Volunteering, the very foundation of development

Mon, 12/06/2021 - 12:00

Steliana Nedera, UNDP Resident Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

pdf

All around us, we see civic engagement growing – from small community actions to international ones, and from human rights to ecology, we see movements seeking change. People want to contribute to a common good cause and that is why they organize themselves. It is an essential human need to be part of a social network, part of a community and this is the very essence of volunteerism.

We live at a time of disruption, witnessing the effects of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, which threatens to reverse progress towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The complexity of the issues we need to address on this path demands that we all work together, in much broader partnerships, connecting various areas of expertise to develop integrated development solutions.

Completing the symphony through inclusion in Uzbekistan

Thu, 03/17/2022 - 12:00

Hudoykul Hafizov, National Specialist on Disability Inclusion, UNDP Uzbekistan

Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

pdf

Hudoykul Hafizov is a soft-spoken, locally recruited UN Volunteer serving with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Uzbekistan as a Disability Inclusion Specialist. He is often amazed by how resilient, ambitious and steadfast human beings can be, especially those like him with disabilities.

Hudoykul grew up in Urgut district in the Samarkand region of Uzbekistan. He said that as a child, he learned to always put in that “extra effort” to “fit in” so that others would accept him. And he did fit in – excelling at most subjects in national and international law at university.

Enhancing employability for social integration and inclusion of persons with disabilities

Tue, 12/14/2021 - 12:00

Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

pdf

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) opened the centre for employment and professional rehabilitation of persons with disabilities in Kazakhstan. Meet two UN Community Volunteers in the project, each of whom shares a bright and unique personal story.

Within the framework of the joint project "Sustainable Development of the System of Social Protection of the Population: Promotion of Programmes on Social Integration and Inclusion," UNDP inaugurated a centre for employment and professional rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.

Empowering young people to pursue peace and prosperity: perspectives of a former UN Volunteer

Tue, 01/25/2022 - 12:00

Minjoo Lee, former UN Youth Volunteer with UNDP

Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

pdf

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) has been operating in Kosovo* (as per UN SC 1244) since the end of the conflict in 1999. Its Employment and Sustainable Development programmme seeks to generate economic opportunities and enhance social inclusion for Kosovo’s most vulnerable groups, including youth. Minjoo Lee served with UNDP as a UN Youth Volunteer in Local Economic Development, fully funded by the Republic of Korea. We asked him about his experiences in Kosovo.

What motivated you to become a UN Volunteer?

Led by a strong and innate desire to contribute to making a better world, I have dreamed of working for the UN since I was a child. The UN Volunteers programme provided me with a great opportunity to be a part of the organization and fulfill that dream.