I am Emi Leung from Japan and I am a UN Volunteer Governance Officer with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in The Gambia. My volunteer assignment is funded by the Government of Japan since March 2025. My work centers on one mission: supporting the electoral processes and helping Gambians shape their democracy. After more than 20 years of authoritarian rule, the peaceful transition in 2017 was a historic turning point. But progress remains fragile. Reforms have stalled, politics are deeply polarized, and misinformation is spreading fast. In this landscape, every effort to strengthen electoral processes and civic participation matters.

What brings me to work every day and what keeps me here as I complete my 6,000 days in office. That's what I want to share with you—a journey that continues to inspire me. It started 16 years ago and counting...

In a time marked by climate shocks, conflict, economic uncertainty, and widening inequality, it is easy to overlook one of the world’s most powerful sources of resilience: volunteers. The designation of 2026 as the International Volunteer Year by the United Nations is more than symbolic; it is a call to action for governments, organizations, and communities to fill this gap and recognize and invest in the power of volunteering.

At the United Nations Development Programme in Georgia’s Accelerator Lab, Nita Gegeshidze, Head of Exploration, and Mariam Dangadze, Head of Solutions Mapping, show how bold ideas and volunteer-driven energy deliver results. For Nita, real change happens when people use their skills to solve challenges in their own communities. For Mariam, volunteering matters because it turns intention into action—making a direct difference where it’s needed most.