As one of the fastest-growing cities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bukavu faces challenges due to the lack of clean water. According to provincial water supply, the population of Bukavu has grown from 650,000 in 1993 to three million presently.

At 19, Deborah was forced to join an armed militia to fight ethnic groups in her native village in North Kivu Province in the DRC. Six years of witnessing devastation and the violent consequences of civil war, she decided to surrender weapons and opt for a peaceful life.

To mark IVD 2022, UN Volunteers lend support to APROJED under the Actions and Projects for Sustainable Development, an organization in Turunga, a Nyiragongo municipality on the outskirts of Goma. 

The 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol establish the rights of refugees and their responsibilities to host countries, as well as the legal obligations of States to provide protection. The theme of this year's World Refugee Day is the right to seek asylum.

International Volunteer Day 2021 called for the recognition of volunteers and volunteerism as powerful and cross-cutting ways of achieving the SDGs and building an inclusive world. A number of UN partner representatives, influencers and national authorities shared via social media their messages of acknowledgement and appreciation for the support of volunteers.

In Niger, three UN Volunteers in humanitarian affairs are facilitating the work of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). Oumou Moumouni, Fajimata Abba Gana and Farida Zakaria Abderrahmane are assigned to Niamey, Tillabéry and Tahoua regions respectively. In a sector that requires more women, Farida, Fatima and Oumou are more than welcome.  In some areas, the socio-cultural constraints are such that, despite the emergency, only women can interact with the women. So having these volunteers on our team is a huge help.

As a Civil Engineer, I support building compounds when staff has to move to new offices. Since December 2020, I have overseen the construction of 48 offices. Along with this task, I am also in charge of civil infrastructure, sanitation and environmental projects within Goma town. I provide daily reports on activities and also contribute to the results of my section. 

The theme of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers this year is about leveraging the power of youth for peace and security. It relates well to the contributions UN Volunteers make to peace and development in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).  The vision of the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme is of a peaceful and democratic society where the young play an active role in cultivating peace and development. We improve youth representation in political processes, and policies that directly impact their lives.

UN Peacekeeping is one of the largest United Nations partners of the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme. In 2019, more than 2,000 UN Volunteers served with UN Peacekeeping in 17 different missions around the world, contributing to protection and peacebuilding efforts and promoting volunteerism across the United Nations system.

The DRC is a beautiful and rich country with lots of human and natural resources. Let me congratulate the Congolese people who, in spite of the ordeals facing the country, continue to work for peace. I joined MONUSCO as a UN Volunteer in March 2016. I am the Contingent-Owned Equipment (COE) Database Assistant, responsible for managing and updating comprehensive electronic files/records on day-to-day activities relating to field units and their inspections to the e-COE databases.