World Health OrganizationPERSONAL ASSISTANT/ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER
Mar. 2000 - Jun. 2007Geneva Area, SwitzerlandI was the Personal Assistant to the Project Manager and the Administrative Officer for the WHO Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN). GOARN is a worldwide technical partnership of +120 technical institutions and collaborating centers in international epidemic alert and response to such emergencies as SARS, Ebola, and Avian Influenza. • Lead administrative preparation for GOARN field mission, including arrangements for rapid team deployment, protocol for government clearance and letters of initiation, and UN security clearance. Initiate administrative arrangements for the recruitment of consultants and temporary advisers from GOARN institutions; • Assist in organizing outbreak response activities on own initiative and/or instruction of Project Manager, including preparing operational budgets, action memos, and collation of briefing materials (background documents and reports from multiple sources0 for international team members; • Maintaining critical contact lists and institutional profiles for GOARN institutions and key consultants. Maintain time sensitive information in the WHO Event Management System (EMS), and publish information related to operations on a secure access website; • Organize meetings of GOARN (Geneva, Atlanta) and of the Steering Committee (SCOM) (Geneva, Kuala Lumpur and Johannesburg); • Carry out routine secretarial duties. Prepares contracts to high specification (Technical Services Agreements, Agreements for Performance of Work, HR contracts for consultants). • Arrange duty travel for Project manager and other team members; preparation of itineraries, costing, travel authorizations, requests for government clearance, hotel reservations, visa requests etc.