Ekaete Judith Umoh’s arrival at the United Nations House in Abuja marked more than just a new job—it signaled a shift. She is the first Inclusion Coordinator in the United Nations Resident Coordinators Offices (UNRCO). As she rolled through the gates, a wheelchair user, Judith, was greeted by a gesture of respect. She is one of many persons with disabilities across West and Central Africa, who are taking on volunteer assignments for key roles within the UN system, turning inclusion from theory into practice. 

“We are not just numbers or headlines. We are people: mothers, fathers, children—trying to survive and protect one another in impossible conditions. The world must see us, hear us, and stand with humanity. Support humanitarian work. Advocate for safe access. And most importantly, don’t let Gaza be forgotten.” Twenty-seven-year-old Tasneem Aboalkomboz, a general physician, shares the realities of serving as a UN Volunteer in the besieged coastal strip. Tasneem is from Gaza and started her assignment with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People as a Project Coordinator Assistant on 5 June 2025.

Meet Liu Shanshan, a postgraduate student from China specializing in Hindi literature at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. In September 2024, Liu traded textbooks for hands-on experience in international development, joining the UN system as a UN Volunteer with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) at the Regional Office for South Asia. Her volunteer assignment was funded by the Chinese Young Volunteers Association (CYVA) and aimed to highlight youth voices in peace and justice.
 

Gabon is green—over 88 percent of its land is forest. Thirteen national parks guard an 11 percent chunk of it. But protecting nature isn’t just about drawing lines on a map. It’s about the people who live there, depend on it, and fight to keep it alive. Twenty-two UN Volunteers, including members of the Pygmy community, one of Gabon’s most underrepresented groups, are at the heart of Transformation of Forest Landscape Governance in the Bas Ogooué – Lower Nyanga Corridor, a six-year initiative backed by the Global Environment Facility and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 

"Could the charcoal smoke from Zibo barbecue be affecting air quality in cities?" This was literally what led me to explore a volunteer assignment with the United Nations, says Haoming Hong from Jiangxi province. At that time, a nationwide trend was sweeping across China: the booming popularity of Zibo-style barbecue. While others enjoyed the trend, Haoming dug into data—using stats to uncover the environmental cost behind the craze. The early exploration turned into a course paper that, in retrospect, laid the foundation for his bachelor’s thesis, The Impact of Air Pollution on Women’s Fertility Intentions in China. 

The first time I walked through Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Malawi, I felt the weight of time. This camp was never meant to be permanent, yet decades later, tens of thousands of people still call it home. Children are born here. Young people grow up here. Families live entire lives here. For many, there is no going back. At the same time, host communities around the camp share the same pressures—scarce resources, climate shocks, and the daily challenge of building a future with too little support.

“I’m a humanitarian at heart and a volunteer by choice.” That’s how I introduce myself—and it’s more than just a line. For over 15 years, I’ve worked in emergency settings, but nothing has been as meaningful as my current role: serving as a UN Volunteer with UN Women in Zimbabwe, where purpose meets passion every single day. 

My name is Kudakwashe Sigobodhla. I am a UN Volunteer.

I come from Cameroon—a place where conflict often casts young people as troublemakers. But I never accepted that narrative. I believed, and still believe, that young people can be peacebuilders. Today, as a UN Volunteer serving as a Human Rights Officer with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), I live that belief every single day.