SUMMER SCHOLARS BLOG : Gabriela Sandino de Luca

Gabriela with the President of Suriname, Chan Santokhi (center, in light grey suit), and members of the cabinet

Scope of Work: UNDP Suriname Governance Unit

This summer I will be working for the Democratic Governance team in the UNDP Office in Suriname. I started working on May 13th remotely and arrived in Paramaribo on Tuesday June 4th.

The governance portfolio is focusing on two main projects to provide support to the Surinamese government: (i) a Human Rights Institute; (ii) capacity building and implementation of a new electoral legislation.

(i) Human Rights Institute

In 2022, UNDP provided support in drafting the legislation to create and implement the Human Rights Institute ("HRI LAW"). The HRI Law was submitted to parliament in 2023 and is expected to be approved this year. The government has requested UNDP to operationalize the Human Rights Institute upon the legislation's approval.

(ii) Capacity building and implementation of a new electoral legislation

The Surinamese government has amended its electoral law after the constitutional court declared that the electoral law of 1987 was unconstitutional. The government has requested UNDPs' support strengthen governmental capacities to ensure fair and transparent elections in the upcoming 2025 elections. The government has requested the promotion of women in leadership and gender equality to guarantee woman participation in the upcoming elections.

I will be supporting the team with several tasks, including drafting terms of reference, helping to carry out activities and events, etc.

In addition, I will be supporting the team to create a project on climate security. The team has not been really clear as to what this entails. I will also be attending meetings with the Resident Representative of Suriname and Guyana who will be visiting the first week of June.

First Week in Suriname

My first two weeks in Suriname were incredibly rewarding. I arrived on Tuesday June 4th and on my second day (Thursday June 6th) I went to a meeting with the Minister of Justice and Police. The team was holding the closing event for the project on the Human Rights Institute. It was very interesting because I was able to participate in a high-level meeting where the governance team and the Resident Coordinator of UNDP of Suriname and Guyana, Mr. Gerardo Noto, were presenting the project's achievements and discussing a way forward to the UN's collaboration with the government.

On Friday June 6th of that same week I also participated in a meeting organized by the team with the District Commissioners and public officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs. It was the first meeting related to the second project on capacity building and implementation of the new electoral legislation. While the meeting was conducted in Dutch, my colleagues translated most of it. It was very interesting to understand the challenges that the current government is facing with the new elections: voter registration because of lack of road signaling, inadequate census and clarity of the voter turn out, amongst others.

I thought the week got as interesting as it could — until Saturday. On Saturday June 8th, I attended the third annual Model United Nations in Suriname. It was a very big event sponsored by the UN and the Rotary Club in Suriname. It took me back to High School when I participated as a delegate in many Model United Nations. This event not only took me to cherished memories of my past but it also gave me the opportunity to witness the opening speech of the President of Suriname Mr. Chan Santokhi. He even shook my hand!

This is just the beginning of my fellowship, I cannot wait to see what else is to come.

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The above are select excerpts from Gabriela Sandino de Luca’s blog. You can read all of Gabriela’s blogs here

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Our Summer Scholars Blog, a collection of reports from post-grad scholars that UNA-NYC has sponsored globally, showcases our fellows' experiences with UN agencies and non-governmental organizations in the country where they are working. Learn more about our Summer Scholars fellowship program and fellows here.