May you live in interesting times
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Liaison Office to the United Nations in New York serves as a link between FAO and the United Nations System. Located just across the United Nations Secretariat building, our office has welcomed many colleagues from around the world who come to attend meetings in New York. When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, we frequently reached out to colleagues in Italy to learn more about the developing situation. Little did we know that by springtime, we would be living in the epicenter of the pandemic.
We began teleworking on 12 March. At first, we thought that we would rotate going to the office, but things soon escalated, and we haven’t been back since. We are a small team of 11 people and, as our Director Carla Mucavi noted, “we now need to rely on each other more than ever.” Restrictive measures are keeping Carla and her daughter in different continents. “The uncertainty is difficult to deal with,” she says. But fortunately, we are well equipped for the virtual world, with our new shared drives and business laptops. “It is now easier than ever to link up with colleagues and friends from around the world by organizing virtual meetings. Ironically enough, physical distancing has made us more social,” says Carla.
Senior Liaison Officer Halka Otto joined the New York office in January 2019. Her field experience working in emergency situations has prepared her well for COVID-19. “This is not my first lockdown,” she explains. “I was under curfew many years ago when I started my career in Tajikistan.” However, being under lockdown in the city that never sleeps has its own unique challenges. “Three things will remain with me from this pandemic: hearing the sirens of the ambulances day and night; seeing Americans lining up for food in one of the world’s richest countries; and witnessing shelves go empty in what used to be busy stores.” Nevertheless, Halka chooses to take a positive stance: “These last weeks have truly brought FAO together, and although I know almost everyone from when I was working in the headquarters, I have never been more connected with so many colleagues.”
Conor is FAO New York’s Humanitarian and Resilience Expert. He went home to Ireland in early March and has been working from there ever since. "Despite the challenges of COVID-19, teleworking has been a real silver lining for me and my family. I have been away from my children for most of the last 3 years, and now I am locked up with them! It's an unexpected blessing,” he muses. Like many FAO colleagues who have found themselves in a similar situation, Conor is now working across three time zones: Ireland, Italy and Eastern USA.
Doris, our Social and Humanitarian Affairs Advisor, is also spending the lockdown with her family. In fact, when the pandemic started surging in New York, Doris and her family had to go ahead with long-standing plans to move houses. "Since mid-March, I have been balancing teleworking with homeschooling my two young children. I have found that the whole experience has helped me improve in prioritization and productivity,” she says.
Sustainable Development Specialist Francesca is away from her loved ones who live in Italy. “I am keeping an eye on the news, both from Europe and the United States, to stay up-to-date on how the situation is evolving,” she says. Francesca adds that work has helped her cope by giving her a sense of continuity: “It is important that we have stayed in touch and kept our projects going, even in an alternative, virtual format.”
As an Office Associate, Elisa has to coordinate a number of virtual meetings daily. She confesses that even though she is new to teleworking, this new way of interacting has quickly grown on her: "Keeping in close contact with family and friends, and maintaining my regular routine as before, have really helped me to deal with this stressful situation. Our commitment, resilience and sanity are being put to the test every day. For example, I try to avoid the never-ending flow of negative news. A positive aspect for me: I do not have to use the New York subway anymore!"
For our Office Assistant Aliya, the lockdown has been an opportunity to take up ink wash painting sumi-e, and brush up on some reading. “In ‘Sapiens’, I’ve noticed how the writer comments on people’s fear of change, even though the single greatest constant of history is that everything changes,” says Aliya.
Marisofi joined the team seven months ago with high expectations. “With respect to communications, the pandemic has resulted in a tenfold increase of daily tasks, as everyone wants to stay informed on the latest developments,” she explains. Still, there is time to reflect about where we are and where we could be. According to Marisofi, “That’s usually around 7 o’clock in the evening, when New Yorkers start banging on their pots and pans, cheering and saluting healthcare and service workers who remain on the frontlines.”
As Italy is slowly starting to reopen, we will continue to telework, at least until the end of June, making the most of the virtual opportunities offered to us.