UNDP Rwanda is a diverse place of work that hosts a rough estimate of sixty (60) staff at its head office in the heart of Rwanda's capital, Kigali. Despite its busy location, the office's compound is defined by a beautiful serenity, with fresh air facilitated by the yard's green vegetation.

The green compound sometimes acts as a meeting ground for the employees, while the other time, it is an effective venue for events. The staff also take advantage of the green, calm, and freshly manicured compound to facilitate them as their 'dining area' for interactive lunch sessions. 

Quite often, one would spot an employee or two sitting in the compound to unwind or refresh themselves in between working hours. Thanks to the greenery, the staff can breathe fresh air, which relaxes their minds and rejuvenates them for their next work chores.

In support of the 2030 people strategy and SDG 3, Good Health and Well Being, UNDP introduced a tri-weekly one-hour sports slot. During their lunch hour, some staff members change into their sportswear and jog out for a few kilometers outside the office. Upon return, they do a series of body stretches before visiting the washrooms to cool down their heated bodies. 

UNDP has availed bathrooms and changing rooms to all staff who participate in the sports activities. These allow the staff members to shower, change, and transition into working mode comfortably. 

"I love doing sports because it keeps me healthy and alert," Safari Fidele, UNDP Rwanda's Rwanda's Finance Associate. "Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I look forward to participating in the sports activities at the office because they not only keep me free from diseases, but they also help to boost my performance at work, and that is how I emerged among the best staff for 2021."

In addition to providing bathrooms and changing rooms, UNDP Rwanda is equipped with a mothers' room. In this dedicated space, breastfeeding employees can comfortably, conveniently, and privately express breast milk at work.

The facility was constructed to ease the livelihoods of mothers in the work place. Being a new mother comes with challenges, so the office introduced this facility to help the mothers nurse their babies and put them to sleep in a safe, calm environment. 

UNDP Rwanda mother's room facility

About the UNDP 2030 Strategy

People for 2030 is the new strategic plan of UNDP. The objective of this plan is to progressively transform UNDP’s culture and capacity to deliver more and better results – including implementing the 2030 Agenda. This goal will further strengthen UNDP’s performance as an effective development organisation, expanding opportunities for the world’s most vulnerable communities in both urban and rural areas.

In regard to contract modalities, all Fixed Term Agreement (FTA) contracts for Staff were extended from one cycle to a two-year cycle effective from 2020. These changes aim to provide greater employment security and retention and to demonstrate UNDP's commitment to our current personnel. 

Secondly, UNDP Rwanda Country Office (CO) has already implemented the transition from Service Contract (SC) and Individual Consultancy (IC) holder modalities to National Personnel Service Agreement (NPSA) and International Personnel Service Agreement (IPSA) arrangement. The Rwandan CO was among the first early mover to take advantage of issuing the new IPSA contract modality.