Stefan leads the Spotlight Initiative's communications arm creating awareness of the programme through coherent communications and digital campaigns using messaging, data and infographics that tell the story of the programmes, services, results and impact.

The Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, issued by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993, defines violence against women as "any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life''.

According to CEPAL (2015), 75 per cent of the afro-descendant population in Latin America and the Caribbean participated in national electoral processes. However, their representation in power and decision-making is not proportional.

As the UN agency focused on sexual health and reproductive rights, UNFPA's mandate spans many areas – from maternal health to gender-based violence. With the Youth Innovator Fellows on board, the agency has gained a strong group of advocates and implementers. What does the day-to-day work of a Young Innovator Fellow look like? It turns out the projects are as diverse as the Young Innovators themselves. Yet innovation is the thread that binds.

Vanuatu is a small island developing country with pristine coasts and luscious tropical nature that is also at high risk of natural disasters. The compounding impact of this is a climate security crisis, with quickly deteriorating livelihoods, and lacking opportunities for a sustainable ecosystem where all can thrive. COVID-19 only compounded matters further.

UNICEF and UNHCR, in partnership with governments and civil society organizations, have set up 26 Blue Dot safe spaces for children and women in bordering countries, each able to provide relief for 3,000-5,000 people per day. They are also mobilizing to treat the mental and emotional damage caused by the conflict. In Romania, Marina Feher became a national UN Volunteer with UNICEF to help the Blue Dot initiative, focusing on refugees in Isaccea, Tulcea and Galati areas.

UNDP’s primary mandate is to eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities through sustainable development. Charlotte’s assignment is focused on these two mandates, which she examines through a gender lens. She works with gender mainstreaming and gender-responsive climate finance under the Sustainable Development Finance workstream.  

Bintang Aulia began her volunteering work  in 2016 during her last year of university, when she joined a climate movement in Bandung. She participated for a year learning not only about the environment and what she can do to help the earth but also about how volunteering works. 

Rita Chiara Mele, UN Volunteer Energy Specialist, UNDP Comoros In Small Islands Development States (SIDS) like Comoros, gender and climate change are deeply interconnected. For instance, in the clean cooking sector, women have limited access to modern cooking services and still use traditional biofuels such as firewood, which cause deforestation and increase community vulnerability to climate change. 

In Niger, three UN Volunteers in humanitarian affairs are facilitating the work of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). Oumou Moumouni, Fajimata Abba Gana and Farida Zakaria Abderrahmane are assigned to Niamey, Tillabéry and Tahoua regions respectively. In a sector that requires more women, Farida, Fatima and Oumou are more than welcome.  In some areas, the socio-cultural constraints are such that, despite the emergency, only women can interact with the women. So having these volunteers on our team is a huge help.