Desiree Gertrude Etobe and Margaux Gruaz are UN Volunteers with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Morocco. Belonging to opposite parts of the world, Cameroon and Switzerland, what ties them together is volunteering to protect the rights and well-being of refugees and asylum seekers following the devastating 6.9 magnitude earthquake in Morocco.

International Youth Day is observed annually on 12 August. This year's theme — From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development underpins the importance of investing in digital innovation. From Lebanon, Libya and Saudi Arabia, here's a look at three UN Volunteers, we call them digital natives — who demonstrate the power of youth while amplifying the need to enhance digital inclusion.

Adam Sacko, Celestine Amoin Kouakou, Georges Kpadenou, and Vincent Bohouo have one thing in common — all four of them serve as UN Volunteers in Côte d'Ivoire. They are volunteers with disabilities who make the United Nations system more inclusive — we call them the heartbeat of the UN. This story gives a glimpse into how they are changing perceptions of persons with disabilities while adding value to the development context of their home country.

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) initiated the Young Talent Pipeline, bringing together youth from around the world to create impactful environmental solutions. The first phase of this initiative was launched in 2023 through which young people between the ages of 27 and 33 years got opportunities to delve deep into environmental projects. UN Volunteers — Chawanagwa Nyirenda, Luis Pineda and Samantha Dalvalos were part of the first cohort and have just ended their volunteer assignments. Let's hear from them.

In a small hospital in Ambovombe, South Madagascar, I am a gynecologist and obstetrician supporting the health needs of the local population. In doing so, I face ups and downs but my motivation to volunteer is not hampered by challenges abound. I am a UN Volunteer Reproductive Health Expert with the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) and this is my story.

Minkyung Cho is a UN Volunteer Associate Officer with the International Organization for Migration in Mongolia since April 2024. Her volunteer assignment is fully funded by the Republic of Korea.

Sanjeev Roy is a UN Volunteer Provincial Malaria Officer in Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR). He is with the World Health Organization (WHO) and supports the government’s drive to curb malaria transmission in hard-to-reach areas of Attapeu, the country's southern province. From fine-tuning surveillance systems for malaria elimination to tailoring malaria interventions in an ethnically and geographically diverse context, Sanjeev gives us a brief look into his volunteer assignment that promotes Sustainable Development Goal 3 — Good health and well-being.

In his assignment, Abdul Halim Zaazaa, a UN Volunteer with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) turns data into action points. He serves as an Associate Reporting Officer in his native Lebanon, where through quantitative and qualitative analysis, he draws links to how programmes are prioritized within the Lebanese Response Plan.

This is a story of three UN Volunteers, Arminda Ceita, Hugo Robert Carnell and Joel Benguela D'Almeida based in Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe. All three believe that investing in youth skills is vital for any sort of sustainable development on the ground. Here are reflections from their service with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).