Harnessing the power of youth to protect the rights of children

Gunay Karimova and Rustam Jabbarov, UN Volunteer Youth Advocates with UNICEF, Azerbaijan
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As part of ongoing efforts to support young people, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Volunteer (UNV) programme developed the innovative Youth Advocates Programme. This partnership initiative mobilizes UN Youth Volunteers as agents of change within the national programmes of UNICEF country offices around the globe.

Volunteer assignments foster youth engagement by providing a transformational experience that allows young people to build knowledge and develop skills. In Azerbaijan, Gunay Karimova and Rustam Jabbarov have served as Youth Advocates for Private Sector Engagement and Technology, Youth and Innovation since 2018.

UNV partnering with France

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Since the signature of the framework agreement in 2004, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme has enjoyed a strong partnership with France, represented by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (Ministère de l’Europe et des Affaires Étrangères – MEAE). The collaboration is implemented though the partnership with the delegation for international civil servants (Délégation aux Fonctionnaires Internationaux – DFI) and takes place though the Full Funding Programme. Since 2018, France has also been contributing to UN’s Special Voluntary Fund (SVF).

France directly supports UNV activities and in 2019 presented its National Situational Analysis on Volunteering, a source for generating evidence and data on volunteerism.

Volunteer voices of inclusion from IOM Bangladesh

Samara Hamid and Urmi Das, UN Youth Volunteers
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In Bangladesh, UN Youth Volunteers bring fresh ideas and additional energy to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), especially in times of emergencies. They provide better access to communities and help engage with local authorities, staff and partners to unveil future possibilities. UN Volunteers Samara Hamid and Urmi Das serve with IOM in Cox’s Bazar, and share how they volunteer for an inclusive future on the occasion of International Volunteer Day.

Samara Hamid, a national UN Youth Volunteer Site Planner and Project Associate with IOM, believes that by becoming a volunteer one can extend knowledge and skills in the humanitarian and development sector.

Telling the stories of women overcoming obstetric fistula in Madagascar

Elena Debonis, UN Volunteer with UNFPA
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UN Volunteer Elena Debonis was born and raised in the south of Italy. Since her childhood, she has been driven by a distinctive curiosity and a sense of adventure, by a strong will to discover and understand the world, and translate it in stories. Three months ago, Elena started a new adventure as a UN Volunteer Communications Assistant with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Madagascar. As a UN Volunteer, Elena has been collecting the stories of women who have been benefiting from UNFPA activities to bolster health care and treat obstetric fistula. She shares her story.

Why volunteering? Because I strongly believe in the values of volunteering.

To me volunteerism is an authentic form of expressing motivation; it is an occasion to get deeply invested in a mission, to be able to contribute with our skills and competencies where really needed. Volunteering is about being part of the change, it’s an occasion for our human side to prevail upon our personal interests.

ECUADOR IVD2019

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THAILAND IVD2019

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UKRAINE IVD2019

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LEBANON IVD 2019

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Join the Equalizer Campaign for #IVD2019 #volunteer4inclusion

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This year International Volunteer Day (IVD) focuses on Sustainable Development Goal 10 and the pursuit of equality – including inclusion – through volunteerism. Volunteering provides opportunities for people, and particularly those often excluded, to concretely impact their own lives and play a constructive role in their communities.

To highlight the importance of fighting inequality, and at the same time having some fun - this year’s IVD social media challenge, the EQUALIZER, asks everyone to get involved. By posting your photos, videos and audio content you promote equality through volunteerism and show how you can become more equitable (even for just a photo).

What is the equalizer?

It is a social media campaign promoting equality through volunteerism that includes a diversity challenge.

How can you do it?

International Volunteer Day 2019

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