As the lockdown begins to ease in some countries of the world, UN Volunteers are helping people return to their ‘new normal’ lives. Anton Gille (Sweden) serves as a UN Youth Volunteer for Gender Equality and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the UN Development Coordinator’s Office in Pristina, Kosovo* (as per UN SC1244), He shares his experience during his assignment, which is funded by the Swedish International Cooperation Agency (Sida).
A crucial part of Anton’s work is to promote gender equality and raise awareness about domestic and sexual violence against women; an issue that has worsened during the lockdown period, as witnessed by the dramatic increase in reported cases.
Coming from a country like Sweden, where the issue of gender equality is so strongly rooted in our culture, I feel motivated to promote the security of girls and women and emphasize the need for an equal contribution from all members of society to shape stronger and peaceful communities. --Anton Gille, UN Youth Volunteer for Gender Equality and the SDGs
Representing the UN Development Coordinator's Office, Anton is an active member of the multi-stakeholder Security and Genders Group. This is chaired by UN Women, and plays a key role in bringing together UN entities, non-governmental organizations and civil society to help them advance women's rights, in line with the SDGs.
In the field of gender equality, the UN Youth Volunteer contributes to efforts pertaining to SDG 5, gender equality, and SDG 16, peace, justice and strong institutions.
In addition, Anton also supports efforts in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the UN´s global framework to address COVID-19, Anton works together with the UN Kosovo Team under the country-specific Socio-Economic Response Plan.
Thanks to the funds received by the United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund, the UN Kosovo Team is helping monitor, build and coordinate economic recovery efforts in Kosovo as a response to the socio-economic crisis triggered by the COVID-19 crisis.
Overall Anton is very satisfied with his UNV experience:
I would certainly recommend applying for a UN Volunteer assignment if you wish to contribute to peace and development. Moreover, being a UN Volunteer offers you a huge learning opportunity, from both a professional and a personal perspective. --Anton Gille
Anton holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Economics from Linköping University and a master’s degree in European studies from the University of Gothenburg. Before joining UNV, Anton served as an intern at the Swedish Embassy in Tallinn, Estonia, from 2016-2017. He served again as an intern/desk officer at the Ministry of Culture in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2018. Anton also worked on the EU elections during 2019 in Sweden.
*All references to Kosovo will be understood in the content of UN Security Council Resolution 1244.