International Volunteer Day (IVD), mandated by the UN General Assembly, is held each year on the 5th of December. This International Day is a unique chance for volunteers and organizations to celebrate their efforts, to share their values, and to promote their work among their communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, government authorities, and the private sector. IVD 2015, “Your world is changing. Are you? Volunteer!” starts a dialogue about how volunteerism is vital to the success of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

International Volunteer Day (IVD), mandated by the UN General Assembly, is held each year on the 5th of December. This International Day is a unique chance for volunteers and organizations to celebrate their efforts, to share their values, and to promote their work among their communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, government authorities, and the private sector. IVD 2015, “Your world is changing. Are you? Volunteer!” starts a dialogue about how volunteerism is vital to the success of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Monrovia, Liberia: Living through the Ebola epidemic in Liberia, I observed first-hand what was achieved by the global community. By complementing local efforts, it controlled and contained what could have otherwise become another viral infectious disease of global epidemic proportions. The key actions that contributed to the successful control of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa were essentially the prompt actions taken by the UN to marshal resources and other stakeholders to control the spread of the virus.

When Nepal experienced a devastating earthquake on 25 April last year with the epicentre close to Kathmandu, UNV responded by rapidly recruiting about 200 national UN Volunteers, funded by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and fielded them in such vital areas as coordination of the response effort, rubble removal and early reconstruction.

Volunteers are playing a vital role in making governments worldwide more accountable and responsive to their citizens, but their potential is seriously under-valued, a new report from the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme said today. The State of the World’s Volunteerism Report 2015 is the first global survey of the contribution of volunteers to better governance, a prerequisite for the success of the new Sustainable Development Goals to be agreed at the United Nations in September.

Bentiu, South Sudan: When Katia Cristina Da Silva, from Portugal, joined the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in 2007, her main goal was to use her skills to improve the lives of others and share her expertise to enhance the capacity of others.  Since then, Katia has been a UN Volunteer in East Timor, Nepal, Sudan, and South Sudan. In April 2013, Katia joined the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) as a UNV Civil Affairs Officer having been a UN Volunteer with the United Nations Mission in Sudan  from 2009 to 2011.

Kigali, Rwanda: 19 815 is the number of peacekeepers deployed to the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). Sent by 52 troop-contributing countries, contingents are deployed for a period that varies from six to eight months before being replaced with a new contingent. The deployment and repatriation of contingents take place in Entebbe, Bujumbura or Kigali, where MONUSCO has MovCon liaison offices.

Bangui, Central African Republic:  I am Italian and define myself as a “soul traveller”. Prior to moving to the Central African Republic (CAR), I have been working, living and studying overseas for the last 10 years. Over the time, I developed expertise in the areas of capacity building, migration, and human trafficking across different countries mainly from South/Southeast Asia, and Africa.

Man, Côte d'Ivoire: Originally from Niger, My name is Samira Keita and I am a United Nations Volunteer Civil Affairs Officer in Man, Ivory Coast. Having earned a Master’s Degree in NGO Management and Development from the London School of Economics in the United Kingdom, I was first introduced to the work of the United Nations while interning at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva, becoming a consultant in the aftermath.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti: I’m Adoum Goulgué, I’m UN volunteer at the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). I work as a journalist-editor in the United Nations police (UNPOL) Section. But before that, I worked as responsible for public information at the publication unit, section of the Communication Office of Public Information, where I arrived on 01st July 2013. I have 10 years of experience in journalism, including four in the weekly newspaper in Chad, and four others as communication officer with humanitarian NGOs in eastern Chad.