Holding the line in the sands of Western Sahara

United Nations Volunteers
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In the windswept sands of Western Sahara, where the land is unforgiving and the heat relentless, UN Volunteers are quietly making peace possible. They work with the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). Things get tough out here—but the work doesn’t stop. These volunteers keep going, meeting urgent needs and holding the line on peace and humanitarian work.

Douglas Mikioo, UN Volunteer Engineering Assistant and Plant Equipment Operator

For Douglas, peace starts with pipes, concrete, and clean water. His day begins at a desk—signing off on supply requests. But it quickly shifts to the field, where he makes sure water flows across the base and building materials reach remote teams. "My various roles are part of moving forward with peace, step by step." 

Jean Bavuge, Water and Sanitation Technician

On Peacekeepers’ Day, spotlight shifts to peace and the future of UN missions

United Nations Volunteers
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Conflict. Hunger. Displacement. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is in the grip of one of the world’s worst humanitarian emergencies. The United Nations is on the ground—and with them are UN Volunteers: supporting peacekeepers, keeping essential services running, and standing with communities in crisis. On the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, we honour the volunteers who work in peacekeeping missions. As funding challenges grow, UN Volunteers stand with the blue helmets on the frontlines, keeping hope alive and peace in motion.

In early 2024, as violence escalated near Goma, dozens of civilians and soldiers found refuge in UN compounds. Supporting them, Souleymane Diallo, UN Volunteer Legal Adviser from Burkina Faso with the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). He quickly helped organize a response. Drawing on his legal training, he and his team created a simple code of conduct for the shelter sites and translated it into French and Swahili so everyone could understand it. 

Every piece for peace in South Sudan

United Nations Volunteers in East and Southern Africa
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When Prakriti G.C left Nepal for a volunteer assignment in South Sudan, she never imagined she’d be working with ammunition. But over time, her role has become a quiet yet essential part of peacekeeping. It doesn’t make headlines, but it requires precision, responsibility, and trust. Prakriti makes sure that every piece of ammunition is stored safely and tracked accurately. Her work may be behind the scenes, but it plays a powerful role in building peace—one piece at a time.

In a country still healing from years of conflict, safety is fragile. Communities are rebuilding, and peacekeeping operations are a necessity. That’s where Prakriti comes in. 

No red carpets, no smooth paths, just purpose—a blog from Yemen

Abdullah Al Duraibi, UNV Country Coordinator of Yemen
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In June 2018, I stepped once again through the doors of the United Nations Development Programme building in Sana’a. It wasn’t unfamiliar territory—this marked my fifth role there since 2002. But something about this return felt different.

“You’ll be hired when a project is born, and released when it ends." Words of my professor from the University of Bradford are etched in my mind from a couple of decades ago. A thought that has stayed with me ever since. Over the years, I moved between roles at United Nations entities, international organizations, and Islamic Relief—always ready for new beginnings. Between 2002 and 2012, I worked in areas related to reducing poverty, empowering youth, and advancing governance-related programmes. By the end of that decade, I thought I had seen it all.

Looking back at my thirty years with the UN

Stephen Kinloch Pichat, former UN Volunteer and UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Time flies! After more than thirty years of service, I have recently retired from the United Nations. Not something I could do easily, but there is a time for everything. 

I joined the UN in 1992 as a UN Volunteer in Cambodia, just after the Cold War ended. A UN Transitional Authority was being set up in Cambodia, the largest UN endeavour since the UN operation in the Congo in the 60’s. Amidst 20,000 personnel, military and civilians, 465 UN Volunteers—including myself—were deployed as District Electoral Supervisors. Despite the Khmer Rouge boycotting the elections and the ongoing civil war, we organized elections in a Khmer Rouge-controlled area.

Making knowledge count from Bangladesh to the Blue Pacific

Anamul Haque, UN Volunteer Knowledge Management and Monitoring Officer with UNICEF
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The Pacific is a region of breathtaking beauty and deep geographic complexity—14 island nations scattered across the vast ocean, each with its own culture, challenges, and hopes for development. It’s here, in this vibrant yet vulnerable part of the world, that I found my calling. I’m Anamul Haque, and in July 2024, I joined the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Pacific as UN Volunteer. My mission? To help ensure that every child—no matter how remote their island—has access to health, education, and protection.

As a Knowledge Management and Monitoring Officer, I work behind the scenes to make sure our programmes across 14 island nations that are part of UNICEF’s Pacific Multi-Country Office are smarter, faster, and more impactful. I lead efforts to simplify how we collect, share, and use information across the region.

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