Transitioning from agricultural economics to preventing violent extremism

Tomas Kral, UN Youth Volunteer, UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa
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My name is Tomas Kral, from the Czech Republic, and I have been serving as a UN Youth Volunteer at the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Service Centre for Africa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, since March 2019. As a Programme Assistant, I work on preventing and responding to violent extremism in Africa, a regional project.

Before UNDP, I worked at the Permanent Representation of the Czech Republic to the European Union (EU) in Brussels, Belgium – working closely with the Agriculture and Environment Unit and engaging with the EU’s Task Force for Rural Africa. This provided me with development experience in an agricultural context.

As a recent graduate and practitioner in the field of Agricultural Economics, it has been a challenging yet compelling transition to dive into the approaches to prevent violent extremism (PVE). --Tomas Kral, UN Youth Volunteer, UNDP

The stories that matter most: Lebanon’s crisis turns caregivers into real-life heroes

UNV partnering with WFP
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The devastating blasts that hit the Port of Beirut on 4 August 2020 will push food prices beyond the reach of many, particularly as Lebanon imports nearly 85 per cent of its food. The UN and aid partners have launched a US $565 million appeal to address the overwhelming needs in Lebanon. The World Food Programme (WFP) is already engaged in the emergency response, with support from UN Volunteer humanitarians.

Since October 2019, Lebanon has been witnessing a grim economic crisis that was compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. The national currency has lost 80 per cent of its value, driving the price of a monthly food basket – that is a selection of staple food items a family needs – to more than the double over the past six months. With one million people living below the poverty line, many families were already struggling to make ends meet.

What story will today's Arab youth be telling in 2050?

Toily Kurbanov, Deputy Executive Coordinator
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On 1 March 2020, Mr Toily Kurbanov, the Deputy Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, addressed a group of youth leaders in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, alongside Ms Henrietta Fore, the Executve Director of UNICEF. The event marked the inception of the Y20, the official youth engagement group of the G20, co-chaired for 2020 by the Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Foundation (MiSK) and Ithra Cultural Centre. The below is the keynote speech delivered by Mr Kurbanov.

I was invited to deliver keynote remarks in front of you. I can do that. Or, I can ask us to pause and reflect about a future keynote speech that one of you may be asked to deliver to a youth audience in the year 2050.

2050 is when the world will mark mid-century. By that time, the 21st century’s identity will have been cast. And it is you—your generation—that will have a major role in casting this identity.

Partners for women: in the face of gender-based violence, you are not alone

UNV partnering with UNDP
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In Peru, gender-based violence has risen at an exponential rate due to COVID-19. According to RPP Noticias[1], a total of 67,712 Gender-Based Violence cases were reported to 'Line 100' of the Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations during the 107 days of the general quarantine.To prevent and respond to the spike in gender-based violence cases, various UN agencies are expanding their collaboration with local governments and private sector companies, and UN Volunteers, such as Melissa Patiño, are at the heart of this intervention.

 

 

"Even before the pandemic, violence against women was one of the most widespread violations of human rights. Since lockdown restrictions, domestic violence has multiplied, spreading across the world in a shadow pandemic, " said Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, in a press release.

Youth contributing to transitional justice in Colombia

UNV partnering with UNDP
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University students serving as United Nations Volunteers contribute to the transitional justice system in Colombia through the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 5 (gender equality), 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) and 17 (partnerships). This collaborative effort aims to support the creation of a fairer, more equal and peaceful Colombian society.

The commitment of UN Member States to leaving no one behind requires mechanisms that will contribute to the creation and stabilization of peaceful, fair and equal societies. Over the next decade, such mechanisms will prove essential in the realization of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 16, which encompasses promoting the rule of law at national and international levels and ensuring equal access to justice for all.

Engaging Gambian communities to stop the spread of COVID-19

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In the fight against the COVID 19 epidemic, the commitment of communities remains essential. In the Gambia, a national working group on Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE), including both the government and United Nations, was set up to assist communities in their response to the pandemic. Mamadou Bah, a national UN Volunteer Community Change Management Specialist with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), is a member of the working group. Read more on how he supports Gambian communities.

 In times of emergency, the demand for information is exceedingly high. Providing people with the right and relevant information they need to stay safe is part of the mission of Mamadou. He coordinates the U-Report and Rapid pro platforms of UNICEF. These are mobile empowerment programmes with more than 10,000 users that connect young people, community members and frontline workers to information that will influence decisions.

"Overcoming COVID-19 infection reinforced my decision to volunteer"

Salawu Oluwatoyin, UN Volunteer with WHO
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A few months ago, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme launched the Africa Women Health Champions initiative, in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) to promote health and boost gender equity across 47 African countries. Of the planned 100 UN Volunteers, UNV has already deployed 15, including Salawu Oluwatoyin, from Nigeria. Here, Salawu shares her experience in Ethiopia as one of the first volunteers deployed.

I have volunteered on campaigns to end Hepatitis B and "Peste des Petits ruminants" in animals in many inaccessible communities in Northern Nigeria. The Africa Women Health Champions initiative came at the right time in my professional carerr, as I was looking for opportunities to join UNV to broaden my experience and learn from others. 

UNV and UNFPA call for Population Data Fellows for FGM Data and Research

UNV partnering with UNFPA
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Partnering with WHO in Turkey to address COVID-19 challenges

UNV partnering with WHO
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In Turkey, the World Health Organization (WHO), provides expert support through its programmes to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. UN Volunteers serving with WHO in the field of communications and public information are important team members. Their achievements are an important testimony to the partnership between the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme and WHO, particularly during the COVID-19 crisis.

UN Volunteers are supporting a WHO project for Health Security in Turkey, which aims to improve services and the capacity of laboratories, and another for the Social Inclusion of Persons with Mental Disabilities. These projects have changed dramatically due to the outbreak.

Using the law to promote social change: a UN Volunteer’s journey

Yashaswini Mittal, UN Volunteer Judicial Affairs Officer
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My name is Yashaswini Mittal and I am a UN Volunteer with the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). I joined UNMISS in August 2019 as a Judicial Affairs Officer with the mission’s Rule of Law Section and have had some of the most memorable experiences of my life since then. I have had the fantastic opportunity to work closely with South Sudanese policy makers, senior security sector leadership, judges, prosecutors and defence counsels on several legal reform and justice sector initiatives.

Law school seemed to be a logical choice for me as I was an avid reader of history and early on in life, I became transfixed by how every positive social change, whether in my own country, India, or the world at large, could be traced to much-needed amendments in legal frameworks.

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