Natalia had to prepare not only her suitcase but her mindset. This wasn’t just a job, it was a commitment to serve in a place where peace is fragile and every action matters. She continues, "Fear slowly gave way to determination as I reminded myself why I chose this path—to make a difference where it’s needed most. What awaited me was not comfort, but purpose. 

In Bunia, Ituri Province, UN Volunteer Ounteni Souobou is a Child Protection Officer (Database and Reporting) with MONUSCO. He is from Burkina Faso. Ounteni's work focuses on documenting violations regarding children's rights, abductions and sexual violence, under the United Nations Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism. Each verified case feeds into national reports used by MONUSCO and UNICEF to target high-risk zones and guide advocacy.

Peace is when people can speak without fearIn Beni, Kakessiwa, originally from Togo, serves as a UN Volunteer Civil Affairs Officer at the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) Joint Operations Center. His role is to track security developments and coordinate responses between military, police, and civilian actors.

In early 2024, as violence escalated near Goma, dozens of civilians and soldiers found refuge in UN compounds. Supporting them, Souleymane Diallo, UN Volunteer Legal Adviser from Burkina Faso with the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). He quickly helped organize a response. Drawing on his legal training, he and his team created a simple code of conduct for the shelter sites and translated it into French and Swahili so everyone could understand it. 

As an Information Analyst, my main task is to provide accurate analysis to help the Mission better understand the environment, anticipate threats, protect civilians, and ensure the security of UN personnel.  The Joint Mission Analysis Center is key in collecting and analyzing information to support peace operations and decision-making for MONUSCO's leadership.

With land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience at the core — MONUSCO's Environmental Protection Unit includes cleaning sites and handing them over to landowners — tasks that Wanjiku and Kebbeh are responsible for in their volunteer assignments. 

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.