Read about Bezaye Mengesha

What brought you to a career in technology at the United Nations?

When I first joined the UN, it was in a different area, but through time and experience, I became an information management assistant in the Knowledge Service Section, where I happily share my experience and knowledge.

What has been your favorite technology project or initiative at the United Nations and why? What was your contribution?

My favorite IT project was the Archive and Records Management project. The project ECA embarked on addressing the longstanding issues associated with poor management of records and archives since the establishment of the Commission through the Archives and Records Management (ARM) project initiated to provide an institutional framework for managing administrative records throughout their life cycle (i.e., creation/capture, maintenance and use, disposition, and archiving). The aim of the project was to:

• Establish and endorse an institutional framework including policies, guidelines, operational procedures, and a system that promotes proper creation, management, preservation, and disposal of ECA's administrative records in all formats.
• Establish an archives and records management strategy for ECA's administrative records incorporating the capture of the past, current, and future records in print, electronic, and audio-visual formats.
• Implement an integrated records management system that will capture, manage, dispose of, and make accessibility of all ECA records in print and digital format.
• And to consolidate the inter-divisional/sectional activities associated with records creation, management, and preservation into one common workflow.

What advice would you give women interested in pursuing a field in technology?

I recommend women in technology fields keep themselves up-to-date with new technologies.