In 2016, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2261 to establish the UN Mission in Colombia (UNMC), a political mission of unarmed international observers deployed across the country. Sixty UN Volunteers were mobilized to support the tasks of verifying compliance with the peace agreement between the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–People’s Army (FARC-EP), accompanying and monitoring the peace process and promoting a culture of peace.

The UN Mission for the Stabilization of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) was established in 2010 by the Security Council to reflect a new phase reached in the country. With a strong military component, the Mission protects civilians, humanitarian personnel and human rights defenders under imminent threat of physical violence while supporting stabilization and peace. UN Volunteers form an important civilian component of the Mission, totalling more than a third of serving international personnel.

UN Volunteers provide vital health support to the UN Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) and to many of its partners active on the ground. They provide the critical human resources necessary for the Mission to maintain healthy operations in the country, and despite all hurdles, these UN Volunteers deliver ongoing medical services and training that sustain the health of partners and UN personnel and reinforce their ability to carry on with the mandate of the UN in the country.

Active since 2014, the core mandate of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) is to protect civilians, promote and defend human rights, and assure the delivery of humanitarian assistance. More than 200 UN Volunteers currently serve in the country, making it one the largest deployments of civilian volunteers in UN Missions around the world.

My volunteer experience goes back to my home country, Zimbabwe, where I served as an HIV/AIDS peer educator from 2004-2007. Besides working as a Corrections Officer, I used to educate the local population on HIV/AIDS, public health, and community development. Before this assignment with the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), I also served as a Government Provided Personnel (GPP) Corrections Mentor with the UNMIL Corrections Advisory Unit.

UNV supports the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) through the deployment of highly-talented international and national UN Volunteers serving in substantive and support sections of the mission—enhancing the effectiveness of operations as well as performing key functions to achieve the mission’s mandate. I am constantly inspired by the resilience our UN Volunteers demonstrate when facing obstacles in the field. Our volunteers put themselves on the front lines and engage with local communities—an essential element to building trust and supporting the return of peace to South Sudan