On the northern border of Peru, an interdisciplinary team of 26 highly motivated professionals join national humanitarian assistance efforts as UN Volunteers.
The Peruvian towns of Tumbes, Piura, and Lambayeque are facing a triple crisis: climate change, a dengue fever outbreak and forced migration. It is estimated that 840,000 people need humanitarian assistance after heavy rains and are at risk of a possible "El Niño" phenomenon.
From Burkina Faso to the very heart of Congo
Imagine transitioning from the familiar landscapes of Burkina Faso to the vast and diverse terrain of Congo, all with a mission to uncover its stories – not through words or pictures, but numbers. That was my challenge when I started as an international UN volunteer with the UNFPA’s country office. But why numbers, you ask? Numbers hold power. They drive decisions, influence policies and mould the future.
In 2017, my journey began. I, a UN Volunteer, was given a task that would span three eventful years: to support the National Institute of Statistics (INS) for the 5th General Population and Housing Census (RGPH-5). But this was not just any census. It would influence and shape national strategies and policies for many years.
On 15 April 2023, armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces broke out in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. Over two million people have fled to other parts of the country and over 880,000 to neighbouring countries. The United Nations evacuated international staff from the city and Port Sudan was established as an alternative station for UN operations. This article features three international UN Volunteers who have returned to Sudan and are currently supporting the crisis response.
UN Youth Volunteer Love-lis Liljeström (Sweden) is supporting the roll out of the crisis response of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Port Sudan. Love-lis is a Programme Liaison Affairs/Transition Affairs Assistant, and her assignment is fully funded by Sida, Sweden.
Landlocked in West Africa, Niger faces a tumultuous refugee crisis and brings many humanitarian challenges – food insecurity, internal displacement, and more. UNHCR reports that there are over 580,000 people of concern in Niger – including 48 per cent internally displaced people and 43 per cent refugees. UNHCR and UNV collaborated on the deployment of 100 online volunteers to raise awareness of our collective responsibility for the rights of refugees through a social media campaign.
One hundred Online Volunteers were deployed with UNHCR for almost two months on a campaign that ended this week. Almost all of them were nationals of Niger.
Through social media posts, they raised awareness of the rights of refugees in Niger and addressed Sustainable Development Goal 10, reducing inequalities. The posts further highlighted the urgent need to find solutions for refugees in the country – mostly from Burkina Faso, Mali and Nigeria.
