Thank you, Mr Chair and thank you Mme Associate Administrator for introducing the agenda item on behalf of UNDP. With your permission, I will continue with the presentation of the Annual Report of the Administrator on UNV. 

UNV thanks its UN Member State partners for their generous contributions in support of volunteerism for sustainable development and peace and counts on their continued support. UNV's Annual Report 2022 contains further details. Interested partners are invited to read more about how to support UNV financially, including through our Special Voluntary Fund and Full Funding Programme.

Why Sponsor UN Volunteers?Sponsoring UN Volunteers allows organizations to directly support global peace and development efforts. As a funding partner, you can choose to sponsor nationals from your own country or from other countries of your choice, empowering them to apply their skills to urgent global challenges and have them serving in their country or abroad.

My assignment covers five countries: the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Republic of Marshall Islands, Nauru and Palau. I work with the United Nations and government partners to coordinate climate change adaptation and youth projects.

The DRC has faced myriad challenges, ranging from significant humanitarian assistance needs and chronic underdevelopment to political instability and protracted armed conflict in the Eastern part of the country. Humanitarian, development and peace actors are all present to support the government and the population with its recovery and development pathway.

Josua Amukwaya is a national UN Volunteer serving with the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) as Strategic Information and Data for Development Officer for Persons with Disabilities. His assignment is funded by the Government of Sweden. Josua lost his eyesight at the age of 14 and moved from northern Namibia to Windhoek in 2007 to pursue education at a school for the visually impaired. He now holds a bachelor's degree in Lifelong Learning and Community Education.

Since the start of the pandemic, the Health, Nutrition and Population team of the World Bank has extended several projects in Indonesia. These range from improving the response to the COVID-19 pandemic and facilitating access to vaccines, increasing detection and treatment for tuberculosis, to finding ways in which the national health insurance system can cover the population with even more efficiency.

When partners fund UNV’s work they can increase the visibility of their international engagement and promote people-centered development cooperation. In addition to broadening participation by supporting UN Volunteers in their field assignments, funding partners also assist UNV to uphold the value and global recognition of volunteerism. Funding UNV is possible through the UNV Special Voluntary Fund and Full Funding Programme. Special Voluntary Fund

The children of Timor-Leste face many barriers to living a full and prosperous life. Poverty, malnutrition and poor access to healthcare mean that many children are unable to thrive. Only one in four children aged 3-5 years have access to pre-school and the others start schooling directly in grade 1, leaving them at a disadvantage that may impact subsequent years of their education.

My name is Kana Endo; I hail from Japan. I embarked on my volunteering assignment last September and I will serve until February 2023. I am one of the three international UN Volunteers serving with the United Nations in Mongolia, together with another national UN Volunteer. Looking back on my childhood, I enjoyed learning new things but at the same time was very shy and introverted. However, I was very passionate about learning English and cultures in different countries. Therefore, I chose a high school with English course.