Storytelling to address gender-based violence
International UN Volunteer, Cristina Comunian from Italy is a Senior Communications Specialist with the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office in Fiji. She supports the Spotlight Initiative, a global partnership and an initiative of the United Nations supported by the European Union and other partners aiming to eliminate violence against women and girls.
In Asia Pacific, Spotlight focuses on domestic violence and intimate partner violence. UNFPA and Pacific Community conducted Family Health and Safety Studies across 11 Pacific countries.
Making digital spaces safe for women in Southeast Asia
Alexandra Håkansson Schmidt, international UN Volunteer Specialist serves as Programme Analyst in Governance, Peace and Security with the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) in Bangkok, Thailand. Her contribution centers on making digital spaces safe for women. Alexandra provides technical support to programme development, planning and coordination under UN Women ROAP’s Governance, Peace, and Security portfolio.
Alexandra's UN Volunteer assignment is fully funded by the Government of Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).
Demonstrating leadership in disability inclusion
I Made Wikandana (Wikan) is a national UN Volunteer Disability Inclusion Officer with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Indonesia. According to a paper published in 2020, three out of 10 children with disabilities have never attended school. This makes mainstreaming disability inclusion all the more important – a priority for UNICEF in the region.
Everyone possesses the spirit of a leader, believes Wikan. His leadership spirit led him to help his community through a UN Volunteer assignment that began in November 2021.