As part of my volunteer assignment, I travelled to five communities—Otuan, Ayamasa, Ikebiri 1, Ekowe and Ekeremor—to help produce a documentary about UNODC’s work. Some require hours of travel by road, while others are accessible only by water. Ikebiri 1, I was told, lies close to the Atlantic Ocean.

The report was first unveiled globally on 5 December 2025 at the United Nations headquarters in New York during the opening event of the International Volunteer Year (IVY) 2026. It brings together the latest research and thinking on how volunteerism can be measured more effectively and why better evidence matters for sustainable development.

Today, as Nepal grapples with devastating floods and landslides, that question feels especially urgent. Thousands of people are facing loss, displacement, and uncertainty. Entire communities are being tested by a crisis that has unfolded with frightening speed.Yet as I followed news of the disaster after returning home, I kept thinking about the UN Volunteers I had met only three weeks earlier.Not because they predicted what was coming. But because they were already supporting communities and livelihoods.

"We are not evaluating for the sake of accountability alone," Liza explains. "Evaluation is also a tool for learning and adaptation."This year alone, Liza has helped support OHCHR's 2026 Evaluation Plan, which includes 47 evaluations covering different regions and themes. Her role ranges from developing terms of reference and selecting consultants to analyzing data, producing knowledge products, and transforming complex findings into insights that decision-makers can use.