By: René Katherine Jack
مرحبا (Marhaba) from Amman – the capital city of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, also known as “The White Pigeon, The City of Stairs”! My name is René Katherine Jack, and I am a JPC (Junior Professional Consultant) working in-person with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Amman, Jordan.
I am pursuing a Bachelor of Arts at Simon Fraser University (SFU), British Columbia, Canada, completing a degree in International Studies with a concentration in International Security and Conflict, along with a minor in Criminology and two certificates: German Language Studies and Legal Studies.
At UNDP, I support the Regional Programme team under the Regional Bureau for Arab States (RBAS), which implements initiatives across the Arab region, home to some of the world’s highest and lowest performers on the Human Development Index, facing shared structural challenges such as economic diversification, gender inequality, climate vulnerability, and high youth unemployment. The programme leverages UNDP’s regional presence and expertise to advance resilience, drive change ,and accelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To provide insight into my work, I assist the Regional Programme for Arab States in planning the Partnership Strategy based on UNDP’s new 2026-2029 Strategic Plan. This plan, together with contributions from project teams, enables UNDP RBAS to maximize resource mobilization and visibility when implementing regional initiatives. I also support results analysis for implemented projects by consolidating data and aligning it with planned inputs in their project plans.
My time with the UNDP RBAS Regional Programme has been a transformative chapter in my academic and professional development. I have engaged with various regional initiatives, including Food Insecurity, Regional Youth, and Climate Facility projects. Collaborating with a diverse team enriched my practical knowledge and complemented my academic journey. I worked closely with a small team and interacted with colleagues from the broader RBAS network.
This experience reshaped how I approach complex challenges, making me more agile in navigating cross-sectoral initiatives. Whether addressing climate change, refugee issues, anti-corruption, or youth unemployment, I have come to appreciate their interconnectedness, deepening my interdisciplinary understanding. Beyond managing initiatives, this insight supported my role in strategic planning for the Regional Programme, including identifying partners and strategies to enhance Regional Programme mobilization. Professionally, I immersed myself in webinars and discussions that expanded my understanding of results-based management, project policies, evaluation frameworks, and donor engagement. Personally, the experience sharpened my cultural awareness, teaching me to look beyond data and documents to consider the real-world impact on communities. I learned that meaningful change often unfolds quietly, beyond immediate visibility, yet remains significant.
This opportunity has sparked new academic interests, particularly in understanding initiative dynamics within conflict-affected contexts, where multiple issues are at play at the same time. The Regional Programme team has been incredibly supportive and insightful, equipping me with perspectives and knowledge that will shape my academic and professional journey moving forward. I am deeply appreciative of this experience and its lasting impact.
