Four Years of ResilienceIn 2022, when the war started, Lysychansk was occupied. Like millions of Ukrainians, I became an internally displaced person. “IDP” is a term often used in reports and briefings. For me, it means leaving behind familiar streets, memories, and any sense of permanence.It means rebuilding stability while knowing the place you belong is no longer accessible.

Our age has no shortage of upheaval. Displacement today is not episodic; it is widespread. Conflicts endure, climates shift, and fragile systems strain under repeated shocks. In such a world, sympathy alone is insufficient. It must be organized, sustained, and given direction. Solidarity must become service.

Mr. Chair,Distinguished delegates,This is the fifth time I have the privilege of presenting the annual report of UNV to the Executive Board.First time when I was presenting in 2021, I was given 20 minutes to allow more time for dialogue among the Member States. The following year, it became 15 minutes, then 10, and now I have only five. I look forward to the challenge the board will set for me next year.

Numbers are not enough. Measuring volunteering must go beyond hours and activities to show real change in people’s lives, communities and support systems. The webinar opened with remarks by Olga Zubritskaya-Devyatkina, UNV Regional Manager for Arab States, and was facilitated by Professor Matt Baillie Smith and Dr Bianca Fadel of Northumbria University. Drawing on Chapter 6 of the 2026 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report, it brought together researchers and practitioners from crisis-affected contexts.

The young matter