Since its birth, South Sudan has been facing unprecedented humanitarian and development challenges. Over the years, the United Nations has been working closely with the Government to strengthen national institutions, empower communities, maintain peace, support humanitarian efforts and improve food security.  To support these efforts in the country, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme has been deploying national and international UN Volunteers with a wide range of professional expertise. Currently, South Sudan hosts the second largest deployment of UN Volunteers globally, after Colombia, with 598 UN Volunteers. These volunteers serve UN entities in the fields of health, engineering, aviation, transport and logistics, legal affairs, refugee protection, child protection, human rights, gender affairs, communications and public information, among other areas.