I serve with the Environment and Occupational Safety and Health Unit. Every newcomer to UNMISS, whether civilian, military, or police, goes through environmental induction training. My responsibility is to make sure they understand how important it is to consider the environment in everything they do. We look at aspects such as wastewater management, solid waste management, and energy use.

What inspired you to join UNMISS as a UN Volunteer? 

Excellencies, distinguished guests, dear volunteers, It is my honour to welcome you today, as we pay tribute to the late Mr. Atsuhito Nakata. Thirty years after his passing in 1993, we are here to remember the dedication and commitment of a young man, who chose to serve as UN Volunteer to help build a peaceful and democratic society in Cambodia.

From 19-22 September, Ms Kyoko Yokosuka, UNV Deputy Executive Coordinator, visited South Sudan to meet with partners and UN Volunteers serving in the country.

Over the past five months, I have had the privilege to serve with UNMISS as a volunteer. I support a diverse and passionate team of peacekeepers who create a secure environment for the voluntary and dignified return and reintegration of internally displaced persons and refugees displaced during South Sudan’s civil war, or more recently due to climate-induced disasters and inter-communal clashes.

The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), established in September 2014, now has over 305 UN Volunteers. On the occasion of the International Day of UN Peacekeepers, we share a video message from Mr Emmanuel K. Agawu, Chief of Operations and Resource Management at MINUSCA.

I have always been interested in women's rights, gender equality and volunteerism. My first volunteer experience goes back to my undergraduate days when I joined the university's official volunteer programme, Ugnayan ng Pahinungod, which nurtures volunteers working with the Philippines' local communities. I also worked as an intern for the Huairou Commission in New York, which provided me with ample exposure to women's rights issues and an understanding of key global issues.

The volunteers occupy various functions within the fifty sections of MINUSMA. Among them are medical staff, human rights specialists, electoral advisers, air movement specialists and logisticians. Like an orchestra, everyone plays their part in this large ensemble in order to restore peace. The experiences and life paths of these UN Volunteers differ, but cardinal values animate them and bring them together. They have the merit of being committed, dynamic and of offering solutions.

Whether with the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Missions in Mali (MINUSMA), the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), or the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSO), female UN Volunteers address the root causes of conflicts and evolving security challenges that impact the people.

I started my career in the UN System as a UN Volunteer from 2007 to 2013, serving in two UN missions. As a former UN Volunteer, I still have the foundation of volunteerism in my profession. I strongly believe that counselling and volunteerism are quite similar, as both help people to counter the effects of stress, anger and anxiety, as well as combat depression.