Thank you, Mr Associate Administrator, for your introduction and your – and the Administrator’s – commitment to volunteerism and your strong support to the United Nations Volunteers programme. Madame President, Distinguished delegates, Mr Associate Administrator, Ladies and Gentlemen:

In the area of partnership management, previously, our UNV personnel could not rely on a global support system for outreach and intelligence. Thus far, colleagues stored contact details and partner information in Word and Excel files aross the organization. The main avenue for information exchange between different sections and regional offices was e-mail. Through the introduction of our new client relationship management platform, we have changed this.

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

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.

This principle, ascribed 75 years ago in the preamble of the UN Charter, symbolized a global conviction towards a new world. With a common aspiration to prevent the recurrence of the 'untold sorrow to mankind' experienced in the decades prior, the signatories committed to a restored faith in humanity. The principle permeates through all of the UN’s work, be that in humanitarian assistance, development or peacekeeping.

Since October 2019, Lebanon has been witnessing a grim economic crisis that was compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. The national currency has lost 80 per cent of its value, driving the price of a monthly food basket – that is a selection of staple food items a family needs – to more than the double over the past six months. With one million people living below the poverty line, many families were already struggling to make ends meet.

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.

"Even before the pandemic, violence against women was one of the most widespread violations of human rights. Since lockdown restrictions, domestic violence has multiplied, spreading across the world in a shadow pandemic, " said Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, in a press release.