Volunteer voices of inclusion from IOM Rwanda

Louise Henry Bergman, UN Volunteer Project Support Officer
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UN Volunteers support the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in addressing human trafficking and migration challenges. This is the case in Rwanda, where Louise Henry Bergman serves as a UN Volunteer Project Support Officer. Louise's assignment is funded by her home country, Sweden.

As part of a team, Louise works on the implementation of two counter-trafficking projects, which strengthens the knowledge and capacity of the government to respond to trafficking. The projects include awareness raising in communities, which aims at informing community members about trafficking and related risks.

Creating inclusive workplaces for people with disabilities in Belarus

Aliaksandr (Sasha) Audzevich, UN Volunteer Inclusion and Disability Officer
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In Belarus, Aliaksandr (Sasha) Audzevich serves as a UN Volunteer Inclusion and Disabilities Officer with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He is part of the UNDP-UNV Talent Programme for Young Persons with Disabilities, which enables youth with disabilities to acquire experience and contribute to the United Nations as UN Volunteers. His assignment is part of a project supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) of Germany. Sasha shares his story on the occasion of International Volunteer Day 2019.

Through my volunteer assignment I support and develop workplaces for people with disabilities. Fundamentally, my goal is to remove barriers to employability for disabled people in Belarus, by educating employers on how to create accessible and inclusive working environments.

Belarus signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in September 2015 and committed to the creation of an inclusive community. Despite this undertaking, progress has been slow.

Volunteer voices of inclusion from IOM Niger

Hamma Abdoulaye, UN Volunteer Humanitarian Response Assistant/Shelter Coordinator
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Volunteering can facilitate access to equal opportunities. In Niger, Hamma Abdoulaye, a former refugee, now serves with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as a national UN Volunteer Humanitarian Response Assistant/Shelter Coordinator. Hamma shares his experience as a UN Volunteer on the occasion of International Volunteer Day 2019.

As part of his assignment, Hamma supports the implementation of humanitarian assistance activities to ensure compliance with relevant IOM donor policies and procedures. He has had an impact through the delivery of technical guidance and compliance monitoring to project partners, technical advisors, IOM personnel and implementing entities.

Hamma also liaises with the programme manager to coordinate a working group on shelter in the regions of Tahoua and Tillabéry.

Change-makers: Cultivating social inclusion and disability awareness in childhood education in Ukraine

Marta Nykolayeva, UN Volunteer Media and Outreach Assistant
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Marta Nykolayeva serves as a national UN Volunteer Media and Outreach Assistant with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine. She was deployed under the UNDP/UNV Talent Programme for Young Professionals with Disabilities. This partnership initiative enables youth with disabilities to acquire experience and contribute to the United Nations as UN Volunteers, and deployed 15 UN Volunteers during 2018-2019. Another 16 UN Volunteers and several online volunteers with disabilities served across the UN.

I was motivated to apply for the Talent Programme primarily because I was fascinated by the fact the UN is involving people with disabilities as volunteers to contribute to their country and community. The programme helps the inclusion of young people with disabilities in the workplace and offers valuable opportunities for professional development.

Facilitating dialogue on volunteerism and inclusion in Sri Lanka

UNV partnering with Sri Lanka
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The Ministry of Social Empowerment and Primary Industries of Sri Lanka collaborated with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme to develop the country's National Policy on Volunteerism. The policy will enable national-level engagement in the promotion, mobilization and coordination of organized volunteering in the country. This step has placed Sri Lanka at the forefront of countries with a framework to recognize the contributions of the volunteering sector to the overall development of the country.

Volunteerism is a significant part of Sri Lankan culture. In the World Giving Index published in October 2019 by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), Sri Lanka ranked number one in time volunteered. 

UNV sets new standard in digital transformation

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UNV is undertaking a digital transformation that will improve the impact UN Volunteers have on the 2030 Agenda and beyond. The UNV Digital Transformation (DT) project is a major digital leap to ensure that UNV succeeds in its ambitious plans to better serve the UN system in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through digitalization, we are committed to increased productivity, higher client satisfaction and reduced workload for staff.

UNV is modifying its systems to make becoming a UN Volunteer and recruiting a UN Volunteer both intuitive and digital savvy. The organization-wide DT project, which is supported by the Government of Germany, represented by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), leads to new organizational capabilities, augmented by frontier technologies such as AI, Big Data and cloud computing. With efficiency gains and real-time engagement with candidates and UN host entities alike, UNV will better respond to the most pressing needs of the UN and its Member States.

In Kazakhstan, UN Volunteers contribute their expertise and gain unique experience

UNV partnering with Kazakhstan
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Volunteerism has deep historical and cultural roots in Kazakhstan. The country has been always an active and committed partner for volunteerism, supporting relevant movements at global, regional and national level. At the EXPO 2017 in Nur-Sultan, Future Energy, 5,000 volunteers were mobilized, and 3,000 served at the 28th World Student and Youth Sport Winter Games "Universiade 2017" in Almaty.

To date in 2019, 33 UN Volunteers have been serving in Kazakhstan, 25 of them on national and eight on international assignments. They are placed with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Children's Fund, UN Population Fund, UN Refugee Agency, UN Resident Coordinator's Office, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific and UN Environment Programme. An additional 14 Kazakhstanis serve on international assignments abroad.

Mapping volunteer actions to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs in Asia

Bangkok, Thailand
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Katinka Weinberger, Chief of the Environment and Development Policy Section, Environment and Development Division at ESCAP, delivered the opening remarks.

By learning about the interconnected nature of the SDGs and using a systems thinking approach, we hope that you will be better equipped to support the integration of volunteerism in policies and programmes that place people at the center, to ensure that no one is left behind. --Katinka Weinberger, Chief of the Environment and Development Policy Section, ESCAP

UNV partnering with Germany

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The Government of Germany is a long-standing key partner of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, and regular consultations take place with the two lead ministries to assess and advance this multi-faceted partnership: the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Federal Foreign Office. UNV also collaborates with other stakeholders, including the State of North-Rhine Westphalia, City of Bonn, Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Center for International Peace Operations (ZIF) and the United Nations Association of Germany (DGVN).

Germany is host and strong partner to the United Nations presence in the country. The Federal City of Bonn is home to numerous UN organizations, programmes and offices. Today there are 24 UN institutions based in Bonn, with more than 1,000 members of staff. UNV moved to Bonn in 1996.

Learning big data and enhancing disability awareness with UNDP in Armenia

UN Volunteer Data Analysis Officer Namchok Petsaen
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The UNDP/UNV Talent Programme for Young Professionals with Disabilities enables youth to acquire experience and contribute to the United Nations as UN Volunteers. During 2018-2019, UNV deployed 15 persons with disabilities under the Talent Programme. Another 16 UN Volunteers and several online volunteers with disabilities served across the UN. Namchok Petsaen (Thailand) serves as a UN Volunteer Data Analysis Officer under the Talent Programme, and shares his experience with UNDP in Armenia.

I serve as a UN Volunteer with UNDP, as part of the Armenia National SDG Innovation Lab, which supports the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the country.  I came to Armenia in February 2019 with high expectations, keen to learn more about data analysis and big data. 

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