She looks as if she’s still in her early twenties, but that’s thanks to her discreet charm. In her modest office which she shares with two of her colleagues, Maja (pronounce Maya) BOGICEVIC welcomed us in all simplicity, a trait of her entire personality. Simple she is, calm she is too, despite the intense pace of work to which she is subjected in the performance of her duties in the rather complex Security Sector Reform Unit.

« A
Western woman, she has had no difficulties in working and proving her worth in
a field long, and even now, dominated by
a majority of men in uniform, and on African soil to boot, “ he told us. SSR is in fact a business for
soldiers, policemen, prison officers and magistrates, but all treat Maja as an
equal. She feels she perfectly fits in
with the team, and they do return the attention she pays to them, within the
framework of the program that she steers. Among other tasks, Maja is responsible for the component « Fight against Sexual
Violence. »

Given
the difficulty and complexity of questions to be considered when it comes to SSR,
we asked her to tell us what actually her tasks are. Follow her carefully: “I am
currently the focal point for international partners, in particular for the SSR
coordination frameworks and for the summary table of all SSR-related activities
of partners and international organizations. I have also been the focal point
for the Unit’s results-based budgeting and outreach activities. I frequently
draft reports, code cables, talking points, fact sheets and various other
information and presentation materials. I am the Unit’s focal point for the
fight against conflict-related sexual violence and, if need be, I do induction
presentations on SSR for new MONUSCO employees. Finally, I organize and facilitate SSR
coordination meetings. »

Maja’s
supervisors say they are fully satisfied with her discreet, yet painstaking
work. “She is persistent, puts in long hours, does not fear to challenge
herself and delivers quality work. Maja is a real value added for our Unit. »
Her colleagues find her « sociable, attentive to others, and serene. She
organizes all our retreats, as well as the
end-of-week friendly drink to maintain a
climate of dialogue and trust between the Unit Chief and his
collaborators.” Mr. de Fabribeckers, a firm believer in
ensuring gender balance in recruitment, says that when he took up his
assignment with MONUSCO and found Maja among the staff he would be supervising,
he had no doubt about her capacity. Since then, with each passing day, he finds
that his judgment was fully justified.

It
should be pointed out that Maja has been in humanitarian circles since here
beginnings in active life. “Prior
to joining MONUSCO I had acquired some working and volunteering experience with
a number of NGO’s, including the United Nations Association of Serbia and the
International Organization for Migration in Budapest, Hungary.”

« I
entered the United Nations in October 2011 as a UN volunteer (UNV) serving in
the MONUSCO Public Information Division as an Administrative Assistant. I joined the Security Sector Reform Unit in
December 2012.”

Maja
graduated from the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Belgrade
where she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. At the Central European University in
Budapest, she earned a Master’s in International Relations and European
Studies. Born in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina,
she lived for a long time in Belgrade, Serbia. Fully bilingual
(English/French), Maja has a passion for travel, learning new languages, and long
distance running, her favorite sport. In
2012, she participated in the United Nations Inter-Agency Games in Kigali and brought
back a trophy which she dedicated to all MONUSCO staff. Bravo
and thank you, Maja.

And
I’ll tell you what? “Don’t change course; you are on the right
track, Maja”