Across the globe, the impacts of anthropogenic action are pervasive as never before: in the Maghreb, crops grown on marginal lands are failing; in Egypt, rising sea levels are impacting impoverished neighbourhoods; in Jordan, competition and tensions over resources is predicted to only intensify as warming temperatures further heighten

The joint UN project Empowering Youth for a Peaceful, Prosperous, and Sustainable Future in Kosovo* is implemented through a synergized effort among the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and UN Women and is funded by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (PBF). The project aims to engage youth with shared interests and concerns belonging to underserved communities to become active changemakers and catalyze peace and trust-building energies in Kosovo.

There are one billion people who are estimated to actively volunteer worldwide. The 2015 Human Development Report (HDR) highlights that, volunteering creates social value and fosters innovation where markets and organizations were unable to make a direct contributions to peace and development in areas such as education, health, water and sanitation. 

Speakers featuring at the event include Ms Aya Yoshida, Director of the Global Issues Cooperation Division, International Cooperation Bureau, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Mr Toily Kurbanov, Deputy Executive Coordinator of UNV, and Mr Lamine Manneh, Director of the Regional Service Center for Africa, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). A panel discussion will follow, showcasing the power of volunteering in engaging people at the grassroots and seeking to unlock barriers to enhanced volunteer engagement for sustainable development.

"I was teaching a session on parliamentary systems in a village outside Hyderabad in Sindh province to a crowd of 50 labourers, and decided to tell shopkeepers and shepherds – who all happened to be men. After I delivered the teaching materials, I told them a little bit about myself, my education background and my volunteer work with UNDP." I wanted them to see me beyond my gender. I wanted them to see that women and girls can also lead, if given the right schooling and education opportunity. --national UN Volunteer with UNDP Fatima Rind

Young people gain professional, technical, and soft skills (creativity, leadership, critical thinking) that are crucial for employability through their volunteering activities.

Niger a Sahelian landlocked country of approximately 22 million people, of which almost 84% is reliant on natural resources for their livelihoods. The increase of climate-related natural disasters in recent years, such as floods, changes in rainfall patterns make people even more vulnerable and hinder the country's development. UNV has deployed Environment Specialists to serve in areas such as climate change, water and forest engineering, and gender equality in each of the 7 municipalities of Maradi in Niger.

Air pollutants (caused by two coal-fired power plants, the high intensity of road transport, and  household burning of wood and coal), along with poor waste management, abuse of the natural resources and widespread use of fertile land for construction, are seriously threatening the health of Kosovars -  children and elderly in particular. “Healthier Kosovo”, a joint project of UNDP, UNV and WHO, supported by the government of Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, responds to this serious, yet often neglected problem.

Since the end of the civil war in 2004, Liberia has faced many challenges, the most recent ones being the management of the Ebola epidemic, the closure of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in Liberia (UNMIL); and a historical democratic transition after the elections. Through all of these, UN Volunteers have made significant and effective contributions to peace and development in the country. 

This call closed on 9 June 2019. In March and April 2019, Southern Africa was hit by two subsequent cyclones that left a trail of damage and destruction in their path. In Zimbabwe, the floods burst rivers, and mudslides resulted in the loss of lives and livelihoods, severely damaging road networks, water points, bridges, irrigation schemes and electricity infrastructure. UNV is currently working to urgently recruit national and international UN Volunteers to support recovery initiatives by UNDP in Zimbabwe.