The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in Myanmar, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), runs a Disaster Risk Reduction Youth Volunteer (DRRYV) project in support of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement.

Sustainable development requires that disaster risks are reduced and communities are better prepared for response and recovery. United Nations Volunteers (UNV) is the UN organization that contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. As part of its mission, UNV supports global efforts to reduce the impact of disasters by working at national and community level to support disaster prevention and risk reduction strategies. UN Volunteers actively support governments and local communities with disaster risk reduction and prevention efforts.

Port-au-Prince, Haiti: My name is Francesca Pinna, I am a United Nations Volunteer in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Office in Haiti. I never thought that I would get engaged in the field of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). It happened by chance after the earthquake that hit the Italian city of Aquila in 2009. I understood what an unexpected natural disaster could really provoke and how much destruction could have been avoided through an adequate knowledge of disaster risks and appropriate preparedness.

Manila, Philippines: My name is Alma B. Sevillano, I am from the Philippines and I work as a UN Volunteer for the Haiyan Response and Recovery programme.  

The International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR), celebrated every year on 13 October, encourages every citizen and government to take part in building more disaster resilient communities and nations. It is a day to celebrate how people and communities are reducing their risk to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of DRR.

Young Football Volunteers project (YFV) held their first Training of Trainers. The training was organized in cooperation with the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), Football Federation of Ukraine (FFU) and State Service on Youth and Sports. Sixteen teachers of physical education and youth football coaches from rural areas of AR Crimea, Kherson and Mykolayiv oblasts were trained on Youth Development through Football methodology (YDF) or “Fair Play”. The training launched the series of events planned in the framework of YFV project.

UN Development Programme Sub-Office in Crimea has launched the project “Yong Football Volunteers: Sport and Volunteering for MDG”, 2012 - 2015. The Project is implemented in partnership with the State Service for Youth and Sports (SSYS), Football Federation of Ukraine, UN Volunteers Programme, and UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace. The project team started its work in rural areas of Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the oblast (province) of Kherson and Mykolayiv oblast.