The United Nations does not discriminate on the basis of disability | Division for Inclusive Social Development (DISD)

I was born in the Italian countryside and at the age of six, I was diagnosed with a very rare tumour pressing on my spine. I survived but I became paraplegic. Growing up, there were no specific laws in favour of children with disabilities, so my parents and I had to be creative in pioneering different ways of overcoming physical and attitudinal barriers, along with stigma and discrimination. This made me resilient, persistent and a quick problem solver – qualities that have been valuable to me in life.

I have always been interested in the world, and in learning more about different groups and cultures.When I was at university, my class was visited by a diplomat from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As I was interested in international organizations, I asked how one could work for the United Nations. That’s how I found out about the Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Programme (also called the Associate Expert Programme). It seemed like the perfect opportunity to follow my passion for empowering others through international development.

I started my career at the United Nations in Vienna as a JPO in what used to be the Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs (CSDHA), which hosted the Unit of Disabled Persons, the Youth Unit, the Aging Unit, the Family Unit and the Division for the Advancement of Women. With the exception of the Division for the Advancement of Women, these CSDHA units would later form the Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) of the Department for Economic and Social Development (DESA) – the Division I have had the honour of leading since 2011!

To read more, please click here.