Giving hope to vulnerable groups affected by armed conflict in South Sudan

Jackson Kambale Hangi
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Everything started in March 2017 when I accepted an assignment as a Civil Affairs Officer with the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS). News and reports on the dynamics of the conflict in this country heralded my deployment—a number of my friends tried to discourage me from going. Despite their concerns, I was determined to accept the assignment due to the possibility of engaging with communities at the grassroots-level. Serving as a UN Volunteer with UNMISS, I knew, was going to contribute to peace efforts in South Sudan.

The United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) was established in 2011 and since the outbreak of conflict in 2013 its mandate has evolved to include the  protection of civilians the monitoring and investigating of human rights abuses, support to the South Sudanese–led peace process and support for the delivery of vital humanitarian assistance. Some 440 UN Volunteers, such as myself, are on location supporting mission objectives and assisting local communities.

Ensuring the protection of populations who are victims of conflicts in North Kivu, DRC

Jeanne Warnet
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Civilian populations in this region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo suffer numerous human rights violations, among the most fundamental being the violation of the right to life, the violation of physical integrity, the violation of the right to freedom and safety, and the right to property. Many people in this region live in very perilous conditions since they are caught in the grip of armed groups.

Since 2015, international UN Volunteer Jeanne Warnet (France) is assigned to the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (double mandate OHCHR and MONUSCO) as a Human Rights Officer with the Goma Field Office, Democratic Republic of Congo. Jeanne obtained this assignment at the age of 30, following her experience in criminal law and the rights of foreigners and asylum seekers.

Restoring hope in Mauritania amidst a cross-border humanitarian crisis

Helena Pes
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Trapped in a conflict, part of the Malian population continues to flee the country to seek refuge in Mauritania. Last spring, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that in eight months, more than 5,400 Malians crossed the border to seek refuge in the Mbera camp in Mauritania, which already houses over 50,000 refugees and asylum seekers. This is the largest influx of refugees from northern Mali since 2013.

Helena Pes (Italy) is an international UN Volunteer serving in the Mbera camp, Mauritania, with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). "The situation in northern Mali remains unstable and in these conditions, influx of refugees is unpredictable," she explains. Since 2012, several populations fled from Northern Mali due to conflict and the fear of oppression. Most of the more than 51,000 refugees in the camp are Touareg, co-habiting with Arab, Fula, and Songhai refugees.

Bringing communities together to rebuild the Central African Republic

Ludovic Brandhot
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Since 2013, the Central African Republic (CAR) has been marked by a violent conflict that has resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people. The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, in support of peacebuilding initiatives, deployed 250 UN Volunteers throughout the Central African Republic. 15 are involved in the ARAT project, which contributes to the reconstruction and restoration of the rule of law.

Ludovic Brandhot is a national UN Volunteer serving with the local government in Mbrès, Central African Republic. For more than four years, instability persists in the country. Approximately 60% of the territory remains occupied by armed groups. In the prefecture of Nana-Grébizi, in the heart of the country, clashes between rebel groups in 2016 and March 2017 completely paralyzed the activities in the city. The civilian population was trapped. Today, te humanitarian situation continues to be unbearable.

World Day for Cultural Diversity: Heritage safeguarding is at the heart of peacebuilding

World Day for Cultural Diversity 2017
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On the occasion of World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, we would like to focus on some examples of activities led by Nadia Ammi, a United Nations Volunteer responsible for the cultural component of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA). Since the beginning of its peacekeeping operations in 1949, MINUSMA is the only mission to be tasked by the United Nations Security Council with safeguarding cultural heritage.

"Working with MINUSMA has allowed me to deal with many challenges and to learn a lot about the Malian culture. My experience is a commitment to the vision of UN Volunteers which is to be  "l’inspiration en action" . All the work involved with heritage protection had to be invented and developed during the last three years."

Strengthening women's leadership for greater security in the Sahel region

Anouk Heili
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Anouk Heili (France) has been a Youth Volunteer in the United Nations’ Governance, Peace and Security Unit’s Regional Office for UN-Women West and Central Africa since October 2016.

My name is Anouk and I am part of the Governance, Peace and Security team of the UN Women Regional Office in Dakar, Senegal. I am passionate about questions regarding equality between men and women and have invested myself in this cause for many years. To find myself now a UN Volunteer in  Dakar, serving with UN Women, is for me an opportunity de place my convictions at the service of women's rights in West and Central Africa.

Peace is about education first!

Irene Bronzini, Hamidou N'gatte
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Irene Bronzini is a UN Youth Volunteer fully funded by Belgium, who was assigned in Mali in 2015 with UNESCO’s social sciences department. Irene, who is of Italian origin, supports the department in co-running UNESCO’s youth and peace education programmes.

For two years, Irene has been working to strengthen and consolidate peace within Malian civil society. Her position involves working with Malian communities, particularly their young people, to help young people develop skills as peacemakers and promotors of tolerance, intercultural dialogue and non-violence.

As part of her role as a young volunteer, Irene accompanies the Malian government as they cooperate with various ministries to implement national programs and policies aimed at youth development and peacebuilding.

Advocating for children’s rights in Burundi

Juan Haro Simaro
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Last April 2016, I arrived in Burundi to serve as a UN Volunteer Communications Officer with UNICEF with a very clear mission: to advocate for Burundi’s children’s rights through the power of storytelling and digital communications.

When I first landed to the international airport of Bujumbura to work as an international UN Volunteer for UNICEF, I realized the situation in the country was highly volatile. 

Hanan, UN Volunteer at the control

Hanan Ahmed
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Hanan Ahmed is a UNV international civil engineer volunteer (Ethiopia) on assignment with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO). Based in Goma in the eastern part of the country, she is involved in all phases of MONUSCO’s construction and infrastructure work by carrying out preliminary studies, project management, budget proposals and writing project reports.

Promoting indigenous rights and fighting against racial discrimination in Bolivia

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Being an international UN Volunteer enabled me to increase my knowledge about issues regarding the rights of indigenous peoples… Bolivia is exceptionally rich in culture, with more than 36 indigenous groups facing very different realities and human rights problems. I had the chance to work with many of these people by giving training on human rights, and specifically on the rights of indigenous peoples.

La Paz, Bolivia: My experience as a UNV Human Rights Specialist working with the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Bolivia is, after two years of work, exceptional.

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