Later, TIRs cross into Syria as aid convoys under the supervision of the UN. The aid is then distributed by the UN's local partners in Syria. The whole operation is coordinated by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA).

By Céline Rehring, UN Volunteer Judicial Affairs Officer in MINUSCA from July 2015 to December 2016

As a UN Volunteer Human Rights Officer with the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), I am engaged in monitoring, investigating and reporting human rights violations and abuses, as well as building capacity of civil society partners and state authorities.  Aside from monitoring detention centres, prisons and police cells, I am engaged in the creation of local human rights networks, and I help them develop their capacity in monitoring and advocacy to build a society that respects human rights with dignity, mutual understanding and peaceful dialogue.

Op Ed from the UNV DEC to Afghanistan, Toily Kurbanov, the occasion of his visit to Afghanistan for the celebrations of IVD 2016. Published in 8am, Afghanistan national daily. (dari)

Op Ed from the UNV DEC to Afghanistan, Toily Kurbanov, the occasion of his visit to Afghanistan for the celebrations of IVD 2016. Published in Pahjok, Afghanistan news agency. (english)

Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo . My name is David Bzhania and I work as a UN Volunteer network technician for the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO).

Being a UN Volunteer was one of the most meaningful experiences in my life so far, and, being in my eighties, I think that holds some weight. In the early 1990s, having raised a family, already at the end of a successful business career, and well settled into retirement, the unexpected excitement and humility of reaching out to truly touch peoples’ lives showed me that life can always bring the unexpected. At a gathering with leaders from UNHCR and business associates, I had a conversation that led me to UNV.

Alois Neza Sikuka (Zimbabwe) is a UN Volunteer Peace, Community & Security Specialist with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in South Sudan.

Maria Paula Fernandez Morel is a Online Volunteer Spanish Translator with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Argentina. 

Aissata Ba (France) is a UN Volunteer Communications Officer with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, West Africa Regional Office (OHCHR/WARO) in Senegal.