Many families in a little village close to Funhalouro in the southeast of Mozambique are receiving food assistance that is helping them to survive. “We have lived through many dry periods, but a drought like this one I cannot remember. I have not seen a single drop of rain for months,” says Joaquina, who does not know her age, but estimates she is in her late 40s.

Malawi has limited road access to rural areas, and after a flash flood earth roads can turn to rivers, completely cutting off affected communities. Using drones, we fly over the affected area and see clearly what the impact has been on the ground, using this information to inform the disaster response.

The majority of these suspects had been held in pre-trial detention since 2015, when the terrorist attacks committed by Boko Haram ravaged the Diffa region, in the east of the country, by the border with Nigeria "I have seen how the work of a volunteer brings a glimmer of hope in the eyes of prisoners," says Ali*, UN Volunteer for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Niger.

Having had the opportunity this past year to live in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I saw first-hand the positive influence of the UN; and this influence greatly resonated with me. Now, I welcome the opportunity to be actively involved in helping this global organization achieve its goals. 

Throughout my career, I always had the idea of one day joining the United Nations Volunteers (UNV). I was inspired by the many UN Volunteers I met during my years of service in Africa. While most were young, active individuals, there were also older ones like me now, with a strong vision of volunteerism. Fortunately, I was successful in my application and am blessed to now be in my second UNV assignment.

UN Volunteers represent well over a third of the international personnel within the UN Mission for the Stabilization of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). Despite this important component of personnel, the Mission remains a highly-militarized peacekeeping operation.

Democratic elections provide a crucial opportunity for citizens to shape their governing structures and freely chose the leaders that will lead the nation on their behalf. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) promotes credible and inclusive elections by supporting countries to establish independent electoral bodies and prevent electoral conflict and violence.

In Korsimoro City, near the capital Ouagadougou, UN Volunteers encourage people’s participation in the elections. Through citizenship awareness sessions, they especially encourage the participation of women in the electoral process. “Women account for most of the country’s electorate, and therefore play a significant role in the country’s development,” adds Somda Flore, another national UN Volunteer.

UN Volunteer Castro Baraza sits in his office at the Kisumu County Headquarters finalizing reports of his pre-election peace building activities. It is three weeks since the presidential results were announced, and Kisumu remains peaceful with business fully operational and the new County administration already taking charge. Castro is however still hard at work, ensuring the peace dividends are maintained and the development agenda in the region is realized.

The presence of the UN Mission since 2014 has helped save many lives and greatly improved conditions for the delivery of vital humanitarian assistance in the Central African Republic (CAR), a country where approximately 40% of the population is dependent on humanitarian assistance to survive, according to OCHA.