Kenya Lawrence Nzuve, Un Volunteer Communications and Outreach Officer, UN Environment (UNEP)

Sumak is a member of the Cacha community, part of the Puruwa nation in Chimborazo province, Ecuador. She began serving as a UN Volunteer as part of the partnership between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) in 2017, after working for women's rights in the Ecuadorian National Assembly.

Jasurjon supports the UNDP project Developing the climate resilience of farming communities in drought-prone parts of Uzbekistan,1 funded by the Adaptation Fund of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).His assignment is centred on public relations, content development and organizing working sessions with stakeholders. “One of the most interesting parts of my work is bringing project stakeholders together to work on new challenges arising during the implementation of the project,” says Jasurjon.

Working with UNICEF as a UN volunteer over the past year, my assignment included building awareness among staff on climate change, its impact and how we can mitigate its effects. I also advocate for sustainable practices in the way people consume energy and resources and manage waste both at work and in their personal lives. These efforts are in line with one of the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 13: to improve education, awareness-raising, human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.

Niger a Sahelian landlocked country of approximately 22 million people, of which almost 84% is reliant on natural resources for their livelihoods. The increase of climate-related natural disasters in recent years, such as floods, changes in rainfall patterns make people even more vulnerable and hinder the country's development. UNV has deployed Environment Specialists to serve in areas such as climate change, water and forest engineering, and gender equality in each of the 7 municipalities of Maradi in Niger.

Faced with the challenges caused by climate change, 194 countries have come together and created the Green Climate Fund (GCF), through which they hope to mobilize funds to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation) and to achieve the adaptation of vulnerable populations in developing countries.

The eruption of the Guatemala’s Volcano of Fire ocurred on June 3, 2018, causing the death of more than 300 people and the evacuation of more than 4,000 inhabitants in the surrounding areas.

Imagine living close to a river and not knowing if and when the rivers will rise above normal levels. Imagine a large wave of rain flooding your land, destroying your home while washing away your dear belongings. This was the reality of many Laotians during the rainy season in 2018.

For almost five decades, advocates in civil society and the United Nations have been raising awareness and advocating for the protection of our environment on World Environment Day. The theme for 2018 is beating plastic pollution, and the host country for is India, where UN Environment this year is helping to highlight the environmental challenges the country faces, and support the efforts to address them.