Clearing the way for Gaza’s recovery

United Nations Volunteers
print pdf
Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

The war in Gaza sees a breakthrough: a ceasefire after two years. But the streets still tell a different story—blocked by debris, weighed down by loss. From February to August, a team of five UN Volunteers stepped in alongside the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)’s Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People to work on the ground in Gaza. Joined by 61 Online Volunteers from 35 countries, they were part of debris management with a mission to clear rubble—each stone lifted, a step towards Gaza's recovery.

UN Volunteer with UNDP, Ahmed Al-Mdalal is on the ground in Gaza. He is an engineer and monitors the distribution of fuel making sure debris removal machines keep operating and the blocked roads for ambulances and aid remain open. While another counterpart, Maysaa Al-Ajrami, an architect, gathers detailed data from four debris removal projects, documenting rubble volumes, machinery, fuel consumption, and workforce numbers, which she then uploads to the project’s dashboards.

Is translation an art worth protecting?

United Nations Volunteers
print pdf
Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

On International Translation Day, we look at the role of translators and editors who shape volunteer stories—from Africa to Asia to Europe and Latin America. Beyond linguistic accuracy, they are entrusted with preserving the soul of a story. When acts of service are rooted in cultural values, literal translation can dilute meaning. Word-for-word translation is rarely effective. Grammar, expressions, and sentence structures vary, so translators must reshape language while preserving the original’s authenticity. This work demands sensitivity, cultural understanding, and ethical responsibility. 

At every step, we must ask: Does this translation honour the intent and emotion of the original thought? 

Voices from the UNV editorial team in 12 languages—Arabic, English, French, Luo, Nepali, Portuguese, Quechua, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, Ukrainian, and Urdu—in this video celebrate the cultural richness of each region.

 

When volunteers lead the way, change becomes possible

United Nations Volunteers
print pdf
Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

Northwest Nigeria is experiencing intersecting challenges including violence, climate-related disruptions, and economic instability. These factors have affected family structures and reduced confidence in local institutions. Armed groups have interfered with daily activities, contributing to a humanitarian crisis. Yet amidst these challenges, volunteers are stepping up—not as outsiders, but as insiders—to make change possible. Dennis Bwala and Adamu Garba share how they are helping rebuild trust and strengthen the communities they call home.

“Peacebuilding here is about patience.” In Katsina, Dennis Bwala is a UN Volunteer with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Northwest Prevention Facility, and spends his days connecting local authorities, security forces, and communities that often don’t trust each other.

My role is to facilitate dialogue, strengthen partnerships, and ensure that our interventions are inclusive and neutral, so communities feel ownership over the solutions."

Are you listening to the voices on the airwaves?

United Nations Volunteers
print pdf
Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

“What people believe shapes how they vote, how they trust, and how they live together,” says Sagar from Sierra Leone. He is one of 47 UN Volunteers in West and Central Africa supported by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (PBF), the UN’s instrument for providing rapid, flexible support to countries emerging from conflict or facing fragility. Peace doesn’t always begin with treaties or declarations. In fragile contexts, it often starts quietly—with reliable voices on the airwaves—a training where women speak freely, or a story shared online that reflects a community’s hope. All you have to do is listen!

When international UN Volunteer Sagar Adhikari arrived from Nepal in Sierra Leone, the country was preparing for elections clouded by misinformation. Sagar led the iVerify platform, supported by the PBF, to provide citizens with reliable information. 

South-South sparks from Beijing to the world

United Nations Volunteers
print pdf
Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

Across the Global South, countries are sharing ideas, solving problems together, and building a better future. At the heart of this movement is the Global South-South Development Center (GSSDC)—a dynamic hub for innovation and partnership, powered by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) and the Government of China. The GSSDC taps into China’s network of 50 technical institutions, making it a hotspot for collaboration, and that's where UN Volunteers—Jialin Zhang and Jingchuan Alex Mu—step in.  
 

UN Volunteers in Beijing

At China’s International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE), Jialin is a young Chinese UN Volunteer Project Analyst with UNOSSC. She organizes trainings, reviews grant proposals, and drafts policy briefs that drive sustainable development in agriculture, clean energy, and poverty reduction. 

6.9 million displaced: Peace is fragile but possible

United Nations Volunteers
print pdf
Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

In the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, silence speaks volumes. Schools stand empty. Families flee in the night. Communities carry wounds no one sees. This region is home to one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises, with some 6.9 million internally displaced and over 5 million living in the eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, and Ituri. Amidst this turmoil, in places like Beni and Goma, Kakessiwa Kokou Komlan and Laetitia Furaha show up every day—not for recognition, but to build peace. They are UN Volunteers.

Peace is when people can speak without fear

In Beni, Kakessiwa, originally from Togo, serves as a UN Volunteer Civil Affairs Officer at the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) Joint Operations Center. His role is to track security developments and coordinate responses between military, police, and civilian actors.

On why I volunteer: The circles of peace

Emily Kabuga, Civil Affairs Officer with UNMISS
print pdf
Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

The circle is small but tense. We are sitting under a tree in a village in Unity State, South Sudan. Men, women, and youth lean forward on low stools. Some carry anger in their voices as they speak of cattle taken in raids. Others speak quietly about children forced into early marriages. A young man stands to confess he fears retaliation for a revenge killing.

In moments like this, my role is not to lecture or impose. It is to listen, to ask questions, to remind the group that within their own customs and traditions lie paths to peace. I have learned that people want solutions to come from themselves. My job is to create the space where that feels possible. By the end of that day, nothing dramatic had shifted. No handshake sealed a deal. But the room felt lighter. Neighbours who had stopped speaking to each other had looked one another in the eye. And for me, that was enough to keep going.

Subscribe to