From Darfur to Yemen: the journey of a humanitarian

Maria Rosaria Bruno, Deputy Representative, OCHA Yemen
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At the heart of humanitarian work, stories of courage, dedication and perseverance often shine through. One such tale is that of Maria Rosaria Bruno, a former UN Volunteer whose journey traversed the challenges of Sudan's Darfur region to Yemen's current humanitarian crisis. Rosaria shared her experiences, from her time as a UN Volunteer to her current role as the Deputy Representative at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Yemen.

My journey as a UN Volunteer, Return, Reintegration and Reconciliation officer began in 2006 when I joined the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS). With a background in international affairs and a passion for humanitarian work, my journey was fuelled by a desire to make a positive impact on the lives of those affected by conflict. 

My assignment in Sudan focused on handling the complex issues of returns, reintegration and reconciliation. I vividly recall the challenges I faced in navigating a complex landscape, while engaging with communities affected by displacement.

Saudi Arabia and UNV to create unique volunteer opportunities for the Kingdom’s youth

Bonn, Germany / Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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The fully funded opportunities primarily focus on economic development and other priority areas as identified by the Ministry, with deployments to take place in jointly agreed countries. Recruitment for these opportunities is currently ongoing via UNV’s Unified Volunteering Platform (UVP).

Advocating for gender equality and women’s rights in Kosovo

Jeta Krasniqi, former UN Volunteer with UN Women
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Jeta Krasniqi is a former UN Volunteer who served with the office of UN Women in Kosovo (as per UN SC 1244). Applying her law education and passion for gender equality and women’s rights, she contributed to advancing gender equality, and creating a society where women and girls can reach their full potential.

As an ardent supporter of gender equality and women's rights, Jeta Krasniqi has always been deeply passionate about creating positive change and empowering marginalized communities. This passion led her to become a UN Volunteer, serving as a Gender Equality and Partnership Associate with UN Women. In her volunteer role, Jeta actively contributed to addressing gender disparities, promoting inclusivity, and supporting the empowerment of women and girls.

UN Volunteers support food security reform in Iraq

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The World Food Programme (WFP) collaborates with the Ministry of Trade in Iraq to support the digitalization of the Public Distribution System (PDS). This is vital to the country's social protection system. Extending services across the population, the system also ensures inclusive distribution of in-kind food assistance.

A group of 40 UN Volunteers belonging to local communities was deployed by WFP in Iraq’s Duhok Governorate, which is located in the Kurdistan Region.

In line with the Public Distribution System reform agenda, this group served alongside field enumerators to register Duhok residents.

Serving tirelessly for three months, volunteers supported the registration of the newly issued PDS cards and also updated the residents' demographic information in the system - between 50 to 100 family registrations were carried out daily. Volunteers did so by using digital tablets.

Tracking progress towards the Global Goals in small island developing states

UN Volunteers with UNESCAP and UNRCO
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Teenari Tekeraoi, Deavina Ken and Uong Jameson Yalap are the three UN Volunteers tracking the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals in small island developing states in the Pacific. Their assignments are funded through the UNV Special Voluntary Fund, which underpins the organization's role as the United Nations system-wide service for engaging UN Volunteers in peace and development worldwide.

When Teenari Tekeraoi (Kiribati) began her assignment in June 2023, she was the first international UN Youth Volunteer from the Small Island Developing States in the Pacific. She joined the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) as a Sustainable Development Monitoring Assistant, supporting Fiji, Kiribati and Tuvalu in reviewing and monitoring their national development progress. 

Engaging with local talent for a community-oriented response to development challenges

UNV Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean
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The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme supports UN partners to integrate talent from community level into their teams. This facilitates inclusion and representation, as well as the mainstreaming of community-oriented solutions. 

In Peru, UNV partnered with two UN entities that host the highest numbers of UN Volunteers, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), to carry out a talent outreach mission on the northern border of the country. 

Streamlining volunteer engagement through the Unified Volunteering Platform

Shalmoli Das, Systems Specialist at UNV
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In October 2021, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme launched the Unified Volunteering Platform (UVP) as part of its digital transformation. This move aimed to reshape how the organization conducts volunteer mobilization, recruitment, deployment and contract management. The focus was on enhancing efficiency, accessibility and unified volunteer management.

The recent introduction of the UVP marks a significant turning point. This innovative platform has replaced a multitude of disconnected systems that were previously used to manage various aspects of volunteer recruitment. The result? A streamlined and unified approach that caters to UN Volunteers, candidates, United Nations partners, governmental bodies, and international organizations alike.

Supporting cost-effective nutrition for school children in Indonesia

UNV partnering with UNICEF
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Isna Aulia Fajarini is a national UN Volunteer Nutrition Officer with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Indonesia. She supports the country's cost-effective nutrition programme for school-aged children – vitally needed for nutritional challenges among the youngest demographic in the country. An increase in the consumption of fast food and lack of physical activity has caused a shortfall in health and well-being, or Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number three. Without improving the nutritional status of school-age children, Indonesia risks losing its economic development momentum.

Isna Aulia Fajarini joined the UNICEF Nutrition Team in June 2021, after getting her master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University. Her knowledge of anaemia, babies with low birth weight and obesity helps her provide substantive support to school-based nutrition programmes for children in Tegal District in Central Java.

The programme targets some 2,000 fourth graders and comprises various elements from student and teacher-led nutrition education to expanding de-worming programmes, and beyond.

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