Executive Coordinator speaks on UN Day: Celebrating 80 Years of multilateralism and Germany’s steadfast commitment

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Toily Kurbanov, Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) spoke on the occasion of the United Nations Day in Bonn. His remarks emphasized the UN’s relevance, the need for reform, and Bonn’s symbolic importance as a hub for global solidarity and action.

Staatsministerin Güler,

Landesminister Liminski,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Dear friends,

Thank you for giving me the honour to say a few words on behalf of the United Nations in Bonn. 

Before coming here, I asked ChatGPT what would be the best speech about the UN to deliver to a German audience. It gave me a very good one—except the first sentence which went: “The UN is the only place where you can sit for hours and listen to a hundred speeches, and not one of them answers the question you asked. 

Doha Political Declaration elevates volunteerism as a pillar of social cohesion

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Doha Political Declaration of the “World Social Summit” under the title “the Second World Summit for Social Development” stated (in regards to volunteerism):

Encouraging volunteerism at all levels–local, national and international–and recognizing that these efforts contribute to social cohesion by promoting civic engagement.

The UN Volunteer Midwives of Burkina Faso

United Nations Volunteers
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In Burkina Faso, conflict has forced over two million people from their homes—one in ten citizens. With nearly a third of health facilities shut down, women and girls are giving birth without safe care. To help, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) sent 25 national UN Volunteer midwives to five regions hit hardest by violence. In just two months, they delivered over 1,400 babies, provided 2,700 prenatal checkups, and treated 200 emergency complications. 

Among them are Agathe Ouoba in Diapaga and Élodie Toe in Titao—midwives saving lives and restoring dignity where it’s needed most.

Abandoning is not an option: In Diapaga, in the eastern Tapoa region, Agathe Ouoba is a midwife on the front lines. In May 2025, gunfire hit the town and shut down the health center. But life kept moving. “We were told to stay home,” Agathe says. “Women still went into labour. We helped one mother deliver at home using just a single-use ventouse. She and her baby made it.” 

Spotlighting human rights inside prison walls in Cambodia

United Nations Volunteers
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Océane Musaniwabo Mlanao doesn’t just talk about human rights—she walks straight into prisons to advocate for them. Based in Phnom Penh, she is a UN Volunteer Associate Human Rights Officer with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and spends her days face-to-face with detainees, listening to their stories and documenting their experiences. Océane is from France and her assignment is funded by her home country.

Every day at the office looks different for Océane. Some days, she travels to a detention center outside Phnom Penh to meet with a detainee. On other days, she attends a trial. But her focus is always on delivering recommendations that improve prison conditions and the treatment of prisoners through legal reform. 

No capes, just courage: A volunteer's voice from Chișinău

United Nations Volunteers
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"You start counting your blessings when you meet people who’ve lost everything." That’s what hit Sára Sívková the moment she began working with refugees in the Republic of Moldova. She didn’t come in with a cape. She came in with curiosity, grit, and a UN Volunteer assignment that was initially funded by her home country, Czechia, in 2023. Two years later and to date, she is still working as a frontline humanitarian, an Associate Protection Officer, coordinating protection efforts across UN agencies, NGOs, and government offices with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to support refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine. 

Sára's real work happens far from meeting rooms. She’s in Chișinău. Listening to refugees. She is part of protection working groups advocating for people who’ve been uprooted, broken, and forgotten.

“I help organizations speak up for refugees. I make sure help gets where it’s needed—fast.”

Evaluation isn’t just about data, it’s about people

United Nations Volunteers
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Lisa Weber didn’t set out to change the world. While finishing her graduate studies, she spent time tutoring refugee children in Erfurt, Germany. What began as a simple act of kindness opened her eyes to the power of empathy, solidarity, and understanding—and set her on a path that would lead to a global career in evaluation as a UN Volunteer. An Evaluation Specialist with the World Health Organization, Lisa focuses on how the organization learns from its work and improves how it serves communities worldwide. She is based at the WHO Budapest Center, while her team operates from Geneva. 

“No textbook could have shown me what those days revealed about cultural gaps and systemic failures,” Lisa recalls. In the homes, where she tutored children from refugee families, she found laughter, connection, and proof that even small acts can spark meaningful change. 

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