March 2025 — Igniting change through youth

"I played an active role in exchanging ideas and identifying representatives who could contribute to the project," says Elifnaz Sağlam, a fifth-year medical student at Başkent University in Ankara and Chairperson of the National Audit Board within the Turkish Medical Students’ Association.

The United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) and United Nations Volunteers (UNV) collaborate on a programme where young professionals under the age of 35 serve as evaluators. Initiated by UNEG Young and Emerging Evaluators Working Group to provide learning and career growth for youth keen to join the UN, while also ensuring their voices are included in UN evaluation processes.

UN Volunteers in BeijingAt China’s International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE), Jialin is a young Chinese UN Volunteer Project Analyst with UNOSSC. She organizes trainings, reviews grant proposals, and drafts policy briefs that drive sustainable development in agriculture, clean energy, and poverty reduction. 

Growing up in Ecuador, Ae Young saw Latin America’s social struggles up close—and they stayed with her. She’s driven by a commitment to support vulnerable communities and promote gender equality. This opportunity didn’t just connect her to a cause—it brought together her Korean roots and the place that shaped her worldview.

Under UNICEF’s Adolescent Participation, Skills, and Employability Section, I oversee disability inclusion efforts such as staff awareness programmes and accessibility audits on reporting. I use simple and practical techniques such as pair walk events to highlight accessibility challenges and the need for more inclusive spaces under UNICEF's Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy.

Before Alec Mkwamba joined the Ministry of Health in São Tomé and Príncipe, immunization records existed only on paper. Lost vaccine cards meant missed doses, leaving many children unprotected. As an Epidemiologist and Project Manager with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Alec led efforts to transition the health information system to digital platforms, certifying that the children’s vaccination histories were accessible no matter where they received care.

Youth, which represents the majority of Madagascar's population, is both a challenge and an opportunity for peacebuilding amidst social, economic, and cultural tensions.

Globally, persons with disabilities comprise 16 percent of the world’s population, approximately 1.3 billion people. In Asia and the Pacific, more than 750 million persons with disabilities often face unequal access to a range of rights, opportunities, and social services. 

Seven of the nine UN Volunteers who serve with UNICEF in Iraq are women. Their roles include Communications, Human Resources, Resource Mobilization, and Youth Engagement. Four of these women are part of Young Arab Women Talents initiative. Started in 2022, this partnership between UNICEF and UNV creates leadership opportunities for young women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.