Representing over 160 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean, youth bring the abilities, ideas and determination to overcome the triple planetary crisis – loss of biodiversity, pollution and climate change. Volunteerism is a means for utilizing those skills, while accelerating and increasing their scope of action. 

According to my mother; Miriam Palma, when I was one year old, I was diagnosed with retinoblastoma. At the age of four, I completely lost my sight. My family was in shock by my situation, they did all that they could, and there was no option for surgery. I have had to deal with my condition my entire life. "Today, I can say that I found the way to reach my full potential," says Antonio Palma, UN Volunteer serving for the UN Resident Coordinator's Office.

The United Nations (UN) has also declared 9 August to be the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples and the decade of 2022-2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. The former has as its primary objective to protect indigenous languages that are at risk of disappearing.

I fundamentally believe in the power of volunteerism to effect change – on the individual, on communities and on the organizations they serve. In my role as Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), I am proud to be working with an organization that is among the prime movers, supporting countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Hugo brought to UNDP his strong background in communications and digital marketing, technical skills, as well as a drive to contribute to the development of his home country, Guatemala. He has made a significant impact in various projects. One of these is En Marcha Digital, a strategic initiative that supports entrepreneurs in adapting their business models during the COVID-19 pandemic, equipping them with free digital tools to reach their clients in novel ways.

Despite the need for immediate response to the threats posed by the pandemic, countries must maintain a long-term perspective. The protection of human rights would help maintain peace and security and ensure the continuity of sustainable development, especially in post-conflict states such as Guatemala. In line with this, OHCHR continues to fulfill its mandate in Guatemala – albeit virtually due to COVID-19. 

When reflecting about the aspects of her work which she is most passionate about, Ingrid highlights the direct contact, the ability to engage in sincere communication with women in her community. These exchanges go well beyond the institutional context, as she is enabling women’s voices and facilitating their participation in decisions that affect their lives and communities:

Being volunteer gave me, as an indigenous woman, the opportunity to be an agent of change, coherent with my community’s cosmovision. Volunteering is an ancestral treasure that should be transmitted from generation to generation. This guarantees good living, with respect and harmony between humanity and nature. Let’s boost our communities to gain awareness of gender equality, as a pre-condition to progress towards sustainable development. --Ingrid Sierra, UN Volunteer with UN Women

The eruption of the Guatemala’s Volcano of Fire ocurred on June 3, 2018, causing the death of more than 300 people and the evacuation of more than 4,000 inhabitants in the surrounding areas.

According to the National Employment and Income Survey (ENEI), in Guatemala, 58.6 per cent of women live in poverty and 22.8 per cent in extreme poverty. Poverty is greater in the rural population, particularly in the Maya, Xinca and Garífuna peoples, communities that live under a constant condition of injustice and deprivation of their basic rights, affecting their women, girls and adolescents with greater ferocity.