The large-scale mixed movement of Venezuelan refugees and migrants has become one of the top five humanitarian crises in the world. For the International Day of Peace, let us recognize the efforts of those who try to make Latin America a peaceful, united and resilient region. One of these is Tashana.

The deployment of these health professionals marked a major step forward in creating additional livelihood opportunities for refugees in Jordan and followed months of discussions between Jordan’s Ministry of Health and UNHCR about how refugees can contribute to stopping the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a great opportunity and at the same time an important responsibility for refugees, who have been eager to directly contribute to the national COVID-19 response. --Dominik Bartsch, UNHCR Representative in Jordan

Migrants and refugees – from countries such as Cuba, Pakistan, Venezuela, Senegal, Nepal, Angola, and Haiti – travel up the South American continent, cross the Darien Gap, stop briefly in Panama, and continue in transit to North America.

The UN Volunteers deliver in a variety of roles, ranging from protection, refugee status determination, livelihoods, WASH, and health, to administrative functions and communication. Their goal? To improve the well-being of the refugees. 

Most UN Volunteers in Balkan countries are highly skilled individuals, eager to apply and transfer their previous experience in a new context. They are motivated more by the tasks at hand and the opportunity to contribute projects of value. --Rimma Sabayeva, UNV Regional Manager for Europe and CIS

Together we heal: We heal together when we all get the care we need Adow Mohamed Ibrahim is a Somali Refugee UN Volunteer for Youth Activities. Since October 2020, he has been serving with UNHCR in Dadaab in youth programmes. 

In the collective imagination, 'refugee' refers to a person living in a white tent, or who is homeless, very vulnerable and inspires pity and compassion. We challenge you to a mindshift, as we share the story of two refugees who dismantled this perception. Mikaelou Demba Dia (33) and Ibrahima Watt (36) arrived from Mauritania in Senegal in 1989 due to the Senegalese-Mauritanian conflict. They are among 20 refugees awarded an Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative (DAFI) scholarship to pursue studies in Law and Human Resources, respectively.

Dejen Yehalaw Gebreslassie (Ethiopia) is an international UN Volunteer serving as an Interpreter/Translation Officer with UNHCR in Nyamata Field Office, Rwanda, which mainly engages evacuees from Libya. The evacuees temporarily reside in the Gashora Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM).

Is this a coincidence or fate? The first Swiss UN volunteer has his office right across from the SEF and now works closely with the Human Security Department. To celebrate the completion of the 100th Swiss UN Youth Volunteer mission, we meet Lukas Heim, now a research fellow in the National Commission for the Prevention of Torture (NCPT) and responsible for mandates at the Swiss Center of Expertise in Human Rights (SCHR), to talk about his first assignment and what followed afterwards.

Gulfam Mustafa, UN Volunteer Partnership and Resource Mobilization Officer serving with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Guinea Bissau  As an international UN Volunteer, I live in a country thousands of miles away from my home. I have my family and kids back in Pakistan. Following the news of increasing COVID-19 cases causes me fear, anxiety and mental stress.