LocationsJPO Story - Maryann Miranda Cuenca
August 15, 2024
LDC Investment Platform team along with colleagues from UNFPA, UNIDO, UNAIDS, UNDP and WFP visiting the UN office in Nairobi, Kenya (October 2022)
What is your educational background?
My educational background is marked by international exchanges and started with one-month study trips to Melbourne (Australia), Lorient (France) and Arequipa (Peru). These trips triggered my curiosity to pursue education in a more global context and constituted the basis of my decision to continue my education outside of my hometown Cajamarca (Peru). As such, I pursued my secondary education in Brest (France), where I obtained a Scientific Baccalaureate with specialization in Mathematics. My tertiary education started with a bachelor in Econometrics from the University of Lyon in France, which also included a one-year exchange to the University of Virginia in Charlottesville (United States). After the year in the United States, I returned to France to start my master studies and I completed a maîtrise in Quantitative Economics at the University of Lyon and a master’s degree in Money, Finance and Governance at the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon where I had the opportunity to write my master thesis at the research center of the Catholic University of Argentina.
What made you apply to the JPO programme/what is your motivation to work with your UN agency?
After 8 years in Luxembourg, having worked in the private sector for Nordea Asset Management, a global active asset manager, I realized that I wanted to re-orient myself towards a new challenge. At that point, I decided that my next career step ought to include a purpose to address societal and climate challenges, in addition to financial investments and management. Passionate to leverage my financial expertise and international background, I identified that an international organization with sufficient power to address global challenges would represent a fulfilling next career step and gladly accepted the opportunity to join the United Nations Capital Development Fund.
What are the main activities/tasks you are working on? What is a day at the office/in the field like?
In my current role as Portfolio Analyst, I lead the preparation of the Loans and Guarantees Investment review which includes the production of the semi-annual investment report, developed over a three-month period, which has four major sections (Portfolio allocation; macro and sector analysis; portfolio valuation; portfolio progress, challenges, and lessons learned). It also has an overview of the socio-economic situation and prospects of the countries in the portfolio and impact indicators showing progress against the SDGs. My other activities evolve around managing the Financial Instruments Management System (FIMS) and supporting the wider activities of the LDC Investment Platform.
Maryann Miranda Cuenca, Portfolio Analyst at United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)
What has been the most rewarding experience to date for you at your duty station? (Work and/or non-work related)
Regarding my work, I am extremely grateful to have the chance to apply my financial expertise within UNCDF and work towards innovating in the field of loans and guarantees. When it comes to non-work-related topics, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to live and work at the UN headquarters in New York City, allowing me to cherish the incredible cultural offering of the city through the lens of UN activities, for instance by being part of the UN Orchestra, chess, and yoga clubs.
What set of skills have you developed most throughout your assignment?
The main skills I would like to highlight are: (1) resilience and flexibility, as every project I have worked on required me to complete nuanced and specific impact estimations which influenced the course of the investment opportunities. (2) prioritization and focus, where the SDGs and the congruence to them have taught me important mental models that guide my decision making daily and help me to prioritize my work as well as discern the tradeoffs that each project entails.
What piece of advice would you give to those who are considering applying to the JPO Programme?
I would encourage people to take step back and reflect on two different things: (1) the SDGs that they consider their biggest priority and (2) the skills that they consider as their strengths, to then identify an opportunity where they can double down on each section. This will enable them to a position and agency where they not only can feel a strong sense of community and motivation, but also to excel at their projects, accelerating their growth trajectory while also addressing society’s biggest challenges.
Do you feel that you are part of a community of purpose?
I most certainly do. The UN encompasses a network of people with high integrity that aim to deliver outstanding results at high velocity throughout the year. Through a network of diverse and highly knowledgeable people, I grow in my role daily and see myself take on additional scope as my tenure continues.
Maryann at UNGA 2022 in UN HQ in New York.
What is the biggest motivator for you when it comes to your work?
My motivation lies in the fact that, every day, my work can make a difference in making the world a better place. Even more so, my work enables me to create scalable mechanisms to establish the right financial guardrails for UNCDF and wider UN system, and thus create a framework to drive meaningful progress in the scope of the LDCs and developing economies.
In what ways do you feel you are part of an organization that fosters people’s development?
The UN Capital Development Fund fosters people’s development through the multitude of conferences that we have the privilege of attending within the UN network, broadening our horizon and specific work happening towards the SDGs. In addition, UNCDF also enables people the right flexibility to pursue additional training opportunities, like it was the case of my 3-week stay in The Hague and Brussels, where UNCDF and the Government of Luxembourg supported my training (DTTA) on the European Union, the United Nations, and Global Governance facilitated by Leiden University.
I am proud to stress that my JPO experience has so far allowed me to bridge financial inclusion in underserved locations. My time at the UN is sharpening my understanding on global challenges that require urgent action and prioritization, and significantly broadening my horizons and teaching me to overcome complexity by collaborating with a wide network of international stakeholders.Maryann Miranda Cuenca
Related
content
content
