From telex operator to global bridge builder

When Ge Yunyan, then aged 22, passed an interview to join the United Nations Development Programme in 1982, her understanding of the UN was scant, shaped by news reports and radio snippets.

The office had been newly established in China in 1979.

"We didn't even have televisions," she recalled. "I'd heard of terms like the General Assembly, the Security Council, peacekeeping — but it was all vague and distant."

Fast forward to today, Ge, now 65, talks about her 40-year career with the UN with a blend of pride and youthful enthusiasm.

"I think I've been with the UN in China longer than anyone else," she said. "I have been both a participant and a witness to the UN's role in supporting China's sustainable development. China's progress is intertwined with the UN, and vice versa. Witnessing this journey fills me with pride."

Her first role in the UNDP was telex operator, sending and receiving typed messages internationally before fax machines and computers became commonplace.

But for Ge, the UNDP's most profound impact has been on the lives of ordinary Chinese people.

She remembers when broccoli, for example, was introduced to China through a UNDP project in partnership with the Beijing Vegetable Research Center. She was born in 1960 and grew up with limited food options. "When broccoli was first grown as a trial, we were able to taste it. It was a delight to see such a novel vegetable," she said.

By the 1990s, technical assistance projects constituted a significant portion of UNDP work in China. But as the country developed, the focus of the collaboration evolved from receiving aid to co-designing policies, assisting in system reforms and capacity building, Ge said.

In recent years, China's role with the UN has transitioned from a recipient to a collaborator, she said.

When Ge started work in the UNDP office, it had around 30 employees, with almost half of them being international staff.

"Back then, senior roles were largely held by expatriates. But with China's reforms and the increasing capacity of its talent pool, more Chinese staff moved into official and higher posts," she said.

Her career also grew in parallel with China's opening-up. She rose from telex operator to eventually becoming assistant resident representative in charge of operations management for UNDP China.

Though she retired in 2023, Ge remains dedicated to building bridges between China and the world. She leverages her knowledge, experience and network to empower Chinese youth and businesses to connect with the international community.

"Many young Chinese people are interested in joining the UN, but they lack knowledge on the UN's key competences, information about recruitment processes, and career opportunities," she said, noting that UNDP in China has long been a training ground offering internships and fellowships to young people interested in joining the UN.

To bridge this gap, from time to time, she gives lectures on competencies of the UN and international organizations, sharing insights from her four decades of experience.

Beyond empowering young people, Ge is also helping Chinese small and medium-sized enterprises to compete in global markets. After retiring, she has worked as chief technical adviser on a program for sustainable procurement for the UN and international organizations. The UNDP jointly launched the program with other organizations.

Ge said many Chinese suppliers are simply unaware of the UN's procurement system, rules and regulations, while language barriers also present a challenge, as tender documents are often in English.

The program she is working for aims to provide training to these suppliers, enabling them to compete in global markets.