#BeatPlasticPollution in our oceans and steer the blue economy

Sarah Nyawira
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Today, 8 June is World Oceans Day. This year, the focus is on preventing plastic pollution and encouraging solutions for a healthy ocean. Youth must play their role to achieve the benefits of blue economy, or the use of the sea and its resources for sustainable economic development. UN Volunteer Sarah Nyawira is working for clean oceans in her role as UN Volunteer Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer with UN Environment (UNEP) in Nairobi. The Nairobi Convention provides a regional legal framework and coordinates the efforts of UN Member States to strengthen their capacity to protect, manage and develop their coastal and marine environment. Here, Sarah explains the importance of her work and why she is so passionate about healthy oceans.

Oceans are the source of livelihood for many people around the world: 90 per cent of trade, travel and tourism revolve around the ocean. We are often visiting the beach during our vacations and some of the activities we enjoy include swimming, surfing, sea food, diving, sailing and fishing, among others, in an environment with endless mesmerizing sightseeing opportunities.

Building peace through training of youth leaders in Sri Lanka

Participation of Youth and Women in the Peacebuilding Process
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In 2017, UNFPA, UN Women and UNV in Sri Lanka developed together a joint UN project on the 'Participation of Youth and Women in the Peacebuilding process',  to empower women and youth with a greater understanding of peacebuilding issues and to catalyze their participation and engagement in governance and decision-making processes and responses related to sustaining peace.

This project is particularly important as although Sri Lanka has ended a 30-year civil war, there remains unresolved issues of psychological trauma, sexual violence and misunderstanding between different ethnicities.

The project is part of the support provided by the UN in Sri Lanka towards the government's 'Peacebuilding Priority Plan (PPP) which serves as the "framework for a coordinated, government, UN, and other stakeholders response to secure lasting peace in Sri Lanka".

UNV to welcome more UN Volunteers from the Russian Federation in 2018

Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation
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Mr Kurbanov stated that last year 52 countries – that is more than a quarter of the international community – conducted legislative and/or normative activities to support volunteerism at the national and local levels.

At the beginning of this year, Russia joined these countries by adopting a federal law on volunteering, establishing the legal framework for regulating relations in the field of volunteering. This is a significant milestone in the history of the volunteer movement and an important step in the development of Russian civil society.

UNV to welcome more UN Volunteers from the Russian Federation in 2018

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Mr Kurbanov stated that last year 52 countries – that is more than a quarter of the international community – conducted legislative and/or normative activities to support volunteerism at the national and local levels.

At the beginning of this year, Russia joined these countries by adopting a federal law on volunteering, establishing the legal framework for regulating relations in the field of volunteering. This is a significant milestone in the history of the volunteer movement and an important step in the development of Russian civil society.

From outsiders to insiders: Volunteers’ innovative eco-hub sits at the heart of a community

UN Volunteers drive change and support action for the protection of our environment

World Environment Day
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For almost five decades, advocates in civil society and the United Nations have been raising awareness and advocating for the protection of our environment on World Environment Day. The theme for 2018 is beating plastic pollution, and the host country for is India, where UN Environment this year is helping to highlight the environmental challenges the country faces, and support the efforts to address them.

Volunteers contribute to biodiversity conservation and access to genetic resources

UNV partnering with UNDP and the Global Environment Facility
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Since 2016, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Global Environment Facility (GEF) have been implementing the project ‘Strengthening human resources, legal frameworks, and institutional capacities to implement the Nagoya Protocol’, with the deployment of UN Volunteers.

The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits arising from their Utilization (ABS) to the Convention on Biological Diversity entered into force in 2014. 

Inspiring people to preserve the unique nature of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Ehlimana Alibegovic-Goro and Matea Grabovac
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Ehlimana Alibegovic-Goro and Matea Grabovac, both national UN Volunteers, have been serving with UN Environment (UNEP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina* since February 2015 on a variety of projects: from implementation of a environmental information system and air quality improvement to protection of the country’s natural habitats. They decided to become UN Volunteers to contribute to UNEP’s mission of preserving the unique natural beauty of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, a country that is among the richest in biological diversity in Europe, prides itself in being home to dozens of endemic species of flora and fauna. However, due to socio-economic pressures and a low level of public awareness, this richness of life if often not recognized nor protected properly.

UN Volunteers enhance environmental management and reduce plastic waste

UNV partnering with MINUSCA and UNDP
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Environmental protection in West and Central Africa is essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Ecosystems are under pressure in the Sahel region, which is manifested by environmental degradation such as shrinking of lake Chad, crop failures as a result of shifting rain patterns and extreme weather socks affecting already vulnerable populations.

UN Volunteers assigned to UN entities such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), play important roles, advocating for improvements in environmental management and engaging communities to protect the ecosystem.

In 2017, 266 UN Volunteers in West and Central Africa, or 17 per cent of all volunteers deployed in the region, served in assignments linked to environmental issues.

UN Volunteers contribute to climate resilience in rural communities in Zimbabwe

Climate change adaption and disaster risk reduction
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The Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate (MEWC) in Zimbabwe is working on 'Supporting Enhanced Climate Action for Low Carbon and Climate Resilient Development Pathway' (SECA), a project supported by other governmental and civil society partners. The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme deployed three UN Volunteers through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support the Government with capacity building, technical assistance and finance activities on climate change adaption and disaster risk reduction in vulnerable communities. 

Many communities in Zimbabwe continue to suffer from unprecedented impacts of climate change and climate variability, with the impact felt harshest by the most vulnerable poor communities. From October 2015 to February 2016, for example, the country received less than 60 per cent of its long-term average rainfall, which proved to be the driest rainy season in the last 35 years. This change in climate has ravished the expected harvests and pushed many Zimbabweans into poverty and food insecurity.

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