This year’s International Day of UN Peacekeepers comes five months after the United Nations Security  Council – through UNSC Resolution 2559 – ended the mandate of the United Nations-African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) as of 31 December 2020. Full withdrawal is to be completed by 30 June 2021, followed by a liquidation phase.

UN Volunteers in peacekeeping missions in Sudan have for over a decade supported the country in navigating the difficult path from conflict to peace. Contributions made by young peacekeepers such as the UN Volunteers featured in this story help Sudan build resilience. They support peace missions in delivering their mandates and laying the groundwork to sustain long-term peace.

27-year-old Kirti Kler has travelled a long way from India to serve for peace in the world’s largest United Nations Peacekeeping mission, UNMISS. Deployed to Lakes state of South Sudan, Kirti is a committed Civil Affairs Officer, working all hours to convene and connect local communities in this deep field location. Read her interview and be inspired.

Hope Nanungi is one of 204 UN Volunteers serving in the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).  On the occasion of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, the 29-year-old Ugandan shares her volunteer journey.

Due to COVID-19, this past year has placed a tremendous burden on families and parents. We have had to deal with lockdowns, separation from loved ones, school closures and online learning, and shouldering additional responsibilities. As we mark the International Day of Families on 15 May and the Global Day of Parents on 1 June, we feature the very personal stories and coping strategies of our UN Volunteers – as partners, parents, children and more. In this article, meet Manitra and Eun Young.

In order to sustain peace over the long term, it is necessary to engage the local population, especially youth. In conflict-affected areas across the world, countless extraordinary young people seek creative ways to consolidate and support peace. For many of them, their motivation stems from their own experience of the atrocities of war and conflict. Alpha Koroma, from Sierra Leone, is one such volunteer. After experiencing the brutal violence of war as a child, he now seeks to transform a legacy of conflict into peacebuilding, through volunteering. UNV actively supported the UN Mission in Sierra Leone from 1999-2005 through the deployment of 83 UN Volunteers.* 

Due to COVID-19, this past year has placed a tremendous burden on families and parents. We have had to deal with lockdowns, separation from loved ones, school closures and online learning, and shouldering additional responsibilities. As we mark the International Day of Families on 15 May and the Global Day of Parents on 1 June, we feature the very personal stories and coping strategies of our UN Volunteers – as partners, parents, children and more. In this article, meet Gulfam and Ksenia.

Due to COVID-19, this past year has placed a tremendous burden on families and parents. We have had to deal with lockdowns, separation from loved ones, school closures and online learning, and shouldering additional responsibilities. As we mark the International Day of Families on 15 May and the Global Day of Parents on 1 June, we feature the very personal stories and coping strategies of our UN Volunteers – as partners, parents, children and more. In this article, meet Gulfam and Samal.

This article is based on an interview with UN Youth Volunteer Kenza Gueddi, who was the 100^th UN Youth Volunteer deployed through the Swiss Expert Pool for Civil Peacebuilding (SEF). Kenza's assignment was sponsored by the Peace and Human Rights Division (formerly Human Security Division, of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland.