Giving Compass' Take:

• Erika Brecino Howard at the United Nations Foundation, interviewed Linda Maguire , the current Resident Representative in Panama for the UN Development Programme (UNDP), about her work offering technical assistance to elections in various countries.

• Maguire reflects on her time assisting individuals who were first-time voters, and the impact of offering credible technical tools to an election process. What more can be done to strengthen and mobilize democratic behavior that will empower citizens?

 • Read about another "Americans in the UN" story.

As part of our “Americans in the UN” project to share the stories of Americans who work for the United Nations, we connected with Linda Maguire, who currently serves as the Resident Representative in Panama for the UN Development Programme (UNDP).

In this role, Maguire leads the work of the UN’s main development agency in Panama, which collaborates with national partners to fight poverty, promote good governance, protect the environment, foster resilience to shocks, and promote gender equality. At the time this interview was conducted, Maguire was the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Paraguay.

From your experience, what is an example of how the UN has made a different in someone’s life?

Linda Maguire: I had the fortune of working in technical assistance for elections for 10 years where I worked in places like Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Haiti. In that role, I had the opportunity of working directly with people who were voting for the first time. For the first time, people were choosing their government and elected officials.

What is your message to Americans about the importance of the UN? 

LM: I would say fundamentally three key messages. The first would be that it’s our organization. The United States was a pivotal actor behind the creation of the United Nations, and I think it’s very important that we take ownership of the organization and understand what it is about.

The second is to inform ourselves. Perhaps the UN could do a better job of communicating its mandate, but what we see sometimes is only the tip of the iceberg.

The third is that the UN is not only the right thing to do, but it’s also the smart thing to do.

Read the full article about Americans in the UN by Erika Brecino Howard at United Nations Foundation.