Rumbek, South Sudan: As a UNV Human Rights Officer with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), the main part of my assignment is to monitor, verify and report human rights violations as per the Mandate (2241, 2015).

Quito, Ecuador:  During my one-year assignment in Quito, Ecuador, I supported the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women). I focused on the programmes that aim to prevent violence against women and girls and to ensure the restitution of their rights.    Violence against women and girls is one of the most frequent violations of human rights. Some consider it a pandemic, as no country is exempt from it.

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire: As a master student in Canada, I studied Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) processes in West African countries. While doing my internship with UNDP in Namibia, a colleague who was a UN Volunteer encouraged me to register online. I did not have a clue what the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme was, but I took her advice anyway. About a year later, I was recruited to serve as UN Volunteer DDR Officer, which was an academic dream come true.

Quito, Ecuador:  Women in all parts of the world suffer violence and discrimination. They are under-represented in political and economic decision-making processes. They lack access to decent work, face gender gaps and are often denied access to basic education and health care. UN WOMEN is trying to address these global challenges.

Lusaka, Zambia: I did not hesitate to take up the UNV Programme Officer’s assignment in Zambia when the opportunity arose. I had attained my MSc. in Development Management and long experience of what volunteerism contributes to both individuals and their communities.

Bentiu, South Sudan: As soon as I blow the starting whistle, 12 women crash into me, one after the other, hitting as hard has any man ever could. When the stampede passes I see 50 women tearing off into the distance down the back road of the Bentiu protection of civilians (POC) camp in Unity State, South Sudan.

Brasilia, Brazil: Volunteerism is giving your time and expertise in exchange for knowledge, and the opportunity to be part of the changes you want to make in the world. I urge everyone to become a volunteer in any way you can. You can start by helping people in your own community, then you will be helping people from the whole country, and then, who knows, you may also be helping people from all over the world. 

Kabul, Afghanistan: I am really glad to have had the opportunity to work as a UN Volunteer in Afghanistan since 2012. The time and work here is enriching and words cannot explain the satisfaction obtained from the field experience, whenever I am greeted with not just the warm welcome but the look of gratitude and joy from the very poor, yet very hospitable families in the remote locations of the Northern region of Afghanistan, where up until this year access was not a problem.

New Delhi, India: Working as a UN Volunteer in an organisation like UNHCR is a life changing experience. It takes you out of your bubble and gives you the opportunity to understand real issues faced by people—people like you and me, people who have similar dreams and ambitions. As life forced them to become refugees in a land that is not their own, challenging their life skills and adaptation capabilities, they somehow find the resilience, the courage and determination to rebuild their lives.

Kankan, Upper Guinea; Guinea-Conakry: When I took up the role of the UN Youth Volunteer for the High Commissioner for Human Rights, I was not quite sure what to expect. "From the university benches, past lectures and books to the real-life practice of human rights on the field." These words are what come to mind when I try to summarise those three weeks on mission to monitor human rights in Guinea.