I fundamentally believe in the power of volunteerism to effect change – on the individual, on communities and on the organizations they serve. In my role as Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), I am proud to be working with an organization that is among the prime movers, supporting countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Latin America is the region with the most economic inequality in the world. Some 80 per cent of the population work in the informal economy sector, not profiting from basic services like social security programmes. According to the UNDP report, Volunteerism to foster development: concepts and prototypes (2021), 22 per cent do not have access to clean water, 34 per cent do not have an internet connection, and 45 per cent are excluded from financial services, such as bank accounts.

The large-scale mixed movement of Venezuelan refugees and migrants has become one of the top five humanitarian crises in the world. For the International Day of Peace, let us recognize the efforts of those who try to make Latin America a peaceful, united and resilient region. One of these is Tashana.

Migrants and refugees – from countries such as Cuba, Pakistan, Venezuela, Senegal, Nepal, Angola, and Haiti – travel up the South American continent, cross the Darien Gap, stop briefly in Panama, and continue in transit to North America.

On the occasion of International Indigenous People's month, UNV calls to democratize spaces, empower historically exc

UNV calls on Haitians (or official residents) who are older than 22 years and willing to offer their skills and capacity to support an inclusive and sustainable response and recovery to the recent earthquake that devastated the country.  UNV is looking for a wide range of professional profiles: Information Managers, Field Assistants, Midwives, Communication Officers, Emergency Medical Technicians, Nutrition Specialists, Shelter Specialists, Logistic Operations Specialists and WASH Specialists, among others. 

We are at a time of crisis, which means that every decision we take today will have an impact on the living conditions of the next generations. This is the moment where we can decide what will happen with the Sustainable Development Goals and how we reach the year 2030. Today, more than ever, we must act, guided by the premise to “leave no one behind”, and build a sustainable, inclusive and equitable future.

The International Day of Trans Visibility is commemorated every year on March 31 – it is a date dedicated to promoting, celebrating and recognizing the participation of transgender people. However, in the Dominican Republic – as is the case in many places worldwide – transgender people are subject to discrimination and violence. An assessment of health needs of transgender people conducted in the country in 2015 uncovered that 79 pre cent of the transgender population had been denied employment or had been terminated because of their gender identity.

​Even before the pandemic, millions of people took to the streets to make their voices heard. Rising inequalities were a common factor for these public displays, and minorities such as persons with disabilities, indigenous communities, refugees, and migrants, among others, were the hardest hit groups.