Professional Relationship Building As An Important Stage In My Career

Professional relationship building and networking are fundamental requirements of disaster risk management (DRM) and humanitarian sectors. Networking is considered an essential prerequisite for achieving coordination and dissemination of first-hand information while responding to crisis. United Nation’s Cluster System is a universally accepted official networking mechanism which plays a critical role in emergency management. Moreover, range of professional networks cater to the needs of members, covering themes like contemporary innovations and global trends, research, training and capacity building and funding opportunities etc.

On the other hand relationship building context is considered as promotion of formal and informal relationships over time with his/her colleagues and relevant people in donor, funding, executing, and implementing organizations. Developing professional relationships is like growing plants, they take time to mature and require continuous nurturing with positive communication, trust, respect and empathy.

I am relatively new to my profession, but fully recognize the importance of networking and better professional relationships in enhancing my ability to influence, create partnerships, forge alliances and form coalitions for developing and implementing programmes. The floods of 2010 in Pakistan were unprecedented. Their ferocity, magnitude and destruction overwhelmed the entire country. At that time, I was working in Provincial Disaster Management-PDMA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as capacity building expert.

The initial days following deluge were a coordination nightmare. More than 200 NGOs, United Nations, Army and Federal & Provincial Governments were struggling to deliver much needed lifesaving assistance. Taking advantage of my strong professional relationships and linkages with a number of humanitarian organizations, I assisted PDMA in forming an emergency response network of participating organizations. In an effort to contribute meaningfully towards managing the crisis, I deliberately engaged with a host of organizations through dialogues, consultations and meetings.

On third day following floods, an emergency response coordination network was officially formed by PDMA. Recognizing my efforts, Government appointed me as coordinators and regulator of the network. The immense challenge of coordinating timely and judicious humanitarian assistance for 4 million affected people was successfully accomplished through regular and timely information exchange, consistent coordination, and facilitating regular consultations with and between all network members.

Similarly, in 2017, when I was nominated by Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre – ADPC, Bangkok to assist them in initiation of a program by engaging local humanitarian organizations and the national government(s) to improve emergency response through partnerships building. I capitalized on my strongly entrenched professional linkages in relevant government ministries and local humanitarian circle to formalize a timely agreement between ADPC, National Disaster Management Authority- NDMA, Pakistan and National Humanitarian Network-NHN for implementation of the programme.

Therefore, I consider Chevening scholarship as an important opportunity at this stage of my career to expand my professional linkages and relationships at home and abroad. I am sure that in future they will prove to be an invaluable asset for strengthening existing and exploring new avenues of collaboration in programme development, information and knowledge exchange, research, training and capacity building and funding opportunities.