to the Peace and Development Foundation

By Astor Shek

Working for UNDP and UNIFEM
I was assigned as the intern for the UNDP and UNIFEM office. For the UNDP office, since I have relevant working experience of Gender Mainstreaming initiative in the HKSAR Government, my chief duty was to support the UNDP Gender Mainstreaming Initiative. Under the guidance of Ms Dono Abdurazakova, I assisted in revising the sample Gender Mainstreaming Checklist for program managers, arranging overseas speakers for the Gender Budgeting Seminar held with UNDP national partner, All-China Women Federation, updating the UNDP website section on gender and other relevant duties. I also assisted in the UNIFEM's office secretary support for the China Gender Facility and website building. These tasks not only rewarded me hands-on working experience but also greatly enhanced my understanding of gender initiatives of UN offices in China. I am indebted for the supervision of Dono and assistance of staff from both offices for completing my challenging assignments.
 
Living in Beijing
Beijing as the capital city has undergone amazing development since the open-up policy. Not only so, the coming Olympics has added new initiatives to this culturally rich city. People are committed to delivering a human-centred Olympics and anyone staying here would appreciate their efforts and determination. In addition to experiencing the build-up to the Olympics, I enjoyed roaming in different parts of the city and embarked on excursions to the suburbs to meet and talk to the locals. This kind of cultural exchanges allowed me to encounter many interesting people and appreciate difference faces of Beijing. Another plus for this exercise was that I was provided with fantastic photo opportunities of Beijing's breathtaking scenery. I remembered clearly during one of these trips how I was blown, literally and mentally, by some amazing fogs while standing on top of a section of the great wall.
 
Friends and Fun
I was fortunate to work for two offices as I had the chance to get to know more staff and interns. They are wonderful kinds and I am glad that I could have met them. I had lots of fun working and hanging out with them. They are now great friends of mine and I am sure our friendships, along with many other exciting encounters in Beijing, will forever stay with me.
 
On a last but not least note, I must thank the Peace and Development Foundation for its sponsorship of this programme. It is a wonderful and valuable opportunity for Hong Kong's graduate students since applying for internship in China is very competitive considering that China attracts lots of attention in the international community nowadays. Without its support, I may possibly not be able to gain this memorable and unique experience.

Oct 9, 2007