Sri Chinmoy:
The Peace Meditation at the United Nations

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Introduction of Nigel Fisher, Executive Director of UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and Assistant Secretary General

18 Nov 2003,

I am honoured to be able to introduce, Nigel Fisher who is the Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services and Assistant Secretary General.

Mr. Fisher is highly regarded by his staff, who feel uplifted by his dynamic, responsive and accessible leadership.

Before his current assignment, Mr. Fisher served as Deputy Special . Representative of the Secretary-General for Relief, Recovery and Reconstruction in Afghanistan.

Mr. Fisher was Regional Director for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in South Asia from 1999-2002, and served as UNICEF’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and neighbouring countries after the events of 11 September 2001.

Mr. Fisher worked with UNICEF for over 20 years in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, as well as at UNICEF headquarters in New York. A number of us present today, have been able to work as colleagues and observe his leadership in UNICEF and now in UNOPS.

A number of individuals from the UN, some of them who couldn’t be with us today, wanted me to mention specifically: Nigel’s ready senses of  humor even in trying circumstances. His basic compassion has made him strong advocate of the welfare of children around the world. This has had a tremendous impact on those around him in the most difficult circumstances. He has been fearless in protecting the life of staff. Sometimes those around him have felt he put himself in too much danger.

In 1998, he took leave from the UN and returned to his native Canada where, as United Nations Visiting Fellow he advised the Foreign Minister on the development of Canadian foreign policy regarding children in armed conflict and other areas.

Some of us wondered if he would return to the UN after his sabbatical, because we felt he needed a good rest from the work he had been doing and the dangers which were part of the job.

Prior to his sabbatical year in Canada, Mr. Fisher was Director of UNICEF’s Office of Emergency Programmes for three years, responsible for oversight of UNICEF’s humanitarian activities worldwide.

During this period, he visited many of Africa’s conflict zones to advocate for child rights and respect for children. Sanyogita Sisler who is sitting here worked with him during that time. And can remember a number of stories attesting to dedication of Nigel.

In 1997, he chaired the United Nations Inter-Agency Working Group of the Secretary-General’s Executive Committee on Humanitarian Affairs, focusing on reforn and the humanitarian operations of the United Nations.

Mr. Fisher has considerable experience in advocacy for the protection of civilians, especially children.

As UNICEF Special Representative for Rwanda, he led that agency’s post-war recovery operations in the Great Lakes region of Africa. He coordinated the agency’s emergency response in the Middle East during and after the Gulf War, and initiated UNICEF-led agency operations in northern Iraq after the Gulf War.

Mr. Fisher has been UNICEF Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, and Representative in many countries of Africa, the Middle East and Asia. He is indeed an exemplary member of the United Nations family.

Mr. Fisher has worked extensively in the field of basic education and child development. He was Deputy Executive Secretary of the World Conference on Education which took place in Thailand in 1990. Snigdha Fitch, who is also sitting here has witnessed the fact that because of Nigel’s work during that time the Education awareness and effectiveness of  the related programmes increased tremendously. Nigel brought an academic approach and a practical knowledge to all his work. He s one of those rare people who can have the forward vision that is high up and can also build the practical ladders to reach those visions.

He has published in the areas of basic education, leadership, child trauma recovery, child rights and protection of children in zones of conflict. He has been a board member of several academic and other institutions in Canada, the United States and Norway, and past Honorary President of the Middle East Centre for Human Studies in Jordan.

We are delighted that Mr. Fisher has been selected to lead the United Nations Office for Project Services, and deeply honoured that he has taken the time to be with us today.

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