Alexandra seized the opportunity to serve as a national UN Volunteer Youth Engagement Officer with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Serbia. The assignment sparked her will to contribute to UNICEF’s mission, especially as a young person herself. Now, as she finishes her assignment, Aleksandra describes her experience as crosscutting and most enriching.

As a Civil Engineer, I support building compounds when staff has to move to new offices. Since December 2020, I have overseen the construction of 48 offices. Along with this task, I am also in charge of civil infrastructure, sanitation and environmental projects within Goma town. I provide daily reports on activities and also contribute to the results of my section. 

The winners are Ahmed Alrough in Yemen; Ana Maria Castro in Ecuador; Cemail Morina in Serbia; Dora Kunda in South Sudan; Emanuel Foukou in Cameroon; Mai Abdelwahab in South Sudan; Namchok Petsaen in Thailand; Njobati Sylvie Vernyuy in the Republic of the Congo; Seung Choe in Nepal; and Uyen Vu in Viet Nam.

The UN Community Volunteers represent the UNDP in these communities and are responsible for implementing the project at various levels. They assist in identifying small and medium enterprises with small initiatives and support them in organizing their projects.

For Fahamiya Abdou, World Environment Day is special for more than one reason. As a highly experienced environmental professional, preserving nature and the environment has always been close to her heart. But World Environment Day also marks the anniversary of her journey to joining the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as a UN Volunteer for an ecosystem restoration project. 

Since the establishment of the United Nations-African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) in 2007, 696 UN Volunteers have served with the mission.  These have included specialists in human rights, civil affairs, protection and electoral support, alongside technical and administrative experts as well. This year, UNAMID is closing down and is being replaced with a new mission, the United Nations Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS)

"If I’m still healthy, my dream is to continue to serve as a volunteer till I’m 76, if possible. If not, I’ll have to hope to be reborn to have a new shot at it," the veteran volunteer says. Having "retired" for good in the Netherlands in 2016, his adopted home country since 2003, Rudolf was no longer fettered by the time limit for UN volunteering in the field that applies to others, non-pensioners. That same year, he jumped at an opportunity to make Rumbek his base for a new adventure, and he hasn’t looked back since.

What does a typical workday look like for you?

As a medical doctor, I have worked in conflict situations for most of my career. Since 2006, I have served as a medical doctor in Kabul, Afghanistan and Dili and Baucau in Timor Leste. During my assignments there, I helped set up UN level I clinics and handled medical issues similar to what I am handling now in South Sudan.