In Kazakhstan, children are spending more time online than ever before. The internet gives them new ways to learn, connect with friends and explore the world. Yet the same digital spaces can also expose them to violence, exploitation and abuse. As technology evolves at breakneck speed, the risks facing children are growing faster than the systems designed to keep them safe.

In a country where one in three people is a child, weaknesses in child protection can have serious consequences.

This is where Sonoko Otani came in. As an international UN Volunteer with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Kazakhstan, she worked as a Child Safety and Protection Specialist. Her one-year assignment, funded by the Government of Japan and completed in 2026, supported efforts to make the digital world safer for children and ensure stronger protection for them in their daily lives.

My career has taken me across Africa, working on economic development, sustainable finance and institutional reform. But titles and portfolios have never been the point. What has mattered, from early on, is responsibility. Being entrusted to speak for others. To carry their concerns with care. To understand that representation is not about visibility, but accountability.

That lesson came early in my life. I was young when I was first asked to speak on behalf of others. I remember the weight of it. Not the fear, but the clarity. When you speak for others, your words must be grounded in truth and respect. You must listen more than you talk. That instinct has never left me.

Forget the idea that young people are only beneficiaries of change. Across the world, they are driving it.
Nearly half of the world's population is under the age of 30, making young people one of the greatest forces for change on the planet. On International Youth Day, the stories of young volunteers are a reminder that instead of waiting for the future, young people are already building it. They are responding where others see problems, leading where others see barriers, and proving that age is no barrier to creating change. Let's meet some UN Volunteers whose stories embody the 2026 theme—Different Contexts, Common Aspirations.

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) mobilizes thousands of volunteers around the world; last year alone, more than 17,000. But behind every volunteer assignment is a lot of planning. Teams need to calculate costs, manage contracts, and make sure resources are used wisely. To make this easier, the UNV Information and Communications Technology (ICT) data team has developed a tool that is changing the way UNV plans and budgets volunteer assignments funded through the Full Funding programme and the Special Voluntary Fund.