Rita Chiara Mele, UN Volunteer Energy Specialist, UNDP Comoros In Small Islands Development States (SIDS) like Comoros, gender and climate change are deeply interconnected. For instance, in the clean cooking sector, women have limited access to modern cooking services and still use traditional biofuels such as firewood, which cause deforestation and increase community vulnerability to climate change. 

In her work, Sabrina supports UNICEF programmes for gender equality through data analysis in gender-disaggregated ways – including both gender and disability at the field level data collection and analysis. This aids decision-makers to observe the changes and take appropriate action to improve the programme by ensuring equal opportunity for children, women, and persons with disabilities. 

Through UNDRR’s virtual meetings, calls, and discussions, I have expanded my network and gained a greater understanding of how Sustainable Development Goal 11 – focusing on making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable – is implemented.

Bénédicte Kindji, from Benin, is an international UN Volunteer with UN Women. She supports the dissemination and availability of information, and is responsible for monitoring the office's legal issues. Additionally, Bénédicte assists in the management of administrative issues related to human resources, and promotes knowledge building and management.

At the start of Melody's  UN Volunteer assignment in Namwala District in Southern regions of Zambia, she supported the programme's implementation in the remote District along with a senior agriculture government official. As part of her assignment, she conducted research on different well-being indicators and prepared various project documents, including concept notes, advisories, budgets, work plans and reports.

Natalie Ismail is a UN Youth Volunteer serving as Youth Engagement and Water Scarcity Support Officer with UNICEF Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa, based in Amman, Jordan. She is the focal point for participatory action research in the region. Through this role, Natalie raises awareness and builds the capacity of young people for climate-related issues.

Millions of women, men, girls and boys around the world actively volunteer, using their time and efforts to help others. Since volunteering is done by, and between people, there are differences in the way women and men participate in volunteering activities. These differences include, for example, the amount of time women and men spend volunteering, the institutional context (formal vs.

With the main responsibility of assisting the Public Health Officer in the development and implementation of COVID-19 response programme, I learned that volunteering does not entail only performing your assigned duties, but to providing support to all spheres of the organization mainly the Global Fund Project Management Unit.

Youth-led organizations consider youth issues a crosscutting theme in sustainable development. One example is UNDP Nepal’s My Way, Green Way campaign.  Campaign organizers distribute bicycles to young girls in various parts of Nepal to provide easy and independent transport to and from school. A mobile application has also been launched that incentivizes bicycle use per kilometer. 

The project mainly targets women and young people of ethnic minorities and vulnerable groups such as those below the poverty line, rural residents, and persons with disabilities. Among this group are the ones in three project sites at an altitude of over 4000 meters including Yushu City, which was heavily impacted by the 7.1 magnitude earthquake in 2010.   Aimin, a national UN Volunteer Project Coordinator, has worked on this project since 2019. She supports programme management in planning, management, reporting, and coordination with various stakeholders.