Giving clarity and certainty to UN Volunteers and their host agencies, is vital. UNV has put measures and guidelines in place to ensure duty of care for its currently serving 6,000 UN Volunteers who are deployed with over 50 UN entity partners worldwide.

Over the past two years, more and more UN Volunteers have been serving with WHO in support of its operations in the Arab States (from 8 in 2018 to 50 in 2020). Today, these UN Volunteers are part of the organization’s efforts to support an effective COVID-19 response by governments of the region, serving in functions varying from technical support and public information, to general administration, financial and personnel management.

On March 20th in Kenya, the the Government of Kenya, United Nations and International Community convened in Nairobi to join forces in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya.

UN Peacekeeping radio stations play a vital role in informing communities in conflict-affected states about the coronavirus pandemic and how people can keep safe. A better-informed public is key to fight COVID-19 and peacekeeping radio is playing its part.  “The stations ability to reach both big urban centers and isolated communities in countries which lack basic communications infrastructure, can play an important role in addressing the disease.” states UN News on March 27th, 2020. 

On 11 March, the World Health Organization characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic. Africa was initially spared from the outbreak; however, this has since changed rapidly. The entry of COVID-19 onto the continent is a serious issue of concern to the region's socio-economic and political stability. According to WHO, Africa bears 71% of the global distribution of communicable diseases, against a backdrop of relatively weaker health-care systems.

Zhao had just started his UN Volunteer assignment with UNDP, during the coronavirus outbreak. Having the option to also travel to his hometown for the Spring Festival, with the impending crisis in hand, Zhao decided to stay back in his duty station to support the prevention and response efforts for COVID-19 instead.  Zhao’s hometown Yuhang District, Hangzhou City, in China’s Zhejiang Province, is about 1,300kms apart from his duty station in Chengbu Miao Autonomous County, Shaoyang City, Hunan Province.

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is placing strains on health systems and essential public services throughout the world. The World Health Organization has described COVID-19 as an unprecedented threat to our global community. The full scale and impact of COVID-19 is not yet known. However, what is clear is the need for skilled professionals and civic engagement in the response; particularly in countries where the United Nations is working. 

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is placing strains on health systems and essential public services throughout the world. The World Health Organization has described COVID-19 as an unprecedented threat to our global community. The full scale and impact of COVID-19 is not yet known. However, what is clear is the need for skilled professionals and civic engagement in the response; particularly in countries where the United Nations is working.