Nazlı is a passionate Turkish volunteer who discovered her love for voluntarism during community service projects, where she tutored at a village school. With her background in teaching English and a Master’s in Social Policy, Nazlı’s dream was to combine her desire to serve #foreverychild and her evidence-generation skills. She would later describe volunteering as “devotion, sharing and impactful”.

In 2022, Mount Kenya University funded three national UN University Volunteer assignments. Brenda Kemunto Onyancha, Jane Wamucii Ngure and Jeremiah Newton Otieno joined the teams of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP), respectively. The youth volunteers share the valuable experience they have gained in global development, and how their perspectives have changed through their assignments. 

As of May 2023, 95 UN Volunteers are serving with nine United Nations partners in Nepal. These are community, specialists, experts, youth and university students, and are actively engaged in communities.

UNEP is actively seeking young, passionate, and skilled talent from less represented regions of the world to join the organization and become the environmental leaders of tomorrow. This online recruitment drive will last until 15 May 2023. This is your chance to help us all work together to protect our Earth; your chance to help us shape your own future. --Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP, speaking to potential applicants in a video message

Digital transformation brings new possibilities where we can measure the sustainability, track detriments such as green house emissions and maximize use of our existing resources. This is part of UNEP's Medium Term Strategy, the outcomes of which I support.  

My name is David Ouma and I am a national UN Volunteer Specialist. I serve as Project Management Assistant at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi.  My academic background in Biology and my six-month internship in marine conservation at the Kenyan coast led to this UN Volunteer assignment. 

In Kenya, UN Volunteers took part in the activities marking the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, 3 December, hosted at the Technical University of Mombasa. The event included a booth display and a talent show from special needs schools. UNV highlighted volunteer programmes and potential UN Volunteer assignments that are inclusive of people with disabilities.

The twenty seventh Conference of the Parties (COP27) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) convened in Egypt from 6 to 18 of November 2022. This is the most important annual meeting to discuss the implementation of international agreements, including the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement. In the midst of the negotiations there are growing calls for urgent action, prioritizing those affected and increasing climate awareness among the people. 

Yibing Zhao just completed his volunteer assignment in September, having served as Programme Coordination Assistant with UNEP in China. During his assignment, he provided coordination and technical support for projects aiming to create a healthier and more resilient environment.

To promote intergenerational solidarity, two UN Volunteers serving with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in Kenya met during a training session organized by the UNV Kenya Office.