Garry Conille knows that resilience, hope and determination can be powerful foundations for change. Now UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya, he hopes to contribute his wide-ranging experience to help accelerate the country's development.
Meanwhile, he hasn't let go of his brimming optimism towards his troubled home of Haiti, where he served as prime minister. "It's been years of challenges and stress and distress, yet when you walk in the streets of Haiti, you will see these young children with their hair just tightly done, and these uniforms tightly pressed, walking for hours to go to school. [That's] what defines Haiti more than anything else."
The UN and its agencies stand alongside all low and middle income countries as they work to improve the lives of their citizens and those who seek shelter within their borders. In this episode, Garry Conille reflects on the dangers faced by young migrants, on the promise of Kenya as a new hub for diplomacy, and about his drive to seek solutions for even the most intractable problems.
"I've seen countries take their future in hand and transform themselves. Having worked in different countries, I've seen countries come from a very bad place and do well, and find unity and create a vision and rebuild. So I know that's possible. I'm also convinced that there was no problem that we have in Haiti, for which there's not a proven solution."
Edited transcript, photos, multimedia and more at the AAN website: https://www.un.org/en/awake-at-night/s13-corinne-momal-vanian-the-UN-is-my-life-my-family
Podcast full video available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CMMqQyjxaI