UN Volunteer Shiho Jinno (Japan) and national UN Volunteer Mercy Ochieng Odhiambo serve under UN-Habitat's Waste Management Initiative, which aims to create a safe and healthy environment for all and ensure that no one is left behind in the process.

I served at the UNDP Istanbul International Center for Private Sector Development in Türkiye as a Research and Partnership Analyst with a focus to ensure the engagement of private-sector partnerships for developing digital skills and the green economy. 

What are the key highlights of your assignment, and who do you interact with in your daily work?

The 2022 SWVR reveals that cooperation between volunteers and governments helps build collaborative decision-making. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative research with case studies from around the world, it also highlights the role of local volunteers as brokers between their communities and state authorities and underlines the diverse paths volunteering offers to civic participation.

Corina Elsa Rueda Borrero testifies that she has always dreamed of working for human rights in a context that needs her the most. Serving in Afghanistan, a country with a long history of armed international conflict and with a complex political scenario, a regular day for her can include meetings with civil society actors or working to confirm the number of casualties after incidents like an explosion, suicide attack, target killing or case of torture.

My name is Wipanee Chamnanphaison, and I am a UN Volunteer from Thailand. Since February 2022, I have been serving as a Human Rights Officer with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). I am based in the Human Rights Division as part of the Capacity-building and International Mechanism unit.

With a background and experience in law, access to justice and youth empowerment, Tiffany positioned herself to support the Governance portfolio within the multi-country office. She was involved in the programmatic and implementation side of things at the start.

Egypt hosted more than 250,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers in 2021. Most came from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan and Syria, and about 38 per cent of these refugees were under the age of 18. Commonly, refugees and asylum seekers live in rented apartments in urban centers in Egypt, making them vulnerable to fluctuating economic conditions and poverty. Many child protection issues exist in these circumstances, such as insecure accommodation, increased risk of detention, discrimination, physical and sexual violence and inaccessible essential healthcare. 

At 25 years of age, I was a teacher in Australia, yearning to experience something new. Out of the blue, I was offered an opportunity to teach at a missionary school in central Liberia. I remember going to a nearby library to check where Liberia was in the atlas!

At UNHCR, there is a saying: "Protection is what we do, and we do it through programmes." With a background in development management, I am privileged to put my knowledge and skills into practice as UN Volunteer Associate Programme Officer with UNHCR in Somalia. In my role, I support the team leader and Field Officer in the UNHCR Area of Responsibility where I serve, ensuring business and operational continuity, and meaningful engagements in support of the communities that we serve.