What were some of the skills you learnt from the SIF mentors?
The SIF mentors are very professional and committed. Some of the key things I learnt was how to be a good leader, develop a team, give good feedback, resolve conflict, plan projects and be a good communicator and listener. Now, I learn more as a coach than when I was a ‘student’. As a mentor and coach, I now have more responsibility to facilitate communication, guide assignments, foster team building, provide positive feedback and act as a resource.
What are the human resource challenges in Afghanistan and some of the pressing concerns today?
Afghanistan has been through three decades of civil war which has devastated institutions and capacity-building infrastructure. The brain drain also means that there are no opportunities to build and grow a new generation of leaders. Since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001, the new government has been focused on capacity-building programmes, working with international organisations like UNITAR to develop professionals. We are in great need of human capital, from government administrators and civil servants to engineers, doctors and teachers.
What is the impact of the UNITAR Hiroshima Fellowship for Afghanistan?
Human resources are the backbone of nation building, and UNITAR has played a very critical hand in the development of Afghanistan. Over the last six years, some 160 Afghanis have been trained under UNITAR and 59 of these graduates have been promoted to significant positions in the government.
How was your experience of visiting Singapore as part of the UNITAR programme?
It has been a remarkable journey. This visit to Singapore was very professionally organised and well managed. The visits were very informative and relevant and gave good insight into the academic, social and economic side of Singapore.
The Harmony Centre, which showcased the ways to achieve ethnic and religious harmony, was very encouraging and inspiring. It showed that mutual respect, tolerance and understanding are very important in creating a peaceful multicultural society – a very relevant lesson for my country.
The visit to the Inland Revenue Authority was very interesting to me from the evolution of the monetary and taxation system. I also saw some very useful taxation systems.
From a human resource point of view, the organisational structure was very interesting to me as it is very focused on the staff, the communication channels are very open and there are motivational incentives for job innovation.
