Oshan Gunathilake is a national UN Volunteer Specialist serving as Volunteer Management and Community Engagement Specialist with the project Youth Participation and Engagement for a Healthier, Equitable, Safer and United Sri Lanka. 

The UN system in Bolivia is implementing the UN Peacebuilding Initiative through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and UN Women. Under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator's Office a

Their presence contributes towards the gender mainstreaming strategy of the United Nations system, which integrates the experiences of women in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes, with the aim of ensuring gender equality.

Following the adoption of the Global Compact on Refugees by the UN General Assembly in 2018, and in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), UNV launched a special initiative to facilitate the deployment of people of concern with UNHCR as Refugee UN Volunteers. This enables them to engage in an income generating opportunity which also assists them in building on their competencies and skills.

The 1951 UN Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol establish the rights of refugees and their responsibilities to host countries, as well as the legal obligations of States to provide protection. The theme of this year's World Refugee Day is the right to seek asylum.

According to UNHCR, there are more than 19,000 refugees and asylum seekers from 48 countries registered in Morocco (as of April 2022). Thus, Morocco is considered both a host and a transit country, which makes UNHCR’s mission crucial to ensure protection of refugees and access to asylum procedures. 

It is estimated that more than 1.32 of 6 million Venezuelan refugees and migrants are in Peru (

There are over 73,000 persons of concern in Zambia, including refugees, asylum seekers and former refugees, many of whom have been living in the country since the 1950s.

Marking the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Stockholm Conference, the theme of this year’s World Environment Day “Only One Earth” calls for collective and transformative change, highlighting the need to live sustainably in harmony through climate action. As the resources of our planet is limited, no one is spared from the impact of environmental degradation.

"It takes a village to raise a child. Same goes for peacekeeping."  Silvia Kavrochorianou (Moldova), UN Volunteer Civil Affairs Officer with UNMISS