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Ricardo Vargas, PhD
Ricardo Vargas, PhD
Global authority in project, portfolio and risk management
December 19, 2019 · 7:33 PMView on Instagram ↗
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Hello everybody! I want to share some personal news. Today I defended my PhD thesis and got my doctorate in Civil Engineering by the Fluminense Federal University (UFF) in Rio de Janeiro - Brazil. It was the end of a project I started during my time leading the Infrastructure and Project Management Group at the UN. In 2013, the United Nations system started to prepare itself for the 2030 Sustainable development goals. As part of this sustainability effort, UNOPS included sustainability aspects in its strategy. I dedicated my doctorate to identifying a mechanism of reporting social, economic and environmental sustainability actions during the development and execution of infrastructure and construction projects. Maybe the indicators I proposed can contribute in some way to increase transparency in terms of social, economic and environmental sustainability. Those who have known me for a long time know this is something very close to my heart. It is one of the happiest days of my life!!!! Being able to turn this idea into reality is something that gives me a sense of accomplishment and meaning that I am very thankful for. A special thanks to Jan Mattsson, former Executive Director of UNOPS for the inspiration, support and leadership. I will never forget that!