Kerstin Leitner

When Only the Sky is the Limit Kerstin Leitner

Kerstin Leitner has worked as a staff member of the United Nations for 30 years from 1975 - 2005. What makes her memoirs interesting to read is the fine combination of practical work and reflections of why the Un is such a unique place to work for. She shows that when working in Africa, the Arab world, China and when introducing modern information and communication technologies globally to the Un, things appear very similar to work in other, national and socio-economic settings and yet they are distinctively different. Ms Leitner's years with the Un span part of the Cold War era and the post-1989 period, when only one superpower remained and the market economies of the Western world began to dominate the global economy. As a German, she was among the first to serve the Un after the two German states joined the world organization in 1973. As a woman, she was among the first generation that broke through the glass ceiling for women and rose to the senior management level.