Brasilia, Brazil: Volunteerism is giving your time and expertise in exchange for knowledge, and the opportunity to be part of the changes you want to make in the world. I urge everyone to become a volunteer in any way you can. You can start by helping people in your own community, then you will be helping people from the whole country, and then, who knows, you may also be helping people from all over the world. 

Kabul, Afghanistan: I am really glad to have had the opportunity to work as a UN Volunteer in Afghanistan since 2012. The time and work here is enriching and words cannot explain the satisfaction obtained from the field experience, whenever I am greeted with not just the warm welcome but the look of gratitude and joy from the very poor, yet very hospitable families in the remote locations of the Northern region of Afghanistan, where up until this year access was not a problem.

New Delhi, India: Working as a UN Volunteer in an organisation like UNHCR is a life changing experience. It takes you out of your bubble and gives you the opportunity to understand real issues faced by people—people like you and me, people who have similar dreams and ambitions. As life forced them to become refugees in a land that is not their own, challenging their life skills and adaptation capabilities, they somehow find the resilience, the courage and determination to rebuild their lives.

Kankan, Upper Guinea; Guinea-Conakry: When I took up the role of the UN Youth Volunteer for the High Commissioner for Human Rights, I was not quite sure what to expect. "From the university benches, past lectures and books to the real-life practice of human rights on the field." These words are what come to mind when I try to summarise those three weeks on mission to monitor human rights in Guinea.

International Volunteer Day (IVD), mandated by the UN General Assembly, is held each year on the 5th of December. This International Day is a unique chance for volunteers and organizations to celebrate their efforts, to share their values, and to promote their work among their communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, government authorities, and the private sector. IVD 2015, “Your world is changing. Are you? Volunteer!” starts a dialogue about how volunteerism is vital to the success of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

International Volunteer Day (IVD), mandated by the UN General Assembly, is held each year on the 5th of December. This International Day is a unique chance for volunteers and organizations to celebrate their efforts, to share their values, and to promote their work among their communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, government authorities, and the private sector. IVD 2015, “Your world is changing. Are you? Volunteer!” starts a dialogue about how volunteerism is vital to the success of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Monrovia, Liberia: Living through the Ebola epidemic in Liberia, I observed first-hand what was achieved by the global community. By complementing local efforts, it controlled and contained what could have otherwise become another viral infectious disease of global epidemic proportions. The key actions that contributed to the successful control of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa were essentially the prompt actions taken by the UN to marshal resources and other stakeholders to control the spread of the virus.

When Nepal experienced a devastating earthquake on 25 April last year with the epicentre close to Kathmandu, UNV responded by rapidly recruiting about 200 national UN Volunteers, funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and fielded them in such vital areas as coordination of the response effort, rubble removal and early reconstruction.

Volunteers are playing a vital role in making governments worldwide more accountable and responsive to their citizens, but their potential is seriously under-valued, a new report from the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme said today. The State of the World’s Volunteerism Report 2015 is the first global survey of the contribution of volunteers to better governance, a prerequisite for the success of the new Sustainable Development Goals to be agreed at the United Nations in September.

Bentiu, South Sudan: When Katia Cristina Da Silva, from Portugal, joined the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in 2007, her main goal was to use her skills to improve the lives of others and share her expertise to enhance the capacity of others.  Since then, Katia has been a UN Volunteer in East Timor, Nepal, Sudan, and South Sudan. In April 2013, Katia joined the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) as a UNV Civil Affairs Officer having been a UN Volunteer with the United Nations Mission in Sudan  from 2009 to 2011.