Adam Sacko, Celestine Amoin Kouakou, Georges Kpadenou, and Vincent Bohouo have one thing in common — all four of them serve as UN Volunteers in Côte d'Ivoire. They are volunteers with disabilities who make the United Nations system more inclusive — we call them the heartbeat of the UN. This story gives a glimpse into how they are changing perceptions of persons with disabilities while adding value to the development context of their home country.
Together with UN Women, three of these UN Volunteers serve in tasks related to administration, finance and programme support. Adam creates a detailed database of partners, including embassies, NGOs, and government authorities, and through this, she tracks projects and improves their visibility. Some of these projects advocate for gender equality, combatting discrimination and standing up for inclusion. Celestine finds employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for persons with disabilities. She also organizes workshops on access to justice for women with disabilities who have experienced gender-based violence. Georges collaborates with regional partners such as the African Development Bank to keep projects on track and makes sure tasks such as initiating requisitions and invoices are completed promptly, and service providers are paid on time. And Vincent contributes to activities related to human resources with UNICEF and helps implement the UNICEF Disability Inclusion Policy and Strategy 2022-2030. He also supports an accessibility audit of the UNICEF office in Abidjan leading to improvements such as accessibility to office spaces and training staff on disability inclusion.
They are Adam Sacko, Celestine Amoin Kouakou, Georges Kpadenou, and Vincent Bohouo — they are changing perceptions of how persons with disabilities are viewed. Their UN Volunteer assignments add inclusion to the United Nations system.
In 2023, 187 UN Volunteers with disabilities served with 27 UN entities and five UN missions, with a majority working in association with UNDP, UNICEF and UNFPA. While Germany, Sweden and Switzerland remained active funding partners in promoting an inclusive and responsive United Nations through volunteerism, more than 70 per cent of UNV assignments for UN Volunteers with disabilities were funded by the entities themselves.