We are proud of our UN Volunteers, who bring such positive energy, knowledge and talent to the team. UNDP has long placed youth at the heart of our development framework and is eager to advance the inclusion of youth with disabilities. I strongly believe the contributions of our volunteers will be a catalyst in addressing many challenges people with disability face in the country. --Aliona Niculita, Resident Representative a.i. , UNDP Pakistan

My main goal at UNDP was to remove barriers to employment for persons with disabilities and to educate employers on how to create accessible and inclusive working environments. --Sasha Audzevich

To date in 2020, at least 71 UN Volunteer with disabilities are deployed with our UN entity partners. We say at least, because these figures only factor in those volunteers who voluntarily disclosed their disability. There are many more, serving on regular volunteer assignments.

The Government of Germany is a long-standing key partner of UNV, and regular partner consultations take place with the two lead ministries in Bonn and Berlin, and with the German mission to the UN in New York, to assess and advance this multi-faceted partnership: the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Federal Foreign Office. The focus of the recent dialogue was on the current collaboration as well as broader issues relate

Many factors motivated me to volunteer: I always wanted to be an agent of change to change mindsets towards persons with disabilities and disability-related matters. I further wanted to prove to the world – through my actions and contributions – that disability does not mean inability. --Pelgrina Shimanu Ndumba, UN Volunteer with UNDP, serving under the UNDP-UNV Talent Programme for Young Professionals with Disabilities

As a member of the procurement team, Yurii contributes to almost 20 projects. UNDP Ukraine provides procurement support services to the Ministry of Health and the Recovery and Peacebuilding and Democratic Governance Programmes.

I was recruited by UNDP in Zimbabwe to provide technical support to the UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Spotlight Initiative on disability-inclusive programming and interventions.

Amidst the #COVID19 outbreak, and countries closing off borders, we’ve been hearing stories of stigma against foreigners in many parts of the world: from suspicious looks in public places to difficulties in hailing taxis or rides. Asia is generally welcoming, respectful and hospitable to tourists and foreigners so this is new territory for visitors and citizens alike. And it needs to be said that this is certainly unacceptable, unforgiveable, and intolerable.

In September 2019, the declaration, “gearing up for a decade of action and delivery for sustainable development” was adopted at the United Nations General Assembly. World leaders called for a decade of action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and committed to their own actions to advance the agenda. Now that the Decade of Action is upon us, UNV is also committing to more action for the achievement of the SDGs.