When I arrived in South Sudan in August 2017, I knew very little about the country, its people and culture. But I came with an open mind and absolute willingness to learn from the experience as I began my new role as a Child Protection Officer serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan in the Western Equatoria region.

Dirty water and poor sanitation is a major problem in Zambia in southern Africa, where 50 per cent of the population does not have access to sanitation. This has led to recurrent cholera outbreaks in many parts of the country.

For more than ten years, the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) has maintained a large-scale peacekeeping operation following years of civil war. The mission is unprecedented in its ever-evolving nature, due to challenges posed by the harsh desert conditions of West Sudan.

Systems for the social and legal protection of children in Sierra Leone are generally weak, under-resourced and poorly coordinated. These child protection challenges are often exacerbated in emergency situations.

International Volunteer Day is celebrated by many non-governmental organizations, civil society, and the private sector, among others. It is also marked and supported by the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme. UNV coordinates a campaign to promote IVD every year, building on the impact volunteers have in communities, nationally and globally for peace and development.

The community health volunteers movement has proved to be an effective instrument in awareness-raising campaigns in rural areas. Since the first round of training during 2012-2015, more than 1,644 community health volunteers have been working in the remote areas of Karakalpakstan. The volunteers are residents of local communities who spread the knowledge about the types of diseases prevalent in the region, their symptoms, preventive measures and importance of timely medical checkups.

As part of the implementation of the plan of action presented by the UN Secretary-General (A/70/118) to integrate volunteering for the next decade and beyond, UNV is facilitating the preparation of five regional synthesis reports, as an input to the 2019 regional consultations in preparation for the global technical meeting in 2020.

As part of the implementation of the plan of action presented by the UN Secretary-General (A/70/118) to integrate volunteering for the next decade and beyond, UNV is facilitating the preparation of five regional synthesis reports, as an input to the 2019 regional consultations in preparation for the global technical meeting in 2020.

Yulia graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Oriental Studies from the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) in Moscow and a double Master’s degree in Public Policy and International Relations from HSE the University of Bologna.

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme selects themes and campaigns to provide special meaning to IVD, creating a unifying concept for those who wish to join. The IVD 2016 campaign “#GlobalApplause – give volunteers a hand” cheered on the efforts of volunteers in peace building and sustainable development. The IVD 2017 campaign “Volunteers Act First. Here. Everywhere.” recognized the work of volunteers on the ground in times of crisis through events and celebrations in a display of solidarity.