Daniel Valbuena

According to the United Nations, women make up 57 per cent of volunteers globally. In the case of Venezuela, at least 60 per cent of the UN Volunteers serving in the country are women. This figure is even higher in the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) in Venezuela, since the agency hosts 20 per cent of the total number of UN Volunteers serving in the country.

On the occasion of International Indigenous People's month, UNV calls to democratize spaces, empower historically exc

Saúl arrived in South America full of enthusiasm for this project. He was eager to put his professional and educational background in applied social research and data analysis at the service of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), especially, SDG2, achieving zero hunger. As part of the Resilience and Emergency Team within FAO, Saúl loved the idea of being able to contribute to increasing agricultural production with a resilient approach, emphasizing collaboration with vulnerable rural communities.

Rosana and Yasmin’s assignments focus on understanding humanitarian needs in the states covered by the Maracaibo Field Coordination Hub (Trujillo, Falcón, Lara, and Zulia). Rosana is based in Lara and Yasmín covers all the states of Maracaibo. Through conversations with the local communities and local organizations on the ground, these two women UN Volunteers track humanitarian assistance requirements in each area.

The shadow pandemic of violence against women and girls is one of these issues. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about one in three women worldwide have suffered physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their lives. The scourge of gender-based violence (GBV), one of the most ubiquitous human rights violations in the world, is exacerbated during the COVID-19 crisis as traditional prevention and attention mechanisms are inhibited.

With a presence in 190 countries, UNICEF continues its mandate on protecting children’s rights by being one of the leading UN agencies responding to the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, UNICEF Venezuela – along with UN sister agencies and public and private sector – elaborated a plan that identified the most at-risk communities. Some 189 health facilities, clinics and community health centres in 13 states have been reached among the country so far.

According to UNHCR and IOM’s latest report, the number of Venezuelans leaving their country has reached 4 million. Globally, the report also reveals that Venezuelans are one of the single largest population groups displaced, with a number of refugees and migrants that has increased by one million since November 2018.

Caracas, Venezuela:  I have been working as a UN Volunteer Associate Protection Officer at the Protection Unit of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Caracas since April 2012. My role is to provide legal advice to asylum-seekers and refugees in the country, as well as to contribute to the compilation and analysis of country of origin information that shall serve as the basis for the drafting of legal and policy documents.