Mogadishu – UN Volunteers (UNV) in Somalia marked International Volunteer Day on 6 December, with renewed dedication to impact positively the communities where they work.

The volunteers were joined by senior UN officials for a day of reflection and recognition of their solidarity in answering to calls of crisis and helping save lives.

“On behalf of the SRSG, I wish to express our gratitude for the contribution of UNVs, the contribution that they make to the work of UN in Somalia,” Raizedon Zenenga, the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (DSRCC) for Somalia said.

UNSOS Head, Hubert Price, noted that the UN volunteer programme had brought on board personnel who have made a critical contribution to UN missions in various parts of the world. 

“I hope the UNV programme will continue to be a key part of what we do in the field for many years to come,” Price remarked.

“I hope you will have found it to be a very unique and rewarding experience; that you will encourage others to come and follow what you have done”.

While describing the UNV programme as a valuable part of the UN system, George Conway, the Country Director of the United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) encouraged the presence of volunteers in all the UN agencies in Somalia.

“I note that there are five agencies that have the bulk of the UNVs, in the country and it is something that we would like to see more of,’ Conway said.

There are 60 UN volunteers working in UN agencies in Somalia, 51 of them in the regional capitals of Baidoa, Belet Weyne, Bossaso, Galkacyo, Garowe, Hargeisa, and Kismayo; while nine others are based in Nairobi.

Mandated by the UN, International Volunteer Day is observed annually on December 5. The day provides an opportunity to highlight the unique contribution of volunteers in the organizations which answer to calls of crises around the world.