Jean-Martial Konan and Auguste Dimitri Goubo are UN Volunteers with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Côte d'Ivoire. They support the Ministry of Economy, Planning, and Development by working on the ground with local communities and raising awareness of democratic values and freedom of expression. On International Day of Peace, we look at how volunteering supports people in communities.
Jean-Martial Konan is a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist who assists development projects. In his role, he brings together local governments and communities in Regional Monitoring Committees in the north of the country. Jean-Martial calls on young people and women to come up with solutions and prevent crises. The development projects he supports reached over 750 people, of whom 66 percent are women.
As a UN Volunteer, I help make the project and its activities transparent so that all our initiatives respond to the actual needs of the local communities on the ground." Jean-Martial Konan, UN Volunteer Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist with UNDP.
Auguste Dimitri Goubo is an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Specialist and raises awareness of freedom of expression. He contributed to Côte d'Ivoire's local elections in 2023 by training political candidates to have peaceful and transparent elections in the southeastern town of Azaguié. He also supports the inclusion of young people from underprivileged communities by encouraging them to get in local politics and governance.
We want young people to understand that their voices matter and that they can be key players in leading their communities. A strong democracy depends on engaged citizens who participate in local decision-making." Auguste Dimitri Goubo, UN Volunteer Specialist in Innovation and Entrepreneurship with UNDP.