Bentiu, Unity State, South Sudan: “Most rewarding about my UNV assignment is that I participate in conflict mitigation and am part of the solution seeking team.  So saying, it is particularly interesting for me to see that most people we interact with know the causes and solutions of conflicts but continue engaging in bloody clashes that claim many lives.” Read

Darfur, Sudan: “I studied computer science in the US and eventually worked with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East where I helped develop the agency’s Disability policy.

I have always been passionate about volunteering. As soon as I arrived in Darfur, I realized that there was so much to do for this community. I needed to start advocating for the cause I have worked on my whole life: disabled persons.” Read

Lake States, South Sudan: “As a UN Volunteer working with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) it is imperative for me to contribute my expertise and experience to activities that mitigate social exclusion in society.

I liaise with county government, local authorities and communities in an attempt to prevent or alleviate conflicts.” Read

Juba, Sudan: The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme fielded 213 UN Volunteers with the United Nations Integrated Referendum and Electoral Division (UNIRED), through which the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) and UNDP provided assistance with the procurement of ballots and registration kits, voter registration campaigns, logistics, and technical support. Read

Juba, Sudan: The new Deputy Chief of the UNV Peace Division, Moraig Henderson, recently paid a visit to Juba to congratulate UN Volunteers for their support to the Southern Sudan self-determination referendum, a key milestone of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). Read

Khartoum and Juba, Sudan: Currently, 214 UN Volunteers from 70 countries are deployed throughout Sudan to directly support the Southern Sudan Referendum. The referendum scheduled for 9 January 2011 gives Southern Sudanese the opportunity to choose between unity with the north or secession. Read

Kadugli, Sudan: Working with the United Nations Mission in the Sudan, UNV volunteer Derek O’Rourke's role is to make life as comfortable as possible for peacekeepers in the field. He has also initiated a UNV group supporting volunteer activities with communities, promoting environmental awareness and community voluntary action. Read

Port Loko, Sierra Leone: At the Port Loko health centre, UNV volunteer Fatima Daing and WFP assist volunteer-involving organizations addressing HIV/AIDS. Read

Port Loko, Sierra Leone: It's in Fatima Diang's mandate to encourage volunteerism in the communities she works with and playing a part in keeping vulnerable people fed. Read

Volunteerism is considered a powerful means of engaging people in tackling development challenges, and a crucial renewable resource for social and environmental problem-solving throughout the world.

General Assembly resolution A/Res/56/38 asked the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme to provide technical cooperation in the field of volunteerism to realize its potential as a resource for attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). 

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