Mogadishu - Mr. Geoffrey Prewitt, Chief of the Development Programming Section at UNV Bonn, Germany, visited Somalia last week and interacted with UN volunteers placed in various UN agencies in the country. He also met with senior UN officials in Mogadishu.

Prewitt addressed a joint town hall meeting of UN Volunteers on Sunday, at the UN Compound in Mogadishu. Volunteers from Somalia’s regional capitals joined the meeting via Video Teleconference (VTC).

He commended the UN volunteers for their dedication to Somalia’s peacebuilding efforts. He also acknowledged the self sacrifices they have made, to work in highly challenging environments in field offices across the country.

“This is a difficult situation and I am under no false illusion that you are serving with courage and inspiration,” he told the UN Volunteers during a well attended Town Hall meeting.

The volunteers shared and discussed with Mr. Prewitt various issues regarding their welfare, deployment, recruitment and retention.

There are at least 39 UN Volunteers in the UN country programme currently under placement in different UN offices in Somalia’s key administrative towns - Belet Weyne, Baidoa, Bosaso, Garowe, Hargeisa, Kismayo - and the capital Mogadishu.