"If the UNDP office were to close down tomorrow, would anyone miss us?" -- has just completed his term in Egypt as UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative , having been reassigned as Head of the UN Office in Brussels, Belgium has been a great supporter of both AFICS-Egypt and "Beyond" ever since we were about to start our zero issues. We could not find a better person to pay tribute to him than his closest collaborator for five years: Ms Nahla Zeitoun. Her words best describe our appreciation of his valuable contribution to Egypt's development. " joined the UNDP office in the summer of 2001 and from then on, the UNDP office changed its office culture forever. He was a Resident Representative with a human face - he had passion for his work, for his staff, for the projects and for the UN principles in general. He called on us to strive for excellence in every single task that we do and to remember that we are all working in one office towards a common goal. His dedication to the Egypt country office and his excellent relationship with all our partners, be they government, donors, private sector or civil society representatives, has allowed us to accomplish a multitude of tasks and to take up many challenging initiatives (Female Genital Mutilation, Women's Political Participation, HIV/AIDS, and others). Vigilante taught us to critically analyze the policy impact of our work in Egypt and probed us by saying, "If the UNDP office would close down tomorrow, would anyone miss us?" Such questions made us realize the policy implications of our work, the crucial role of building partnerships and the importance of media outreach. The office repositioned itself to have a common and shared voice known to all our partners, and our programme focus became more policy oriented. The Egypt country office was very lucky to have for five stimulating and inspiring years during which the UNDP family worked harmoniously towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. We plan to continue with Antonio's tradition and "always strive for excellence."
