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Since I was a teenager, I have been passionate about folk dance. The music and the passion of the people when they applaud a presentation are magical moments. In this photo, I am dancing Morenada, in the most important carnival in Bolivia, in the city of Oruro. My expression says it all :)

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I've always had a curious nature. One that sometimes makes me jump between areas of interest at bewildering speed (my late mother called me "grasshopper" when I was a youngster). I've carried that curiosity with me throughout my career, from the academic sector, to the media, and on into the UN system almost eight years ago. I chose this photo to reflect the fact that I like to read a lot, whether physical books or online content, to give myself a constant supply of brain food. At the same time, I can have a tendency to overthink things, so the stress-ball brain is also a nod to that lacuna. I chose my houseplants as a backdrop because, despite living in a megalopolis, I'm a country boy at heart and love the environment.

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My daughter held by her uncle. It was 11 April 2019 and we had just heard that Al-Bashir was ousted as a leader. It was the only leader I've known since I was born in 1989. I wished that she would've a different life and would live in a better country. A few minutes later, we were sheltering because we were being shot at. I felt very bad for bringing her there, but this would be a moment she would be proud of later.

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This is me in the middle of people living their daily and normal life while for me it is something new and impressive. I have been living abroad for so many years. I have lived and worked in many regions of the world trying to adapt, trying to understand. Always looking different to the locals, always behaving differently, and often not able to speak the local language. This is my life - always being somewhere new, somewhere I learn on a daily basis of what for other people is normal life. I am a constant social-people-cultural-language learner.

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these photos were taken from the vigil I organized to bring people together to mourn, share memories, recite poetry and connect together.

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A vigil organized for Shireen Abu Aqleh, A Palestinian Journalist killed in my hometown

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A vigil organized for Shireen Abu Aqleh, A Palestinian Journalist killed in my hometown

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When you live abroad away from your family and your country, the sense of home and belonging becomes so foreign, and you start searching for it everywhere you go, in a home cooked meal by someone's mom who is visiting, in attending a concert by an artist from your country, events, galleries, but rarely we think of creating these spaces. I find myself someone who thrives with community, bringing people together, sharing moments, foods, memories and experiences. And the photo I shared though resembles a moment where people came together to mourn, it still shows the beauty of people coming together to support a community, regardless of what loss meant to them.

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I have always been passionate about everything "international". I asked my grandpa' when I was 3 years old, to have a big world globe. I learned about countries and memorized capitals at that age. Eventually, I studied International Studies and I have been working my whole life in international affairs. I have a collection of 42 world globes. I have a world globe and a world map as tattoos on my right arm. And I love to travel around the world (31 countries and counting!). All my friends identify me with a world globe. For me, the world globe means everything I like about my career, my job, and my passion for travel

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Working every day, for my kids - and all the other kids - having future on a green and healthy planet

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Museo de Ciencias Naturales, Caracas, Venezuela

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This is one of my favourite places to visit. For two years, I went there almost everyday during my lunch breaks. It was the scenary for the first meetings of a deeply significant conection.

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It's really hard to just pick one picture. But despite wherever I travel or move to, I seem to keep ending up back here in New York City. 

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Took this photo in Sool region of Somaliland. It is always a wonder how resourceful we are, and what we can do when we learn from each other through telling stories.

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Photo of an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church priest in East Hararghe, Oromia, Ethiopia.

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I took this photo of an Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church priest in East Hararghe, Oromia, Ethiopia during a field trip. I'm touched by the spirituality of the country and the people, where you encounter a church or mosque every few kilometers, even in the most modest of places.

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This is the first photo of my baby, Felipe, right after he was born. I'll always remember it as the scariest,  most beautiful moment of my life. And since becoming a mother, I've realized the extent of my privilegies - first and foremost, that I got to choose my maternity.
I always believed in the importance of fighting inequality; but since I get to experience the wonder in my baby's eyes as he becomes increasingly aware of his presence in this crazy world, I am more convinced than ever that we must do everything in our power to give them the hope of a more equal, fair and sustainable future.

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This is the mercy ships vessel photo captured from my balcony one night!  For those who don't know it, that is a huge (175meters) hospital ship with a humanitarian vocation. The care provided is free. Medical Doctors working there transform lives and offer their expertise for free.   This inspired me because it is similar to the work we do to improve the lives of people. No effort is in vain and all actions are necessary to make humanity better and for the well being of each one.

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Always working hard to tell UN stories and inspired to keep pushing towards a more peaceful, just and simply better world for the next generation of real life superheros. Seeing the world through the eyes of my kids and experiencing their curiosity and wonder gives me strength and hope.

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While our work requires so many hours of being behind a huge screen, looking at data, designs, news and productions.
It has always been those brief moments of interaction with refugees in person that drove me to do better and more for them through my work.

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I love taking photos of the ocean, I grew up by the sea, and it has a different place in my heart.

These photos are from my #isolated series, which often feel like these isolated islands represent me. In the middle of the beautiful ocean, connected to nature yet protecting its own ecosystem by keeping a distance. When it feels alone, telling its story to all passersby.

"If you sing of beauty though alone in the heart of the desert, you will have an audience."
Khalil Gibran

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This is a photo I took on a holiday to Lamu, in the coast of Kenya. It represents my love for travel, and also is a metaphor of my life in some way. Some days are calm and others have big waves and turbulence. But I keep sailing on this journey with the hope that I can make a positive change in the world!

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The UN President of the General Assembly (PGA) shakes hands with many civil society participants at GA Hall in UN Headquarters, for the first time in nearly two years since COVID-19 started.

My mission at the Civil Society Unit of the Secretariat is to strengthen partnership between the UN and civil society (NGOs, academia and private sector).

In November 2021, I was leading preparation for PGA's flagship Townhall for civil society. Under unpredictable COVID-19 circumstances, it was unprecedented challenge to plan a large hybrid/in-person event inviting hundreds of CSOs in the General Assembly hall for the first time since February 2020.

As a result of rigorous preparation together with wonderful colleagues, the historic event was extremely successful with active participation and interaction among PGA, hundreds of NGO and corporate representatives.

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This is me when I first started working with the UN. My first org was UN Women which opened my eyes to the issues of gender. Ever since, there was just too many reasons for me to care about gender and women's issues and I have continued advocating for gender equality. Now I am married and have a daughter and am striving to be a better person for myself and my family.

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This is the picture of who I am and what I passionate about. As a communication person of the UN, I went to many places where conflicts and crises happen. Regardless of how difficult the situation is, I never quit on what I commit to support for those people especially women, girls and young people in affected areas. Communicating with communities, I will never stop telling authentic stories of the people from the communities who need the support urgently.

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This is me and my sister twin, who is my best friend and my best half. We look alike, yet we are very different personalities. But just like Yin and Yang, together we are a perfect combination.

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This photo/selfie was taken in March 2019 at UNHCR's Global stockpile in Dubai.
There was an urgent loading of relief items to be sent to Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe in response to a cyclone that hit the region. I remember it was a weekend, and I took my son with me as I had to provide media coverage of the activity. It was the first time for him to really understand what I do for a living, and I had to explain to him how we help people who have lost everything and had to flee, in this case, because of a natural disaster. I look back and think that that day was really one of the best days in my life.

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A migrant carrying dignity kit provided by UNFPA in Libya/Salman Khalid

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Libya is a sensitive context; its hard to show faces of women, considering the potential issues for them. So this pic, I guess conveys the msg - the plight of the migrants and refugees and the support of UNFPA

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This photo has been taken by my colleagues during a recent workshop on effective communications and advocacy that I delivered for my IT colleagues at UNHCR. It captures the kind of moment that give me energy - helping others to make a larger impact with their work and expertise through effective communication.

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A colleague of mine took this picture of me while we were on a field visit. This captures my passion - being in the field and creating change. In my time with the Spotlight Initiative, and in previous roles before, I have always wanted to make a difference and I have recently found that passion in storytelling because knowing that their coverage and visibility will hopefully create impact to continue helping those most in need. Although this is capturing me in my work environment, I wouldn’t be where I am without the continuous support of those who love, motivate, trust and believe in me, and its because of them that I get to do what I enjoy.

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This picture captures what my life is all about in just a snapshot.
It captures the essence of my work which is about using my lenses to capture the reality of others (in this cases myself) while also painting a perspective that I want others to see through.
It also captures the ease I manifest in my work by not being too hard on my self and just taking moments in between to take care of my body and mind in order to be able to continue telling the beautiful stories about the work we do.
It also shows the joy my work brings be reflected in my smiles because I passionately show up to work look forward to the next story to tell and the next image to capture and share with the world.

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All the various stages of my life in one picture...childhood with parents and siblings, marriage and motherhood, and life and relationships. These are also the people who, over the years and now, have made the career, work, travel, education, friendships, and everything that makes me who I am, possible. The mountains have always called to me. Put a book in there somewhere and the picture is complete!

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This story is a piece of technology supporting a global village in a remote part of  Northern Kenya, an arid and semi arid area.

The students in this school are connected to the internet through solar powered panels that charge their batteries and tablets that are used during their daily classroom lessons.

The internet has become a critical part of our lives and nobody should be left behind. The enthusiasm of the pupils is palpable as they read and interact with content from the web in real time.

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This is my cat. His name is Mosya. this photo is about support and love to me. My cat who is always around and longing for being next to me touches me so much. He has incredible character, gives a lot of support and happiness.

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This is my right eye.
My right eye at sunset
A green eye,
An Irish eye,
That often smiles.
Today it's a tired eye,
An overworked eye,
An eye that stares too much at screens.
It's not a young eye,
It's an experienced eye.
An eye that has seen pain
Death, birth, love, hate.
It's my camera.
It has witnessed my life.

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My career spans into almost 20 years of humanitarian work in several countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, including Somalia. I have worked as protection officer with UNHCR and now with OCHA as a humanitarian affairs officer with a leaning on communication and reporting.

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I find it quite impossible to capture my life in ONE photo :) so I decided to give you a glimpse of my exciting ‘professional’ life through this photo collage.
My career hasn’t been an easy one, definitely not as straightforward as I thought it would be. Ever since I was a child, my passion was to help those in need, inspire others and spread positivity and hope around me. When they asked me what would I want to be when I grow up, I used to say “I want to work for a noble cause… for the United Nations”. Joining the UN was not that easy, very challenging, but rewarding! This photo captures some communication activities undertaken in the past few months, namely contributing to the successful SG’s visit to Lebanon in Dec. 2021 and that of the Deputy Secretary-General in March 2022 to Lebanon, and organizing a live Q&A with Young people. But the most interesting and fulfilling role I have ever engaged in and absolutely loved is interacting with people who need us most, the most vulnerable! These field visits remind me always of the core value of our UN work, it reminds me (especially when I’m overwhelmed and about to crack) of the reason why I joined the UN from the very beginning, of the number-one noble cause behind my struggle and years of hard work to carve out a niche in this organization and try to make a difference (be it directly or indirectly) in people’s lives, but also in my work environment, with my colleagues, partners, and beneficiaries. With this photo, I wanted to capture only the communication angle of my work, although this does not reflect my entire career path with the UN. Can you guess what I used to work in the UN before joining UNIC and RCO Lebanon?

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Stand Up Against poverty Campaign Youth in Cairo 2019

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Screenshot_2018-12-24 Stand Up Take Action UNIC Cairo(1)

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I've explored the beauty of change and the fruitfulness of personality growth when I got out of my comfort zone . I travelled, changed careers and raised above the challenges.

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In this photo you can see the glorious moment of when you try something new, but it doesn't quite go as planned.

Whether it comes to moving to a new country, trying out a new hobby, cooking a new dish, meeting a new colleague, getting a new job, we are always taking a leap into the unknown. Are we going to land on our feet? Most of the time yes, because we trusted ourselves and knew, that we can do it even if we are nervous.

But sometimes, you end up on your 🤬 on the ground. You see your feet dangling in the air, and your companion looks at you with an expression of "How did you end up down there?" This does not mean you should not have taken the leap. This means that you need to get up, dust off your pants, and keep going. That is how you move, learn, develop, get better.

It is always not easy, as we like to be 100% ready before moving. But the truth is, we will never be 100% ready anyway.

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This picture is when i realized what i want to do for the rest of my life. I want to combine my love for communications and telling stories of those in need, those unheard voices to the world.

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For me - it has always been about love, friends, places and opportunities - equal for everyone, regardless of anything that "defines" us.

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This picture best describes me and my day-to-day in my career life.

As the Communication focal point of UNDP Namibia, I am constantly conveying messages about our work with various stakeholders. This picture was recently taken by the National TV broadcaster in Namibia during the launch of the Stockholm+50 national consultations.

I love this picture as it portrays my passion for my work.

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I took this picture when I volunteered and participated in a pad distribution trip in a rural Masai village near Arusha, Tanzania. This trip changed my life. I was so impressed by how people could be optimistic and how women can support each other even in difficult situations. I love the woman's smile and she was so caring. That is something I recall everyday when I left the country.

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This was captured one night as I was leaving the UN Compound in Colombo, Sri Lanka. This place has been a pivotal part of my life- from starting off as an intern almost 7 years ago, to being a UN Youth volunteer, Service Contract holder and now a National Officer at UNDP. The people, the experiences, opportunities and challenges have been immeasurable, while balancing the whirlwind ups and downs of my personal life too.

With Sri Lanka being in the worst place its ever been, its been tough to not get frustrated and feel like all the good work done over the years is being reversed. Its easy to feel defeated and give up. But, everyday when I walk in and spot the UN flag flying high, the sense of pride and gratitude I feel cannot be put into words. The fact that in my own way, I am able to even make a small difference and contribute towards my country, this makes me proud, and is something that will be a part of me forever.

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Lenka Ctvrteckova, UNICEF Czech Republic

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Lenka Ctvrteckova, UNICEF Czech Republic

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Here I am in the picture, doing something that I am absolutely delighted to do in my free time. What story does it tell? Children have accompanied me for my whole life – my mother and sister work in kindergarten and organized summer camps for children where I used to help them. Later I started teaching English as a part-time job and my students were mostly children. No one was surprised when I went to a Faculty of Education after finishing high school. Even though I am not in the field anymore, I frequently make use of the knowledge gained when lecturing horse riding in our small school of riding for children (which is where the picture comes from). The last bit to my story is UNICEF, where my love for children, language and communication came together and created something great in my life to hold on to. I have always helped children somewhat – but to be of aid in such huge and international agency, that is an honor for me.

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I have chosen this photo because I am a woman surrounded by wonderful men. My mother and my maternal grandmother are no longer with me and I have two fabulous brothers and now a fantastic son who reminds me every second that we women have the responsibility to raise men who are respectful of our rights, men who are not abusive and respect gender equality. I count on my husband who is a champion of gender equality and has made the great decision to be the one to help me around the house with my homework and support me in my career.
I also like this photo because now in this new destination we have been able to discover wonderful places and the bell reminds me to be aware of what is happening around me and serves as a symbol with the bell to draw attention to what is really important in life and in my case it is my family who has now taken the decision to accompany me in this new adventure of life in another country.

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My life has been largely defined by various cultures, places and international people. When I was a teenager, I went on a 1-year exchange abroad and ever since I've been connected to people all over the world. I've lived in Germany, México, Brazil, Belgium, Portugal & Turkey, and now that I'm settled back in my home country (CZ), I'm more than happy that I'm a part of yet another international organization – UNICEF.  I miss the people I've met along my journey very much but (this might sound like a cliche) they are a part of me forever.

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This photo illustrates the life of a peacekeeper, always mobilized on the ground to provide assistance and support to the most vulnerable.

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Farjana Sultana, UNFPA, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

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Farjana Sultana, UNFPA, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh

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This is me on a speedboat on my way from a project site to my duty station. I was travelling this week to support Health and Gender projects in an island near Cox's Bazar. This photos tells a lot about myself. Life is a journey to me, everyone has a different meaning to their journey as well.   I think it is important to savor and cherish every bit of it.

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This is one of mycaptivating photos taken by a colleague randomly in an arid and semi-arid area in Northern Kenya where UNICEF is collaborating with local Telcom companies to connect schools to the internet.

The school is more than a three-hour drive from the nearest major town but it is captivating to see the ensusiasm of teh students connecting to the internet through their sharedd tablets.

Truly the internet connects all of us into a global village.

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I started alone in the area of communication, doing content, design, photography. I was the whole team. After three years and strengthening the importance of communication to be able to tell stories and the work we do, I am very proud to say that I lead a team of 4 people with whom we work daily to tell stories about migration.

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A portrait of myself sitting on the edge of a bench, at night, in central West Jerusalem, next to my backpack, about a decade ago, with an overlaid image of myself about three decades ago. I moved into this city sometime between the two pictures were taken, and have changed my backpack multiple times since then. Here, I have lived between languages and alongside complex relations with time and space.

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My story isn't much different from the people I write stories about. living in Syria has been extremely challenging, we went through explosions, displacement, poverty, loss and much more. being with the UN had helped me a lot, it made things bearable, without it, I don't know where and what I would have been.
I always ask myself, What if the crisis in Syria never happened, how different would my life be.

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For the last two years, I've spent a lot of time reading and learning. It's deepened my knowledge and appreciation for the incredible work done by so many in this sector and continues to be my source of inspiration for pursuing a career in this field.

I've always been the person that had her head buried in books so the image felt fitting to both my past as well as the ongoing journey of always being hungry to learn, to grow and to apply what I learn from the incredible experiences of others in my effort to contribute to a better, safer world.

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The emptiness of the desert is an inspiration for me to live my life with a head emptied of thoughts and worries. A life where I would be like a single grain of sand, beautiful on its own when looked at from close, and majestic when put together with all the others to form a vast desert.

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Kabul Airport, June 2019... I couldn't leave Kabul without taking this picture. Made sure I asked permission.

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I have always felt the need to be "on the go." I love travel, I love meeting new people, seeing new things, and just the thrill of the possibilities when you get on a plane to somewhere new. This picture of me (from 10 years ago!) in Angkor Wat, Cambodia is the picture of someone who was (finally!) beginning to believe that she was bigger than her small-town suburban routes.

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"A sunset is proof that endings can be beautiful"

I come from a modest family and lost my mother to breast cancer when I was 13. For a girl, losing her mother at that age can be a hindrance to her education or development (school, society, career, etc). But it has been a driving force in my motivation.
My life has not been easy but I have always taken everything as a lesson. Nobody said it would be.
Today I work in the United Nations and believe me this is seen from the outside as an opportunity. If only they knew the work that went into it.
I aspire to more than what I have or am today and I know that I will get it through my work and my abnegation. When I think back to where I came from nothing predestined me for this life. I'm still in the prime of my life and I know that it's only just begun.
Life has been so kind to me many times and every time I fall I take it as a lesson.
I like the thought of a friend who said: "Life is a beginning and an end, it's what you make of it that matters". I have decided to make something of it, a story that can inspire and give strength to others.

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Field mission PBF Mali. Mopti, August 2021

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This is me, my dream, my present, and hopefully my every-day.

This picture means and explains who I am, what I love doing the most, what I have been working on for years, my passion, my resilience, my little success, my work, my profession, where I am, and where I want to stay: in the field, talking to people and looking for stories in an international, diverse and complex world, giving voice and focusing on the population, the beneficiaries.

I am a Spanish journalist raised in Montpellier, London and Madrid. I had the opportunity to work, mainly as an intern, in some of the most important media in Spain, radio, TV and press. However, I found myself in 2017 jobless with little chance to come back to the media outlets. Thus, I started working at Zara to stay financially independent. But on an emotional and professional level, I hit rock bottom. I went from being a journalist to a shop assistant folding and selling t-shirts and being well over 30 years old, that is, the age at which you are supposed to have a job related to your studies. But I never gave up despite the rejections in the media sector, and later in the international arena as I was too old to apply to internships/JPOs at the EU/NATO/ONU, etc.

Since I had lost everything professionally, I decided to start over and bet on what I had been dreaming of for a decade and had never dared to do: communications linked to international relations. I studied a master's degree at the Diplomatic School of Spain about International Relations and kept applying for jobs. Finally, in June 2021, I was selected within the UNV programme as a communications specialist in Mali.

It has been 4 hard years without any hope of developing myself professionally and being rejected everywhere. But finally, thanks to perseverance, discipline, and stubbornness, I have achieved it. I am in Bamako doing what I am most passionate about in the world: communicating for the achievement of peace and sustainable development of the peoples under the principles and values of the United Nations.

I feel privileged and I have finally found my place: being in the field, talking to people and looking for stories in an international, diverse and complex world, giving voice and focusing on the population, the beneficiaries.

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My passion for story telling as communications specialist inspires me to always chat with our beneficiaries to understand what their life looks like. In this photo, I was interacting with teen moms who were drastically affected by the COVID19 crisis during a psychosocial support outreach campaign to support them cope with the situation in one of the bordering districts in Rwanda.

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I love taking pictures of Somalia;s agricultural development. 

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The aim of my professional career has been to support humanitarian projects by empowering people affected by disaster to share their stories, and provide a platform that brings attention and resources to humanitarian situations. I have worked across several countries and types of crisis - I aim to demonstrate compassion, and have been touched that in a variety of environments founds people who are kind, intelligent, but find themselves in very difficult situations. This photo demonstrates that experience. This woman was smart and friendly spoke passionately about the hardship and needs of her community.

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This photo is the summary of my recent life and the life I want until I die. I love my wife, I love cars and I love to travel. I like to know people and to know experiences and the car and my wife are the perfect tool to get what we want in our lives.

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This is a picture of the place where I was born, Cantabria. For me it represents my roots, what I am and what I hope to always be. I have lived in several countries, and it has been many years since I left my homeland. Sometimes, it is difficult to arrive to a place and adapt quickly to a new culture as if you have been living there and sharing with people you don't know all your life.

To avoid feeling lost when I am far away, I look at these kinds of photos. I know that you have to build your home in the place where you are, but you always have to have a reference, a compass that tells you where your north is, so you don't lose it.

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I joined the UN because I wanted to work on development and nothing else. I believed that my passion is to do something good for the world.

I started my career in the UN by collecting stories from the field and I think this was what inspired me to continue for years in the UN system. The more I worked in communication, the more I was able to see and listen to stories and capture change in any context I encounter.

The photo is from one of my trips abroad. I learnt from my work to be open to the world, dig for the beauty, see opportunities, and look at the seeds and how they grow.

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When I was a child I dreamed about changing the world and inspiring others. I picture myself speaking at the United Nations, whitout any specific reason but I do. And even in my wildest dreams I would have never thought to be where I am right now.
I left my lovely family and home in Mexico city to persue my dream to live in Paris, I found out the real story of my grandfather, discovered he was actually italian and not French as he sais he was.

After 10 years of hard work, tears, joy, sweat, laughter and a lot of beautiful moments I just got my French nationality and a new amazing job at UNICEF.
This picture shows my first visit to the field to Jordan where I could saw with my own eyes the positive impact the UN agencies have in people's life and how little detais can change thousands of lifes.
I am greatful for this journey that still continues to amaze me.

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Fishing in Sables d'Or, Temara (Southern Rabat)

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It is probably not the most original picture I' ve taken with my phone, however, when i go for fishing twice a month its also an opportunity for me to have a moment with myself.
When i am in that moment i am happy with what i am doing with my life and especially the work i am doing: Communicating to give a better understanding to what is the UN, tell inspiring stories, engage with new audiences and people as well as (trying to) advocate more about SDG's.
The challenge is a bit risky, as I came from the public administration, in which i always loved to communicate (In a more formal way of course) and tell stories... stories about my nation, its achievements but also its failures... But I am happy to learn everyday something new in this job as communicator and i am learning new techniques with this course.
NB: I didnt catch any fish that day, but I will keep on trying, the challenge is what makes it fun :)

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This picture was taken in Greenwich, London. The line between my feet is a Greehwich zero meridian line, which separates western and eastern hemispheres.

The reason why I chose this picture is because it tells a lot about me - actually, that's exactly how I feel almost on a daily basis, - someone who is in the middle of two worlds, so different and unique, West and East. As a girl from Central Asian country, which is situated partially in Asia, partially in Europe, I have always felt this dualism in me - raised in 'eastern' traditions, educated in 'western' school and university, with a strong interest in English culture and literature and an ardent desire to channel my roots and nomadic heritage, I have always been someone who wanted to have the best of both worlds in me - East and West.

So, this is me - standing one foot in the West, one foot in the East, open to embrace the world in its diversity and beauty.

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April 2020. Brussels. My Home. I look tired. It's rainy outside but so far we had a sunny lookdown. We are not allowed to go outside yet, only to buy some food. I sewed my first homemade mask. I had some loincloths left over from the Democratic Republic of Congo when I worked for Monusco. I did not know what to do with them. Now they have a purpose. Saving lives. Yes, we have experienced the attacks, in the metro station, right next to the office in 2015. But I have never felt insecure. The COVID crisis panics some of my colleagues. I find the excitement of the field, of the unknown, of crisis situations over which we have no control. I am tired, because we work more from home than from the office, but I recall the excitement of the "field" and I feel alive again when around me, the city is on standby.

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This goofy individual in this poorly-done photo is me, trying to capture a moment during my first experience in TV news in Rio de Janeiro. If you take a closer look at the technology displayed here, you will realize that it was quite some time ago. I was an intern, earning enough to buy bus tickets and a daily sandwich for lunch.

What really kept me going and fed me was drive - the will to work as a journalist. Back then, I had no idea how much journalism and communications would impact my life.

Of course, other identities came along too, and defined me in different ways - husband, traveler, dog owner. Also a former smoker, with a lot of personal effort and patience from those who somehow put up with me. After living in four different countries, I hope I became a good cook too.

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Finding the common threads that bind us all, through storytelling

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Ever since I can remember, I loved writing stories. Discovering visual storytelling as a broadcast journalist added a whole other realm to this love affair, because visuals added another language to storytelling I did in the written word. After 11 years as a broadcast journalist, I jumped ship to become a development storyteller - not knowing whether the stories would be vastly different or strikingly similar. What you realise from behind the lens, is that we all have different slices of the same story to tell, because all of our stories come down to the same motivating factors and emotions that drive us all. I am constantly seeking out different perspectives on the human condition, and I find immense satisfaction in knowing I've told a good story.

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Days after i joined UN Women Pakistan, my precious little angel arrived was born. Working at UN Women transformed the way i thought about gender equality and women & girls rights and indeed made me a better father. The extraordinary work we do at UN Women, the horrible things we see in society for girls, the disparities, the injustices, the social stigma, the advocacy campaigns we run, i practice them at home. I am in love with my work because this is what i believe and practice in my private life.

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Interviewing a person as part of a COVID-19 emergency response project. 

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It was an unforgettable work experience to leave home during quarantine and travel to other provinces to deliver protection supplies and dignity kits to those who needed it most.

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As UN Vienna HQs marks its 50th anniversary, I call on youth to support us in putting an end to nuclear testing. 

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Work, nature, hot drink and kids are my life

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Work, nature, hot drink and kids are my life

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I’ve spent years telling stories as a photojournalist. Now for the last four years I’m doing the same for UN Migration with the motive to make a difference in the peoples’ lives. As being the part of the UN system and IOM, I’m actually seeing that we’re really touching peoples’ lives in their worst times. I’m also very happy for transferring my skills and experiences to the new members of  our team, supporting them in developing their audio visual skills and capacities.

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Ekaterina Polishchuk, UNV Europe and CIS 

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Ekaterina Polishchuk, UNV Europe and CIS 

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I have not been able to share a photostory of my life )) But I am sharing the professional one.

This is before one big press conference. I am standing behind the rows during the ongoing soundcheck. I am holding the papers with briefing notes, agenda, and more.  I am dressed for the event and focused on the coming situation.

At the same time, I am standing in the back, not close to the stage... which means that there are people who help me, I am supported and confident in the team I am working with. I can think of strategic and last red flags before we start. That makes my work enjoyable and challenging in a good sense I am happy internally and ready to start.

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Digital communications , delivering impactful content always 

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My professional risk-taking paid off. I passed up a legal career for journalism. Now, here I am, a UN storyteller in Jamaica.

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It's early hours of the morning and I'm going surfing in Cox's Bazar.  I think this picture is a good metaphor for my life. I'm heading into the ocean, knowing that there will be times when the waves will crush me but I will rise again, sometimes I will be on top, riding a wave and feeling in sync with the nature, sometimes I will have to sit patiently, waiting for the next wave to come, hoping that it will be a good one. I know that this experience won't be easy but I'm enjoying the challenge and trying to have fun.

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I have chosen this picture as it symbolizes a nomadic life. A nomad constantly changes locations, switching from one place to another. Having left my home and my country 8 years ago, having lived in several different places and traveled through different continents, the picture represents this journey in foreign lands, the beauty that comes with discovering new places, as well as the struggle that this might entail.

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With this picture I wanted to capture three main elements which have been an integral part of my growth path and which well describe the story of my life:
1. My hiking boots
2. My Scout's neckerchief
3. The World Scout Emblem
Indeed, I have been a Scout since I was 8 years old and I am currently volunteering as a Scout Leader for a small community in my city, where I am directly involved in the promotion of responsible consumption, care for the environment, co-operation and integrity among children and adolescents. It is here, where I first decided on the career path and life I want to lead, immersing myself in sustainability issues and learning delivery.

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During my travel to Iran for my MA research I  was hosted by a nice Iranian family who shared with me their house, their food and their amazing company and care. One of these new friends took this picture of me walking through a bridge in Isfahan, to capture, as he said "the beauty of a woman travelling alone".

I like travelling as a lone woman and the feeling of self-care and autonomy it encourages. I love connecting with myself while walking in new places and feeling amazed by the beauty of the world!