The COVID-19 Response Programme was developed by the UN Joint Devolution Programme after development partners Finland, Italy and Sweden consented to remobilizing USD 3.1 million to respond to the pandemic in Kenya.

This joint campaign is aimed at empowering young volunteers between the ages of 18-31, to raise awareness about, and have a voice in decisions around management, and use of mineral resources. The 70 selected ‘Young Environmental Journalists’ will work with the joint Swedish EPA-UNDP Environmental Governance Programme (EGP) to produce inspiring stories of change and build a strong network of young journalists and environmental and human rights defenders.

The Governance Unit of UNDP works with the Government of Senegal in the fight against corruption, territorial development and administrative modernization through digital transformation. With the COVID-19 outbreak, however, the unit has had to reorganize its activities to address governance issues stemming from the crisis.

I was recruited by UNDP in Zimbabwe to provide technical support to the UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Spotlight Initiative on disability-inclusive programming and interventions.

UNV has joined hands with several partners to protect the environment and mitigate the negative effects of climate change. Shingirai is one of the talented cadres of committed volunteers deployed by UNV to catalyse and promote climate action in Gokwe South. As a UN Volunteer, Shingirai is in a unique position to mobilize communities and strengthen their resilience through alternative livelihoods, water provision and harnessing renewable energy in response to climate change impacts. --J. Mushosho, Programme Analyst, Environment and Climate Change, UNDP

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.

In 2019, over 600 UN Volunteers took part in onsite trainings designed to build a community and grow the skills and competencies that are key to serving with the UN. From February onwards, COVID-19 restrictions made in-person workshops impossible. Hence, it was clear we wanted to create a virtual space to facilitate learning and enable exchange among volunteers.

Volunteering in the time of a global pandemic According to a report by United Nations Volunteers, efforts of the more than 1 billion volunteers around the world are equal to that of 109 million full-time dedicated volunteers working around the world working to improve the lives and livelihoods of their fellow human beings.