairobi
After several years at a cadet college in Bangladesh, I became a commissioned army officer, rising to the rank of Major. My undergraduate was in Engineering, and I have a master’s in security management. Working as a military peacekeeper in Liberia in 2007 gave me my first exposure to Africa – and to the United Nations. The poverty and desperation in the post-conflict Liberia overwhelmed me; the civil war may have ended but the scars were still visible everywhere. I was impressed by the great job done by the United Nations. I applied to join UNDSS in 2009. After six months being accepted for a place on the UNDSS roster, I was invited to become the Assistant Chief Security Officer in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Retiring from the military and joining the United Nations represented quite a culture change. In Addis Ababa, I rose to the rank of Chief Security Officer, and I have had the chance to work with people from over 60 nationalities getting exposed to amazing cultures languages and experiences. That’s the real beauty of working here. I also worked in Beirut and New York and enjoyed the diversified culture and work experience. Recently I was reassigned to Nairobi as the Deputy Chief Security Officer. My Ethiopian journey was great! The local people are lovely, friendly, and respectful, sumptuous food, and the weather is fantastic – 13 months of sunshine a year, as they say! I am now in Kenya, and enjoying the great people, culture, natural beauty, and wildlife. Ultimately, what the UNDSS does is to make things happen. We are enablers, we’re here to ensure that United Nations personnel are safe and secure and that the United Nation’s activities are up and running. This isn’t just a job – it’s a way of life. It’s completely different from the corporate world as you’ll get to embrace challenging situations and support the UN in solving problems for mankind. If I had to sum up my 12 years here in one word, it would be “exciting”.
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