Volunteers have played a critical role in the response to HIV since the earliest days of the epidemic. UNAIDS recognizes their importance, values their engagement and will continue to support their contribution in joining global efforts to end AIDS. --Tim Martineau, UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director, Management and Governance, a.i.

Over the years, UNDP Uganda has been central in supporting national HIV/AIDS management activities and events in Uganda, such as participating in the development of the HIV/AIDS National Strategic Plan 2020-2025, integrating HIV and human rights in the National Development Plan 2020-2025 and convening HIV/AIDs awareness events, for example on World AIDS Day, International Candle Light Day and Philly Lutaaya Day. UNDP Uganda’s engagement in these spaces has emphasized human rights programming within the HIV fight.

From India, to Uzbekistan and Zambia, the spirit and commitment of volunteerism is alive and well.

Rotaract, Sri Lanka's largest non-aligned youth movement, has not only been an eminent force of strength in bringing up the talents and skills of our youth to a greater stage, but also an impactful contributor towards supporting deserving communities within Sri Lanka and even beyond. Rotaract in Sri Lanka and Maldives has aimed at assisting the nation with safeguarding the country from COVID-19 and its effects.

The 2019 Human Development Report noted that one of the most persistent forms of inequality is gender inequality. Rooted in social norms and exclusion, girls and women are more likely to have fewer opportunities and stay mired in a cycle of generational poverty.

We live in turbulent times and compacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the issue of mental health is not only relevant but crucial. Mental health is more than the presence or absence of a mental illness. It is a crossroad between emotional, psychological, and physical well-being.

Water filters, soap and hand sanitizers are essential for the survival and development of children – especially those who struggle every day from poor sanitation and a lack of access to drinking water – and have become more critical than ever during the global pandemic. In Viet Nam, UNICEF’s WASH team has distributed critical supplies to communal health centres and communities in selected provinces, reaching over 2.1 million people as of November 2020 through their immediate response.

Angela Gregório António Chale Macie, UN Volunteer with WFP in Nampula, Mozambique Just a couple of months before COVID-19 spread across nearly every border in the world, Ângela Gregório António Chale Macie began serving as a United Nations Volunteer in Nampula, Mozambique. Little did she know just how critical her role would become for the people in Erati district when the Coronavirus endangered their already-limited access to food.

COVID-19 threatens millions already vulnerable due to food insecurity Just a couple of months before COVID-19 spread across nearly every border in the world, Ângela Gregório António Chale Macie began serving as a UN Volunteer in Nampula, Mozambique. Little did she know just how critical her role would become for the people in Erati district when the Coronavirus endangered their already-limited access to food.