UN Volunteers are supporting a WHO project for Health Security in Turkey, which aims to improve services and the capacity of laboratories, and another for the Social Inclusion of Persons with Mental Disabilities. These projects have changed dramatically due to the outbreak.

The Cities Project, or project for South-South and Triangular Cooperation among Maritime-Continental Silk Road Cities for Sustainable Development, was initiated by UNOSSC in 2017. It promotes South-South and triangular cooperation at the city level, taking advantage of the strategic opportunities offered by the Belt and Road Initiative in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  

The COVID-19 Response Programme was developed by the UN Joint Devolution Programme after development partners Finland, Italy and Sweden consented to remobilizing USD 3.1 million to respond to the pandemic in Kenya.

These are just examples of why gender equality matters in the context of COVID-19, emphasizing the need to ensure the world’s response to the pandemic is gender-sensitive.

With a presence in 190 countries, UNICEF continues its mandate on protecting children’s rights by being one of the leading UN agencies responding to the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, UNICEF Venezuela – along with UN sister agencies and public and private sector – elaborated a plan that identified the most at-risk communities. Some 189 health facilities, clinics and community health centres in 13 states have been reached among the country so far.

Millions of volunteers are a formidable force for transformation and acceleration of the 2030 Agenda. --Olivier Adam, Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme

Millions of volunteers are a formidable force for transformation and acceleration of the 2030 Agenda. --Olivier Adam, Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme