Orphée landed her internship with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in Panama "auf Umwegen", as she says in German, or in an unanticipated way. Initially, she was assigned to a different duty station, but when that assignment was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, her fluency in Spanish qualified her for Panama. "I wanted to contribute to peace and development and felt a direct connection to volunteerism," Orphée shares.

Djimet Nangtour is a visually impaired national UN Volunteer deployed to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Chad. His assignment is fully funded by the Government of Germany. As a Legal Advisor and Human Rights Specialist, he is responsible for conducting analyses of national laws and regulations. The advice and guidance he provides to his host organization helps to identify abuses and/or violations of the human rights of individuals, including people with disabilities.

Q. Anita, can you tell us about the programme you are serving with? A. The programmes where I am involved are the FAO-Kosovo Programming Framework and Programme on Forestry titled "Support to strengthening sustainable and multi-purpose forest management to improve rural livelihoods and address climate change in Kosovo." Both will enhance Kosovo’s capacities for sustainable use of natural resources and contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), for instance, Life on Land.

Nichakarn joined the UNDP-UNV Talent Programme for Young Professionals with Disabilities in October 2020. As a person with a visual impairment, she encountered numerous challenges, such as a non-inclusive system, attitudinal barriers and inaccessible learning materials.

According to my mother; Miriam Palma, when I was one year old, I was diagnosed with retinoblastoma. At the age of four, I completely lost my sight. My family was in shock by my situation, they did all that they could, and there was no option for surgery. I have had to deal with my condition my entire life. "Today, I can say that I found the way to reach my full potential," says Antonio Palma, UN Volunteer serving for the UN Resident Coordinator's Office.

With a background and experience in law, access to justice and youth empowerment, Tiffany positioned herself to support the Governance portfolio within the multi-country office. She was involved in the programmatic and implementation side of things at the start.

Persons with disabilities are the largest minority group in the world. In Latin America and the Caribbean, they represent around 13 per cent of the population (Source: Inter-American Development Bank).

As part of UNV’s disability inclusion strategy, this initiative aims to build a talent pipeline of qualified professionals with disabilities who can contribute to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at national and global levels, with a focus on national capacity. The initiative also supports UN partners to expand diversity and inclusion of persons with disabilities in their workforce worldwide. Eligibility and requirements