Cultivating global talent with the E-Buddy Initiative: An Interview with Ricardo Freitas Rodrigues

The E-Buddy Initiative, a partnership between the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) and IE University, aims to bridge academic learning and practical experience by fostering mentorships between IE students and United Nations professionals. Grounded in mutual respect, trust, and integrity, the initiative connects aspiring international relations students with experienced UN officers, supporting professional growth and leadership development for both mentors and mentees. 

In this spotlight interview, Ricardo Freitas Rodrigues, Administrative Officer in the Human Resources Management Section at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), and Maria Fernanda Villari from UNSSC discuss the value of mentorship and the E-Buddy Initiative’s role in developing future global leaders. 

Maria Fernanda: What motivated you to take part in this mentoring programme ? 

Ricardo:  I was immediately attracted by the eBuddy Programme as soon as I read about it on iSeek. The chance to work with talented university students is an opportunity I did not want to miss. 

On the one hand, I was privileged to benefit from their innovative perspectives, energy, and eagerness to learn. Supporting these gifted individuals as they transitioned into their professional lives was a rare opportunity, and I appreciated witnessing their growth throughout the programme. 

Moreover, several times during the programme, I found mentorship to be a two-way process, as I had anticipated. The students were often my mentors and I was their mentee, learning about contemporary cultural trends and modern ways of working. Furthermore, their interesting queries also led to my own self-reflection, and the need to explain more complex concepts to university students called for my own study and the development of pedagogical skills. In short, I would argue this was also a sort of reverse mentoring experience. 

On the other hand, I like to believe that my participation in the programme humbly contributed to bridging the gap between academia and the realm of international organizations. These two realities stand frequently in isolation, and many times do not communicate with each other. I have witnessed this issue firsthand in both settings in Asia and in Europe, and unfortunately this divide is not getting smaller. I commend both the UNSSC and IE University for having created this remarkable joint initiative. 

Maria Fernanda: What is one of the most valuable things you learned from this mentoring experience? 

 Ricardo: Listening is one of the most underrated skills today. As I wrote in my PhD thesis: “In this third decade of the 21st century, citizens worldwide form and express their opinions on virtually all matters, irrespective of their level of knowledge or familiarity with the topic under discussion. Economic crises, political agendas, sectoral policies, and all sorts of socially relevant events are the object of lively, passionate, and often uninformed or misinformed debate.” Unfortunately, increased participation in public debate has not led to better listening, especially amid disinformation and polarization. During this programme, I prioritized listening and intellectual humility, which I believe were essential in building strong relationships with the mentees. 

Maria Fernanda: Was there a particular interaction or moment with your mentee that stayed with you after the programme? 

Ricardo: I treasure all the moments spent online with my two mentees. They both proved intelligent and hard-working individuals, who will undoubtedly shine in their future career paths and make IE University very proud. They were both candid, disciplined, generous with their time, inquisitive, and well-informed. Our personal interactions will remain with me as a testament to the great value of this generation, who will be taking positions of responsibility in the near future, and contributing to the creation of a better world.  

My generation will soon pass the baton, and the outcome is not something we can be extremely proud of. The world we will leave behind is in several ways worse off than the one inherited from our parents. I am confident the current generation will be more successful than my own in shaping the future of the planet. And I trust that the UNSSC and IE University eBuddy Programme is a step in the right direction.