The UNDP-UNV Talent Programme will offer young people with disabilities the opportunity to acquire practical work experience and exposure to the work of the UN Development System through assignments with country, regional or headquarters offices of UNDP and other UN entities. UNDP-UNV will identify relevant assignments and select applicants. Programme participants and host offices will benefit from dedicated support, guidance and professional development opportunities as part of the programme.

How do you see the partnership between UN Women and UN Volunteers and why is this important?

The people of South Sudan deserve to enjoy life, deserve to have food, water, electricity, education and a prosperous future for their children. This is the spirit of volunteerism for me – volunteering to make people’s lives better. --Ia Saakadze, UN Volunteer Air Operations Assistant

UNV has developed a successful partnership with the UNODC Regional Office for West and Central Africa based in Dakar, especially in the mobilization of youth volunteers.  Over the course of three years, 21 UN Volunteers and UN Youth Volunteers have supported UNODC in Senegal in the fight against illicit drugs and transnational organized crime in the region. They especially contribute in the cross-cutting areas such as programme management, communications and monitoring & evaluation.

PREPARING CONTINGENCY PLANNING FOR DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS

This year, International Women’s Day comes on the heels of an unprecedented global movement for women’s rights, equality and justice. Echoing the priority theme of the upcoming 62nd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, International Women’s Day draws attention to the rights and activism of rural women, who make up over a quarter of the world population, and are being left behind in every measure of development.

The Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) organised a workshop in association with United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC), Bonn, Germany, United Nations Volunteers (UNV), India and NITI Aayog on capacity building for the Sustainable Development Goals in India.

EMPOWERING YOUTH REFUGEES AS VOLUNTEERS

Some 14 female and 24 male young Guinean UN Volunteers have been deployed in the 33 prefectures of the country to provide technical and administrative support to the members of the Independent Prefectural Electoral Commission and the Independent Communal Electoral Commission for the next six months to achieve a peaceful and consensual election that is scheduled to take place on 4 February 2018.

Alexandra Palmquist, UN Youth Volunteer in Environment and Climate Change with UNDP Bolivia Alexandra arrived in Bolivia six months ago and works on environmental management, monitoring activities, assessing outputs, and preparing reports.