What do the hidden figures tell us? Looking beyond averages will tell a slightly different story about how we fare with achieving gender balance in volunteering - at UNV and at the global level.  For example, if we disaggregate data on UNV gender averages, we will see that in some regions such as in Western and Central Africa, the average drops to 40-60 in favour of male volunteers, whereas in Latin America, the number of women volunteers tend to be higher. 

As I reflect on this year’s International Women’s Day’s theme “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world”, I cannot help but be tempted to reconsider women’s triple roles of productive, reproductive, and community work in society, often referred to as their triple “burden”. What if this triple burden, which predisposes women to be the hardest hit by this pandemic, was the stepping-stone that will make women the backbone of recovery in communities?

Calling on YOU to join our Talent Pool! UNV is lining up skilled professionals to support UN entities – and through them UN Member States – in their COVID-19 vaccination campaigns. This includes key partners such as the UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), International Organization for Migration (IOM), World Food Programme (WFP) and World Health Organization (WHO).

UN Women, in partnership with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, is excited to introduce the UN Women “Young Women Leaders” (YWL) initiative. The YWL initiative will engage a diverse cohort of young women from the Global South who are committed to gender equality and women’s empowerment and to the mission and work of the United Nations. It will also allow the sharing of experiences among young leaders from diverse backgrounds across UN Women and further enhance diversity in UN Women’s personnel.

UN Volunteer Giada Rubina supports a specialized OHCHR unit in Honduras that promotes dialogue and provides technical assistance. She is particularly concerned with strict lockdown measures that have decreased access to legal aid, limited rights awareness and the movement of rights activists.  

Prior to this, Toily worked as the Deputy Executive Coordinator of UN Volunteers since 2016 and played an important role in positioning UNV in the context of the 2030 Agenda and UN reform. With over twenty-five years of leadership experience at the international and national level, his expertise includes a range of critical areas, including sustainable development and public policy in countries in transition and fragile contexts, as well as strategic partnerships and organizational transformation.

COVID-19 has intensified the need to adapt to technology and embrace new ways of working. Volunteering is no different. To scale up its response to the pandemic, UNDP's Crisis Bureau initiated a partnership with UNV earlier this year that allows rapid deployment of subject-area experts remotely.

On this IVD, with the campaign ‘Together We Can through Volunteering’, we showcase volunteers’ contributions and impact during COVID-19 and thank volunteers for their actions and commitment. We are also highlighting that volunteers must be safe and taken care of, both mentally and physically. The United Nations stands-by volunteering as a mechanism to advance people participation and action for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). And now, while the world is in crisis, the UN expresses the even more essential engagement of volunteers for response and recovery. 

Get involved in our campaign, which bears the tagline Together we can through volunteering. Use the hashtags #Togetherwecan[blueheart] #HeartYourMask[blue heart] and #IVD2020 with your “thank you” message for volunteers on social media. Don't forget to tag @unvolunteers.   INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEER DAY 2020