The main goal of the initiative is to facilitate the integration of those who have declared their intention to reject violence, stop fighting and join the social, economic and political life of the country, as well as to promote the understanding of the local population and the reparation of open wounds within the civil society.

Yumiko served through the Global Human Resource Development Programme for Peacebuilding and Development (HRD) of the Government of Japan, and supported two projects funded by Japan. One of these was a project for the prevention of violent extremism in Muslim areas, which is a priority in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. UNDP has provided technical advice to local governments and organized knowledge platforms for stakeholders, such as religious leaders, community heads, academics, officers, internally displaced persons, indigenous people and youth.

I have volunteered on campaigns to end Hepatitis B and "Peste des Petits ruminants" in animals in many inaccessible communities in Northern Nigeria. The Africa Women Health Champions initiative came at the right time in my professional carerr, as I was looking for opportunities to join UNV to broaden my experience and learn from others. 

UN Volunteer Basmeena Safi, a UN Volunteer Health Officer with UNICEF, is sparing no effort to prevent the spread of the virus and protect communities. A specialist in healthcare, Basmeena, has supported efforts to mitigate the spread of the virus by sensitizing communities about facts surrounding COVID-19 to stop misinformation.

As a member of the procurement team, Yurii contributes to almost 20 projects. UNDP Ukraine provides procurement support services to the Ministry of Health and the Recovery and Peacebuilding and Democratic Governance Programmes.

I have always loved to help people, to see the sick get better, and to make a difference in the lives of others. I am Ugandan, and I worked in South Sudan with Doctors with Africa CUAMM before joining UNDP.  I always quote Maya Angelou. ‘Be the rainbow in someone’s cloud.’ I have always loved to help people to see the sick get better, to make a difference in lives. --Leila Mirembe, UN Volunteer Medical Doctor

In my role as a Health Communication for Development (C4D) Officer, I work with communities, nurses and the Government to strengthen communication for maternal and child health and nutrition.  I am based in Suva, and cover multiple Pacific island countries, including Kiribati, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. I began my assignment as an international UN Youth Volunteer in January 2020.

Coming from Colombia, this was my first assignment in a UN Mission and my first time in Africa. Before this, I had worked in Guatemala protecting human rights defenders, an experience that informed my passion for human rights work.

I joined the UN in Lesotho in 2019 to lead the drought emergency coordination efforts in the country. The country had just been devastated by drought at the time, leaving more than half a million people (about a quarter of the total population of Lesotho), mostly women and children, experiencing severe food shortages. Tens of thousands were ‘one step away from famine’. While farmers experienced droughts, rising temperatures, and extreme weather, the changing weather condition was forcing people to migrate.

With a background in architecture, urban design, planning and sustainable development, I have worked with many international organizations on emergency to long-term development projects across East Africa, Middle East, Asia, North America and Europe. I was grateful to join the UNHCR Burundi operation as a UN Volunteer and apply my over eight years of experience, working in fast paced multicultural environments to provide the technical expertise that was needed from the national to community level.