You could say that peace begins with healthcare. This is our way of supporting the ongoing peace efforts in the country, hoping that the handing over of all of this will lead to the people of Jonglei getting improved access to basic medical care. --Maria Guadalupe, one of the peacekeepers, on behalf of all volunteers involved in the generous initiative Doctor Ajak Garang affirmed that the unexpected assistance will make the intended difference, not least the extra beds.

It was early 2015 when I heard about UNV at an international job fair in Berlin. I had graduated with a law degree and newly qualified as a magistrate, with professional experience at the European Commission in Brussels. I was looking for opportunities that would take me far, and not place me behind a desk handling legal cases. While at the job fair, I attended an information session on German lawyers at the UN. Coincidently, the person leading that session was a former UN Volunteer, and that's how my journey in the UN system began.

From 19-22 September, Ms Kyoko Yokosuka, UNV Deputy Executive Coordinator, visited South Sudan to meet with partners and UN Volunteers serving in the country.

What are the key highlights of your assignment, and who do you interact with in your daily work?

My name is Wipanee Chamnanphaison, and I am a UN Volunteer from Thailand. Since February 2022, I have been serving as a Human Rights Officer with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). I am based in the Human Rights Division as part of the Capacity-building and International Mechanism unit.

UN Volunteer Lucy Tabot Akabum is a Human Rights Officer at the UN Joint Human Rights Office of MONUSCO in Bukavu, in eastern DRC. She was one of ten UN Volunteers who contributed to the Volunteer Initiatives for Peace and Development (VIPD) project to provide clean water for 39 orphans. 

In 2019, over 1,500 UN Volunteers are assigned to peacekeeping operations worldwide, of which 1,317 are serving in Africa. In West and Central Africa specifically, they play an active role to protect the most vulnerable, through various assignments in Human Rights, Civil Affairs, Political Affairs and Logistics. In addition, a significant number of UN Volunteer Movement Control Officers and Air Operations Assistants provide technical support to facilitate and coordinate the movements of peacekeepers and civilian personnel of the missions. 

Not a day goes by without our world being confronted with the suffering of millions of people because of the ravage of armed conflict and war. The peaceful resolution of conflict and the maintenance of international peace and security are amongst the principle reasons why the United Nations was established. Peacebuilding is at the heart of the UN’s work and continues to be a pressing priority for all UN Member States (A/69/968–S/2015/490).

UN peacekeeping operations traditionally rely on military personnel. Over the last 25 years, police and civilian functions have exponentially grown as a response to new conflicts and emerging threats to peace around the world, but also in response to calls for a stronger “people focus” of peace operations. UN operations are now tasked with maintaining peace but also supporting institutions of governance, human rights monitoring, security sector reform, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former combatants and other critical areas in order to build a truly sustainable peace.

Not a day goes by without our world being confronted with the suffering of millions of people because of the ravage of armed conflict and war. The peaceful resolution of conflict and the maintenance of international peace and security are amongst the principle reasons why the United Nations was established. Peacebuilding is at the heart of the UN’s work and continues to be a pressing priority for all UN Member States (A/69/968–S/2015/490).