SUMMER SCHOLARS BLOG: Eric Gero

This summer, I had the opportunity to work with UNICEF's Education in Emergencies (EiE) team. The EiE team facilitates evidence-based decision-making and enhances coordination across UNICEF's HQ offices and worldwide country offices. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, my fellowship was conducted virtually from New York City. Despite the challenges presented by working across the globe and not having the opportunity to work directly with my colleagues, I nonetheless learned a lot about UNICEF's work and its successes and challenges.

The UNICEF EiE team implements programming and policy to enhance coordination across the world on the education of vulnerable populations, refugee and child education, women's rights, and cross-cutting factors affecting these core sectors. My role focused on supporting the EiE team in developing and refining research, knowledge, and evidence products related to refugee education and other emerging issues like climate change, migration, and urbanization.

Specifically, I worked with the EiE team to help identify and draft a report on country office responses to education in refugee and migration contexts, primarily through the EiE reporting system and the RAM 3.0 intranet site. I reviewed over 100 different country offices' responses to education challenges in the COVID-19 pandemic and in-migration crisis. I identified successes and challenges in policymaking. I also identified opportunities to improve country reporting and streamline knowledge management processes. These allow offices and teams to coordinate and collaborate across programs more effectively, preventing groups from working in a vacuum. Most critically, they enable teams to draw on evidence, lessons, and best practices to facilitate more responsive and context-driven programs, avoiding duplication of efforts.

This was my first experience working with UNICEF. My biggest takeaway from this summer was exposure to a new outlook on development efforts. It enabled me to develop a more holistic understanding and a broader picture of the field and network, which I believe will be an asset to my career and future work. 

Overall, thanks to the UNA-NYC Summer Scholars Fellowship, I was able to contribute to UNICEF's efforts to enhance coordination, collaboration, and evidence-based decision making in advancing SDG 4 (ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training), SDG 5 (gender equality), and SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals).

Our Summer Scholars Blog showcases our fellows’ experiences with the UN agencies and non-governmental organizations they worked with this summer. Learn more about our Summer Scholars Fellowship program and this year’s other fellows here.