Monrovia, Liberia:  Sharing my skills and experience as a UN Volunteer creates positive change in society. As a UNV Peace Consolidation Support Officer with the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), I support local authorities to enhance reconciliation and social cohesion through confidence-building activities.   I spearheaded efforts to strengthen the capacity of civil society through training and mentoring in areas of governance and accountability.

Bentiu, South Sudan: When fighting broke out in South Sudan in 2013, many civilians were killed and thousands of people sought protection at the UN base in Bentiu, with a large influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to the Protection of Civilians (PoC) sites of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). This posed serious challenges to the management of the sites –scarcity of space and resources, an increase in inter-communal tensions, looting and attacks to humanitarian assets, and increased sexual and gender based violence (SGBV).

Bangui, Central African Republic: In 2012, the Central African Republic was plunged into a political and military crisis. The spiral of violence triggered instability and the collapse of the State. The consequences were devastating: people fled their villages, their country, Christians and Muslims were divided, amidst the proliferation of armed groups. Holding elections, despite the support of the international community, was a great challenge. In Bambari, capital of the Ouaka Prefecture, two armed groups, Anti-Balaka (ABLK) and EX-Seleka (X-SLK), coexist.

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire:  I am a UN Volunteer serving as UNV Generator Mechanic Supervisor with the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI). I am involved in the installation, maintenance and repair of generator units in the Abidjan sector. I also travel to different sectors to assist my generator mechanic colleagues in the repair of generator units.   I am glad to see that my work contributes to making the mission’s mandate possible.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti: I joined the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) as a UN Volunteer one year after the devastating earthquake that struck the country in 2010. This tragic event motivated me to dedicate my time and experience to help restore a secure and stable environment in Haiti.

Ramallah, State of Palestine: "Adolescents can be powerful agents of change in communities," says Chizuru Iwata, an international UN Volunteer from Japan, who worked with UNICEF as a UNV Adolescent Participation Officer in the State of Palestine.

Maroua, Cameroon: Jimmy Henry Nyingcho, 31 years old, is a national UN Volunteer, married and a father of one. He is assigned with UN Women Cameroon as the gender, women empowerment and social cohesion expert, and he is helping women refugees gain skills to generate income. These women are based at the Minawao refugee camp in Maroua, that hosts close to 60,000 refugees from Nigeria.

New Delhi, India: Miho Yoshikawa, an international UN Volunteer from Japan, was stationed in India with UNICEF. As a UNV Child Protection Officer in UNICEF’s Delhi office, she was responsible for programme monitoring, assistance to the organization’s state offices, documentation and research.

Quito, Ecuador:  «All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights », declares the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. My work at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Quito, Ecuador, has mainly attempted to make this declaration a reality.

Gaza, State of Palestine:  Volunteers are catalysts of change and make important contributions to sustainable development – this is so aptly personified by Mona Ouda and Diana Abu Ramadan, two national UN Volunteers with UNDP’s rubble removal programme. Engineers and workers are part of this USD $ 14 million project to facilitate the removal of debris of destroyed homes and other civic infrastructure in The Gaza Strip. Four female engineers that include Mona and Diana are also part of this programme.