UNOPS expert to address project management workshop for public sector

The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is staging a one day workshop for senior Government officials on the best practices of project management at the Kingsbury Hotel on 17 January.

The workshop intends to highlight the benefits of comprehensive project management methodologies and share the best practices globally on the implementation of government programs.

The keynote speaker will be Ricardo Vargas, Director for Project Management at UNOPS headquarters in Copenhagen. A Brazilian national, Vargas is a project, portfolio and risk management specialist. Before joining the UN, he was responsible for managing a multibillion dollar portfolio of projects in energy, infrastructure and telecommunications.  

His work is now focused on improving the management of humanitarian, peace-building and infrastructure development projects in over 80 countries, including Haiti, Afghanistan, Iraq and South Sudan.

Vargas was the first Latin American to be elected Chairman of the Board for the Project Management Institute (PMI), the largest project management organisation in the world, with close to 500,000 members and certified professionals in 175 countries.

He has written 11 books on project management, published in Portuguese and English, which have sold over 250,000 copies throughout the world. In 2005, he received the PMI Distinguished Award and in 2011, the PMI IS CoP Professional Development Award for his contribution to the development of project management.

UNOPS Director in Sri Lanka Francoise Jacob commented, “We are pleased to work with our partners in the line ministries of the Government of Sri Lanka on strengthening project management, so that quality infrastructure and service delivery can be built and delivered, which is value for money in the long run for the country. Ricardo is one of the top leaders in project management knowledge in the world, and his visit is an excellent opportunity for further strengthening national capacities.”