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.

Yasmine Mohamed Mohamed Zaki El-Demerdash is a UN Volunteer Reception Coordinator with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Egypt.

Wendy Betancourt García (Colombia) is a UN Volunteer Project assistant with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Colombia.

My first experience with the United Nations was with the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo* (UNMIK) in February 2000. I was responsible for preparing for the first ever elections in the newly divided region. The excitement of working with UNMIK was incomparable to anything I had done before. I came into contact with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme later when I was heading the Victims’ Recovery and Identification Commission. I got the rare opportunity and privilege to work with a team of UN Volunteers.

To commemorate the International Day of Peace, the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Pretoria partnered with UN Volunteers and the African Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) to educate learners on peace and its link to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The day began at Curro Independent School in Roodeplaat where primary school learners were informed and quizzed about their knowledge of the UN and what peace means to them with many saying that peace “is to not fight and to find solutions to conflicts.”

To commemorate the International Day of Peace, the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Pretoria partnered with UN Volunteers and the African Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) to educate learners on peace and its link to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The day began at Curro Independent School in Roodeplaat where primary school learners were informed and quizzed about their knowledge of the UN and what peace means to them with many saying that peace “is to not fight and to find solutions to conflicts.”

The Day’s theme for 2016 is “The Sustainable Development Goals: Building Blocks for Peace.” In the last 25 years, UN Volunteers have served in more than 50 UN missions in over 30 countries, supporting peace processes in war-torn societies and countries in complex political transition around the world. UN Volunteers help rebuild the social fabric in post-conflict communities, raise awareness on human rights, accompany the victims of violence in seeking justice, and support the healing process.