UNV and Sida have been partnering in support of peace, humanitarian and sustainable development for many years. In 2018, they renewed their partnership, in line with Sida’s Strategy for Capacity Development, Partnerships and Methods Supporting Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, (2018-2022). One of the objectives of this strategy is to broaden the Swedish resource base for implementation of the 2030 Agenda.  

As a member of the procurement team, Yurii contributes to almost 20 projects. UNDP Ukraine provides procurement support services to the Ministry of Health and the Recovery and Peacebuilding and Democratic Governance Programmes.

In my role as a Health Communication for Development (C4D) Officer, I work with communities, nurses and the Government to strengthen communication for maternal and child health and nutrition.  I am based in Suva, and cover multiple Pacific island countries, including Kiribati, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. I began my assignment as an international UN Youth Volunteer in January 2020.

UNV’s two partner entities are the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, specifically, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Peace and Human Rights Division (PHRD) and the Federal Department of Economic Affairs (State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, SECO). SDC was one of the first partners to join the UN Youth Volunteers programme in 2001, followed by DPA/PHRD in 2004 and SECO in 2020.

The Novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is placing significant strains in many countries, particularly in the Global South, reversing many positive gains in sustainable development. UN entities are working closely with national governments, community groups, the health sector and industry to respond to this crisis.

Minsun Kim was searching through the Republic of Korea Ministry of Foreign Affairs website when she stumbled upon an opportunity that well matched her qualifications and aspirations – serving as a UN Youth Volunteer in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Kosovo*. Her assignment was fully funded by the Republic of Korea.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and declared state of emergency in Bosnia and Herzegovina, vulnerable children, especially unaccompanied and separated children, are at higher risk of experiencing a disruption of basic social services.

During her assignment, Natsumi was able to meet experts from within and outside the UN system, as well as participate in networking events.  This experience has helped me to achieve my goals. Now, at the end my assignment, I can say I understand the basics of how this huge international organization works. --Natsumi Sawada, UN Volunteer with ESCAP

In 1971, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme deployed its first 35 UN Volunteers to serve in Chad, Bangladesh and Yemen with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Two years later, in 1973, the number grew to 93 UN Volunteers serving for the International Labour Organization (ILO), UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and FAO.

Africa has been identified by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as the continent most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Ecosystems are already being affected and future impacts could be substantial. East and Southern Africa has been experiencing more frequent extreme weather events and changing rainfall patterns, leading to droughts in some areas and flooding in others. The region’s population is highly dependent on rain-fed agriculture, making it particularly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, including potential effects on food security.