UN Volunteers' humanitarian assistance for Gaza

United Nations Volunteers
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World Humanitarian Day is observed annually on 19 August. As we pay tribute to and and salute the courage of humanitarians around the world, we bring you a story of three UN Volunteers, Elena Mansour, Lama Sheta, and Mohamed Moursy whose volunteer actions underpin the crucial support needed on the ground for one of the deadliest conflicts — Gaza.

The war continues unabated in its eleventh month. In this backdrop, Elena Mansour, from the Netherlands, serves as a UN Volunteer in Security Analysis and Training with the World Food Programme (WFP) Regional Bureau in Egypt. She reports on security and political developments regarding food security. This reporting is vital to forecast potential risks for famine.

Placing youth at the center of development efforts in Benin and Burkina Faso

United Nations Volunteers
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Helwise Boya, Wendpanga Nicolas Djiguemde, and Ahmadou Youssoufou Abdoul-Razak are UN Volunteers in Benin and Burkina Faso. They serve with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In this story, we look at the support they provide to the development efforts in West and Central Africa.

“Empowering young people with digital skills can transform their future and lead to gender equality,” says Helwise Boya, UN Volunteer Innovation and Technology Officer with UNFPA in Benin. She is passionate about making a positive change through volunteering. Helwise supports the #Tech4Girls project, which has imparted digital and entrepreneurial skills to over 200 girls, opening new career paths and boosting their confidence.

Louise Chamberlain appointed as UNV Deputy Executive Coordinator

United Nations Volunteers, Bonn
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Louise brings more than 20 years’ experience of leadership in multilateral development cooperation combined with deep knowledge and passion for low-carbon, sustainable and inclusive economic development, human rights, elections, and local governance, as well as digitalization. She currently works as the Senior Regional Advisor on Green Transformation at the United Nations Development Programme Istanbul Regional Hub and served as UNDP Resident Representative in the Kyrgyz Republic from 2019-2023.

Supporting the voice of youth in decision-making

United Nations Volunteers
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Faris Bečić, a UN Volunteer Youth Associate served with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Based in Centar Sarajevo, a municipality of the main city, he helped create new opportunities for the education and employment of young people. This is his story.
 

Faris's volunteer assignment centered on the Regional Programme for Local Democracy in the Western Balkans 2 (ReLOaD2). The project funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by UNDP is aimed at supporting participatory democracies and EU integration in six countries in the Western Balkans — Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of them. 

How volunteers can break down the ‘Us vs. Them’ mentality in aid

Author

  • Toily Kurbanov
    Toily Kurbanov Executive Coordinator UNV
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When we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves. — Confucius

 

This World Humanitarian Day two messages will resonate strongly leading up to and during the day: humanitarians are not a target, and aid needs to be “decolonized.” While these themes highlight the perilous and dramatic environment for current humanitarian work, the first is unequivocally clear, whereas the second is loaded with meaning that needs to be unpacked to frame the problem accurately — and start solving it.  

The call for “decolonizing aid” divides the humanitarian world into those who provide assistance on quasi-colonial terms and the aid recipients, on whom the terms of this aid are imposed, reinforcing dependency, and making the whole system self-serving. The proposed solution is to remove layers of intermediaries before aid reaches the intended recipients and/or change the composition of that layer from foreign to local groups.

Protecting the rights of refugees and asylum seekers in Morocco

United Nations Volunteers
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Desiree Gertrude Etobe and Margaux Gruaz are UN Volunteers with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Morocco. Belonging to opposite parts of the world, Cameroon and Switzerland, what ties them together is volunteering to protect the rights and well-being of refugees and asylum seekers following the devastating 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Morocco.

“It was stressful as I was far from my family, and we didn't know how intense the aftershocks were going to be,” recounts Cameroonian, Desiree Gertrude Etobe, an Associate Protection Officer on the challenges encountered on both personal and professional levels due to the earthquake. Professionally, rapid response was crucial.

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