Hello everyone! I am currently working as a Capacity Building Officer for the UNICEF country office in Viet Nam, based in Ha Noi. My programme is called the ‘Provincial Child Friendly Programme’ and aims to strengthen the capacities of provincial authorities to take into account Children’s Rights. Concretely, most of my time goes to supporting UNICEF’s research undertaken in the provinces, to preparing programme documents and reports, to developing concepts and strategies for our engagement at the decentralized level and to strengthening linkages between UNICEF and other donors who work on governance in Viet Nam.

Describe one specific project that you have worked on, which promoted volunteering and was successful in mobilizing people.

Together with all the other UNV’s in Ha Noi, we have committed to being ‘Green Champions’ and to making our respective offices more environmentally friendly. In Viet Nam, all the UN agencies are preparing to move into a ‘One UN Green House’ by the end of 2012 as part of the ‘Delivering as One Initiative’. Instead of waiting until then, we have decided to already start ‘greening’ our behaviours and call upon others to follow our example. As a young and motivated ‘inter-agency’ group, UNV’s can have a real impact when they coordinate their advocacy for behaviour change in their different host agencies.

This month (September) is a huge milestone because we launch our three-month ‘Greening the One UN in Viet Nam Campaign’, aiming to reduce the environmental impact of the UN’s operations in Viet Nam. As a group, we contributed to drafting the ‘Green Action Plan’, with specific targets, which will help us gain the World Wildlife Fund’s ‘Green Office Certificate’. In addition, many of the Campaign’s activities are spearheaded by Green Champion UNV’s: for example, we are organizing ‘green (i.e. vegetarian) lunches’ and green film screenings (or ‘Sgreenings’, as we like to call them). One major challenge is improving the environmental friendliness of our transport. Getting people to bike to work, when it’s 38 degrees and humidity is 98 per cent, is no easy task! But that won’t stop us (see picture).

Have you seen any personal growth in yourself since arriving in the field?

Certainly. It’s been a tremendous experience to live and work in such a fascinating country and not a day goes by that I don’t feel lucky to be here. With regards to personal growth, I believe it’s fair to say I have refined my intercultural skills and learnt much about Vietnamese, and by extension, South-East Asian culture and traditions.

What has been your favourite experience since arriving in the field?

One of the most interesting aspects of working in a decentralization project is that I have the opportunity to travel to the different provinces where UNICEF is active. In May I visited An Giang province, in the Mekong Delta Region for a consultation workshop on the ‘Situation Analysis of the Children of An Giang’, a comprehensive research report we are currently finalizing. The first evening our counterparts, staff from the Department of Planning and Investment, invited us to go sing karaoke with them. It was great fun and I really enjoyed the submersion into Vietnamese culture. The bad news was (ignoring my exceptionally poor singing skills) that all the songs were in Vietnamese, so not easy to sing along! Nevertheless, I gave it a shot, and our counterparts seemed to appreciate the effort. At least, I think they did.

Simone Targetti Ferri Volontaire des Nations Unies Chargé de programme dans le domaine de l’eau et de l’environnement Rabat

Giulia Martin

25 refugee women hosted the tea party. The guests included Her Excellency, the Irish Ambassador, Sile Maguire and representatives from the Danish Embassy, the African Union, and the UNHCR and the Spouses of Diplomats and Heads of Mission.

The President of the Urban Refugee Women’s Association spoke of her gratitude to the Irish Ambassador. She was referring to the donation of $1000 from the Irish Embassy which was granted to the Urban Refugee Women’s Association in May. The fund is ear-marked for organizations that support and empower women and promote women’s rights.

“We now have our own bank account, thanks to the funding we have received indirectly from the Irish Embassy. Slowly we are taking control, organising ourselves and now we are able to support each other. We are going to provide home visits to very vulnerable refugees and establish a Mothers and Babies group.”

She also spoke of the hardship of being a refugee

“It is scary when your husband can no longer protect you, we’ve lost everything, we witnessed terrible horrors and now we are alone in Ethiopia. That is why we have come together to form this organisation. There is strength in numbers and we can share experiences, advice and support to each other”.

Her Excellency, the Irish Ambassador, Sile Maguire commented on how difficult it is to imagine the experiences of a refugee yet it’s encouraging to see the positive steps that these women are doing to help and support themselves.

Speaking at the event, HE Sile Maguire said:

“You are our sisters. It is difficult for us to imagine the horrors you have faced, we can only imagine what a refugee must endure.”

“It is inspiring to see how you have come together to form your Association, how you have decided to ‘unite’ and offer support and help to each other. In Irish we have a saying, ‘Ar scath a cheile a mhaireann na dhaoine’, which is translated as ‘we live in one another’s shelter’.  It is you, the Women’s Association, which brings real meaning to this phrase. You offer strength and support to each other and you are looking after each other.”

The Ambassador also commented on the level of interest the Irish government has on the issue of refugees.

“The Irish government is particularly interested in the issue of refugees. An example of their commitment to the cause of refugees is that the Irish government funded three international UNVs to the UNHCR to provide expertise and additional support to the services provided to help refugees.”

The Urban Refugee Women’s Association was established 2 years ago and works closely with the Irish Aid sponsored UNHCR Community Mobilizer, Ms Niamh O’Sullivan.

Facts:

Currently Ethiopia alone hosts over 100,000, refugees from conflict ridden countries such as Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

To ackowledge the plight of refugees, the UN has designated June 20th as World Refugee Day.

By Sarah Davoren

UNV Volunteer in Kosovo

Having worked with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for almost a year in Kosovo, I would like to share some of my experiences with the readers of the UNV blog.

Upon arrival in UNFPA I was immediately impressed by the enthusiasm and direction evident in Kosovo, where the UN agencies are working in a diplomatic quagmire to move forward and improve vital statistics in development.

As Kosovo approaches its two year anniversary of the self-declaration of independence; the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) is being scaled down and handed over to the EU; the work of the UN agencies continues to be vital to support the most vulnerable people of the region.

The UNFPA office in Pristina carries out impressive work and together with the government and local partners is tackling the grave problems of access to and standards of Sexual and Reproductive Health care; Gender Based Violence and a lack of Census or other statistics to form the basis for population planning and policy.

Kosovo is a small country with an estimated population of 2 million; it also has the youngest population in Europe; over 50% of Kosovars are under 25 years and 21% is between 15 and 25 years. The male/female ratio is almost 50:50. Indeed, a young country, a young population. However what struck me most about these statistics is that when I read them next to the UNFPA research on Gender Based Violence in Kosovo it was clear to me that the young women and girls of this young and enthusiastic post-conflict generation are actually living in oppression and are denied their rights on a daily basis.

Recent research funded by UNFPA and carried out by the Kosova Women’s Network revealed that most women know about contraception, but few living in violent home situations can use it. Half of the women interviewed were “often” pressured to have sex without contraception. Nearly 40 % had at least one abortion, and nine underwent two or more abortions. Half had been prevented regularly by their partner or family members from visiting doctors or gynecologists.

Equally shocking is the fact that of 47 pregnant women experiencing violence, 87 % suffered violence during pregnancy. One third were prevented from visiting the doctor during pregnancy. Eight had two or more miscarriages. 73 % of professionals had encountered pregnant women experiencing violence. Violence resulted in injuries to the foetus, miscarriages, low infant birth-weight, infant mortality, and maternal mortality.

But there is a growing awareness of these problems thanks to the efforts of UNFPA; a dynamic and motivated Kosovar theatre group – ‘Artpolis’ have developed a theatre performance to highlight the  issues of domestic and Gender Based Violence. With the involvement of young women and girls the performance is set in ‘the kitchen’ where women tell their stories of abuse and drawing attention using these stories to the different methods of empowerment.

Such an innovative method of marking International Women’s Day is to be commended. I believe that the work of the UNFPA Kosovo team will be effective and that the lives of women and girls in Kosovo will improve; moreover, I hope that when the much delayed census does eventually take place that we will see less startling statistics when it comes to Gender Based Violence.

By Linda Germanis

UNV Volunteer in Thailand

While working at UNESCO, I’m also developing a UNV project titled At first sight in cooperation with UNESCO Bangkok, the International Movement ATD Fourth World, the Friends of ATD Foundation and Thai Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.

The project is a Community Photography initiative which aims to undertake informal education in a poor Bangkok community through ICTs. At first sight is promoting volunteerism cooperation between different actors already active and committed with the development of the Bangkok’s society. Furthermore through thematic photography sessions the volunteers have the opportunity to raise awareness by the community members about development issues as environmental protection, health education, etc.

A booklet containing pictures and commentaries taken by the young residents of Saphan Phut is soon to be released and, thanks to a prize won in a United Nations Volunteer (UNV) competition, 2500 USD will be dedicated to develop environmental protection activities in the Saphan Phut community, partner of the project.

To read the latest article about the work of UNV Volunteer Linda Germanis and the At First Sight project go to http://www.unescobkk.org/information/news-display/article/pictures-tell-a-thousand-words-photography-project-highlights-hardships-of-neglected-community/

By Claire Martin

UNV Volunteer in Timor Leste

Working as a UNV on environmental matters in Timor-Leste can be both challenging and rewarding. Timor-Leste is a relatively new country, colonized first by Portugal and shortly after its withdrawal it was invaded and occupied by Indonesia. This history combined with the destruction and devastation that followed the Indonesian withdrawal in 1999 has left the country literally starting from scratch as far as environmental conservation is concerned.

Arriving in the country at the beginning of my assignment in February 2009 in the middle of the rainy season, the first thing that struck me as I stepped out of the airplane was the smell of rain – just like the country I had left behind 24 hours earlier. I could not help but be reminded of my home country Ireland that I had just left. The hills surrounding the city were green and lush as were the routes east and west of the city as I soon discovered.

While nine months later and waiting for the next rainy season to start, the hills are brown as far as the eye can see, the mikrolet fare collectors cover their faces with handkerchiefs to keep out the dust. Just outside of the city farmers shake their heads in dismay and you can almost feel the whole country holding their combined breaths waiting for the rains to arrive. One month later and the residents of Caicoli in the country’s capital Dili are wading through knee-deep water after an udan boot the night before.

Together with its fellow island nation neighbours in the Pacific, Timor-Leste is feeling the impact of Climate Change and is trying its best to grapple with them. As Government Representatives prepare to return from Copenhagen with news of the accord, the farmers of Timor-Leste are thinking about how they will survive when they no longer can predict the end of the dry season nor the intensity of the wet season…what do I plant? when should I plant it? when should I harvest it? what are these new diseases I am seeing? will I be able to produce enough food to get my family through to the next dry season. These are just a few of the questions farmers are asking themselves in Timor-Leste.

As part of my role as a UNV Volunteer placed with UNDP, these are also the issues that run through my thoughts every day. In order to best support those most exposed to the negative impacts of Climate Change, we are working together with a dedicated community encompassing government counterparts, local communities, NGOs, CBOs etc.

In this way we hope to help identify underlying vulnerabilities in order to strengthen the population’s resilience in the face of the negative impacts of climate change and their capacity to take advantage of opportunities to improve the environment and crop yields. With progress on mitigation remaining slow, assisting the people of Timor-Leste to adapt according to their own particular circumstances will be critical. Whilst the worlds’ leaders agree to haggle another day, in Timor-Leste the work continues to try to make sure the real victims of climate change are not left waiting.

by Manuela Bucciarelli

UNV Volunteer in Cambodia

The increase in global temperature over the last 200 years is an abnormal and alarming phenomenon, which has been very likely caused by human activities, our habits and the organisation of our societies. The increase of global temperatures should not exceed +2ºC compared to the levels registered before the industrial revolution: if this does not happen, the consequences will most likely be irreversible: extreme climate events such as droughts, heat waves, hurricanes, rise of sea levels, acidification of oceans and the extinction of numerous animal and vegetal species.

The Earth’s climate is quickly changing, causing great concern, political interest and many actions on a global scale. Of all the ongoing changes the most startling is the increase in global temperature. The 10 warmest years since 1880 have been after 1995. However, the variation of the Earth’s temperatures can be caused by human activities. In particular, industrial activities change the composition of the gases in the atmosphere that are enhancing the greenhouse effect.

The Sun provides energy to the Earth through its rays and determines its climate. About 30% of these rays are radiated back into space by clouds and particles in the atmosphere (aerosol). And also by reflective surfaces, such as large deserts and ice sheets. The rest of the radiation gets to the Earth and the oceans, releasing heat. The Earth’s heat is partly trapped by “greenhouse gases”, such as water vapour, carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). This is the called natural greenhouse effect, without which the temperature on the Earth would be below zero.

To foster industrial development man has cut down forests and burnt fossil fuels (carbon, oil etc) to get energy. This has increased CO2 and methan concentrations in the atmosphere, causing global temperatures to rise. Looking at the last 10,000 years we can see that a sharp increase in CO2 in the atmosphere has occured in the last 200 years, since the 19th Century when the industrial revolution began.

A team of scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a committee composed of more than 2,500 scientists from all over the world, using over 50 climate models based only on natural factors could not replicate the global average temperature trend that is currently being realised. Despite the need to act time is being consumed by debates of how much the temperature will actually be; 1.2 to 6.4 °C over this century, depending on our efforts to stop this process.

Since 1950 the number of heat waves has increased. The number of days with high precipitation  has increased, but not everywhere: the duration and severity of hurricanes and tropical storms have also increased since 1970. In 2003 the heat wave that hit Europe broke every record: over 52,000 victims in nine countries. 18,000 people died in Italy, 14,800 in France. Not only have these events increased in frequency, but also in severity.

The Alps glaciers have shrunk by more than  50% since 1850 and by the end of the century they might almost disappear! According to the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), 80% of South America glaciers will disappear in the next 15 years.

In addition to the damages to the environment and the humans, it will involve high economic costs. According to the famous Stern Review – directed by the World Bank’s former head economist – long-term costs of climate change could exceed by 20% the world gross domestic product (GDP). On the contrary, middle-term costs to reduce greenhouse gases emissions are, in Stern’s opinion, equal to 1% of the world GDP.

Although these estimates are contentious, the point is always the same. The cost of “doing nothing” is far higher than that of “doing something” to turn about.

The first global operating agreement to fight climate change was the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol (1997) was an agreement among the governments of 150 countries, including European states, which was not ratified by the USA. It aimed at a global reduction of CO2 emissions by  5.2% by 2012 compared to 1990 levels.

Copenaghen 2009 is the 15^th International Conference on Climate Change which will be held on 7-18 December 2009. It is considered a crucial engagment because far-reaching agreements must be taken and shared by all countries. Different from the Kyoto Protocols, the most polluting countries (USA, Europe and China) play a key role.

It is now clear that drastic cuts in emissions will not be enough to avoid – at least partially – some of the consequences of climate change, such as drought, heat waves, sea level rise and extreme weather events. We have to be ready to change. A key point of the negotiations will be the financing, by “rich” countries (those emitting more CO2), of projects to help the least developed countries to adapt to the change.

The negotiations aim fundamentally at  turning off “the tap” at the source, that is at mitigating the cause of global warming, by cutting CO2 emissions. A serious decision is necessary to save us from climatic catastrophe, and, following IPCC recommendations, this means that we must commit to cut emissions by 80% by 2050.

This article was part of a recent Climate Change presentation that Manuela and her friends compiled  in Cambodia for International Volunteer Day. To view the original presentation please check: http://www.quattrogatti.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=98&Itemid=80

For more information about the 15th Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen please check: http://en.cop15.dk/