In a world where age often defines our roles and responsibilities, there exists a powerful force that transcends these boundaries - volunteering. At the age of 61 Barry Greville-Eyres serves as an International UN Volunteer, Project Manager with UNDP Afghanistan. He refers to himself as a lifelong practitioner, after volunteering on several continents in Africa, Oceania, and Asia, serving just causes - governance, teaching and learning, environment, climate change, and democratic transformation. In the twilight years of his working career, he recently concluded 18 months of his assignment with UNDP Afghanistan as the Area Based Approach to Development Emergency Initiatives (ABADEI) Area Manager - Central Highlands Region.
Barry’s driving motivation to become a UN Volunteer stems from his proud South African roots and lived experience. He witnessed, firsthand, the growing pains of the newly democratized rainbow nation under the inspirational leadership of Nelson Mandela. As a senior civil servant during the post-Apartheid era, he was pivotal in the reconstruction and development of a new government. Decades later, this is a repetitive theme at the core of Barry’s DNA. “It feels it's time to give back and share my unique nation-building and career journey with a new generation of international peacebuilders.”
Regardless of my age, I believe that volunteering has the remarkable ability to bring people together, fostering a sense of purpose and community. Age is no barrier when it comes to making a difference in the lives of others. -- Barry Greville-Eyres, International UN Volunteer, Project Manager with UNDP Afghanistan.
With wide experience in governance, stabilization, and capacity development initiatives in conflict, post-conflict, and fragile states, Barry has led a series of high-priority and profile strategic communication and knowledge management activities with UNDP Afghanistan over several months. Having served in Afghanistan before and with deep insights into communication for development (C4D), Barry developed and supported the ongoing narrative around UNDP’s flagship ABADEI project. He provides support in organizing online meetings, one-on-one interactions, and occasional field missions. As a senior UN Volunteer, he also ensures knowledge transfer with a national UNV cadre of young female Communication and Reporting Assistants who are field-based, helping to heighten their skills, and being more proactive in managing and responding to potential conflicts.
Barry describes his daily routine as ‘planned chaos’ - largely unpredictable and with many competing demands. Whereas he sees digitalization of work as an important management tool, he prefers working through ‘walking about’ via direct contact with work colleagues. During the infrequent quiet times, he reviews and enhances important stories from the field for publication. He uses his storytelling and employs a mixed, multi-media approach including the use of social media platforms to execute his work.
Barry is one of 68 UN Volunteers who brought the infusion of energy, diversity, and expertise to our organization in 2023. He has been an important conduit and filter for the free flow of information and knowledge between ABADEI Regional Area Managers and their staff and the senior management team in Kabul.--Stephen Rodriques, Resident Representative for UNDP in Afghanistan.
Since ABADEI incorporates a decentralized and countrywide approach to humanitarian and development assistance, stories from the field are told with greater accuracy and authenticity. This type of narrative complements and enriches conventional monitoring, evaluation, and reporting and resonates, profoundly, with donors. An integrated communication package becomes a valuable tool in the mobilization of both current and future financial resources since delivery - impact and the human dimension make projects highly tangible and real.
ABADEI implementation across 8 regions and within 34 provinces strives to be fair, and inclusive and leave no one behind. Barry supports a community mobilization approach, centered upon thorough and ongoing communication at the grassroots level. This becomes extremely important in relation to building social cohesion, maintaining peace, and minimizing potential conflicts within communities. Amidst the plentiful challenges at the duty station, the dynamic and adaptive management approach pioneered by UNDP senior management which includes frequent after-action reflection and feedback sessions shone through.
Barry has been part of the process and reflects on how “it’s created calm, confidence, and resilience amongst UNDP staff in a storm of constant change and instability. “The organization focuses, highly, on what it can control and much less so on what it cannot. In this way UNDP Afghanistan has continued to provide life-saving humanitarian, peacebuilding, and development assistance, continually and consistently, addressing key SDGs all the while fulfilling its core mandate to the People of Afghanistan – To Stay and Deliver!”