At the age of 101, former UN official Sim Groenteman reflects on building ECLAC's core services and shaping its integrity through decades of dedicated work.

In this Historia Oral de la CEPAL interview, Sim Groenteman, former Chief of Buildings Management and General Services and one of the earliest UN staff members assigned to Latin America, looks back on a career that began in 1947, and unfolded across multiple regions of the organization such as New York, Ethiopia, Bangkok, and Santiago. At 101 years old, he still recalls his years at CEPAL with clarity and pride.

“I came to establish the registry system of the Commission… I came for that purpose here”. Although he arrived to establish ECLAC’s first registry system, his legacy grew far beyond that initial assignment. Over time, Groenteman became Chief of Buildings Management and General Services, responsible for the physical and operational backbone of the institution.

“Yes, I was the big boss here… I was Chief of Buildings Management Services and General Services. Now, General Services is big. I had a very important, happy post here.”

His standards were famously high: “I'm very particular on things functioning well… If I want you to work well, I want you all to be satisfied that you have the right pencil and the right eraser… That is the duty of your boss and of the organization.”

To him, maintaining a well-run organization was not just logistics, it was integrity. It was respect for the people who worked there. And he expected the same discipline in return:

“If you lie, I don't like you… If you don't do your job, I don't like you either. And I’d let them feel it, and then they improve.”

He also guided the institution through crises, including a major flood which caused damage on ECLAC property and had to be repaired: “Almost a million dollars… but we survived.”

Looking back, his connection to the UN remains deeply emotional. His parting words capture both modesty and conviction:

“I was very proud, proud to be in the UN… I was an international person who was concerned about the whole world.”

His story reminds us that the UN is not only built by ideas, but by the people who keep the doors open, the systems functioning, and the institution alive.