This year, we mark IVD by recognizing the power of collective action: if everyone did.
My real exposure to international development through volunteering
My name is Titta Maja-Luoto, from Finland. I am a former UN Volunteer, now in a senior policy role with the Government of Finland. I am presently the Director General of the Department for Policy Development in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. My career in international development started many years ago, and being a UN Volunteer has been a big part of it.
I always wanted to work in the UN system but didn't have the experience. So after completing my graduate degree in social sciences, I started working with a Finnish non-governmental organization as a gender focal point. My university degree in gender and the new gender role seemed like a match made in heaven.
A few years into that, I came across an opportunity as a UN Volunteer. It was for a pioneering strategic gender mainstreaming programme. I recall we were a group of 12 volunteers supporting the UN Development Programme's (UNDP) regional gender advisors.
UN entities demand immediate release of staff detained in Yemen
Information for UN Volunteers, UN partners and UNV personnel in times of crisis
- Well-being
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Mental health: To safeguard your mental health in times of crises, refer to the whole health mental health solution offered by Cigna Health Services. Through the International Employee Assistance Programme, you can reach out for confidential support.
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Championing child protection, mental health and psychosocial support in the DRC
Angelique Gatsinzi (United Kingdom) has made considerable contributions to defending the rights of children and young people. She is a UN Volunteer Child Protection Officer with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), The 37-year-old has reshaped UNICEF's approach in the country to meet the challenges faced by adolescent girls, such as gender-based violence, child marriage and barriers to education.
Upon joining UNICEF's Child Protection team in 2019, Angelique dedicated herself to strengthening child protection systems, with a particular emphasis on reinforcing the social service workforce.