Jovial yet extremely sharp, NADA AL NASHIF is not your obvious UN worker. Tirelessly traveling across the Middle East as the regional director for the International Labor Organization (a UN agency specialized in worker’s rights) she is passionate about her job. Of Palestinian heritage, al Nashif studied at Oxford and Havard’s Kennedy School of Government, before joining the ranks of the UN. It seemed she found her path immediately, as she has not left the UN since, slowly or actually not so slowly, rising in the ranks of this noble yet at times bureaucratic organization.  She’s worked in such different places as Libya and New York, with stints in Iraq and Lebanon in between. Today, she is based in Beirut and travels across the region on a weekly basis, making sure international standards for worker’s rights are reflected on a national level.  Not an easy task. We asked the director what she carries in her handbag, on a busy week, shuttling between Sanaa and Damascus.

1- How did you start working at the UN?

The UN was recruiting directly from school. At the time, I was studying for a MA in Public Policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School. I started off working at the UNDP and haven’t left the UN since. I’ve been moving geographically quite a bit though. I started in Libya, working there from 1992 to 1995. Then it was New York for four years. Then Lebanon, with a stint in Iraq. Then back to New York. Since 2007, I’ve been posted in Lebanon as the regional director for the ILO, the International Labor Organization.

2- Can you tell us about the nature of your work at the ILO?

The ILO defends worker’s rights, looking into conditions of work, making sure international standards are reflected nation wide in labor policies and social protection. We look at Arab workers but also the big number of Asian workers in the region. There is really a lot of work. At this time, the biggest problem in the Middle East is unemployment in light of globalization. The nature of work has changed but education has not. IT penetration is low, agriculture is inefficient and women are still marginalized in the workforce. Even though their level of education has progressed, women are still not considered when it comes to highly valued jobs and remain in the informal sector. There’s severe inequality in pay between men and women. These are some of the things we look at. We also work to prevent child labor, in fact, we look at any form of exploitation in the workforce. Whether it’s the lack of health insurance or the marginalized groups that slip through safety nets, such as domestic migrant workers.  For instance, our job is to try and convince people and states that Filipino workers shouldn’t work more than 8 hours a day, that they have the right to a day off and to private space. Right now,  we are working to create a kind of unified contract for migrant workers that would guarantee their basic rights.

3- With the economy booming in many parts of the Middle East, are unemployment rates high?

You would be surprised. The biggest percentages of unemployed are educated young people. Their education is not relevant to the skills needed in the modern labor market. They lack skills such as problem solving and languages. They’re also not very adaptable, they don’t adjust well to the changing needs of the labor market. There is a real mismatch between education and jobs. Right now, this is one of the principal concerns of policy makers in the region.

4- Did you always want to work for the UN?

Until the age of 13, I wanted to be an archeologist, then a historian. Naively, I believed there would soon be nothing left to discover, that discoveries would in effect dry out!

5- What would be your advice to young people who might be considering working for the UN?

My general advice to young people is to make sure you study something you enjoy. Of course, you have to think about the world around you, but you can always find an angle to adapt your passion to the job market.  Good education is not what you study but how you study. You need to stretch your imagination and develop a sound analytical framework.

6- You’ve traveled all over the world, what is your favorite place?

I’ve been to over 40 countries. My favorite place is Peru, I’m really besotted with the country.

7- And what has been the most difficult place to work in?

The most challenging to work in – in my region – is Yemen. It has a complex population with an enormous potential.

8- With all this traveling, can you share some packing tips?

I have a complete travel bag always ready to go, with duplicates of everything I need: deodorant, shampoo, hair dryer… For clothes, I pick easy to wear clothes that can fit many occasions. I usually have a long day, so I need clothes that can get me by from the morning, let’s say a breakfast meeting with a minister, to a day of fieldwork before another official dinner in the evening. I keep one pair of heels, not too high or too low and match with clothes that can come together and apart. For instance a white t-shirt with a black jacket to which I can add a string of pearls in the evening to dress up.  I always carry an iPod and a good book, for the long waiting hours at airports. Right now, I’m reading Salman Rushdie’s latest book, “The Enchantress of Florence.”

9- Last but not least, can you tell us what you carry in your handbag on a normal day?

These days, I carry a brown Botega Venetta handbag. Inside, there’s a Samsung cell phone as well as my electronic organizer. Since there’s no Blackberry in Lebanon, I’m addicted to my Palm. I also carry a small notepad which is printed by the ILO, with our corporate design.  Chewing gum: my favorite is the original Stimorol, sugar free. Some Advil pills, stashed in a Betty Boop tin box. A dozen UN ids.  Since the political troubles in Lebanon, all UN staff members carry a VHF radio at all times with them. A Montblanc pen, a Mac Viva Glam lipstick and YSL gloss. L’ Occitane’s hand cream that works wonders. My Kate Spade black wallet. I love this wallet because it was with me in the explosion in Baghdad, when the UN office was bombed. After the explosion, they gave me back my wallet intact. I usually carry a copy of the IHT and Al Hayat newspapers. I also have a spare pair of glasses to read. They’re Japanese handmade glasses. Another ILO notebook, this one much bigger. My life at work is recorded in this spiral hardcover notebook. Because I love strong perfume, so I have a bottle of Etro’s “Royal Pavilion”, that said, I change  perfumes a lot. These days, I also have DVD copies of two of my favorite films: “The Barefoot Comtessa” and “Khali Balak min Zouzou,” an Egyptian movie from the 70s with Souad Hossni.

Illustration by Gabriela Mot