https://unvolunteers.exposure.co/inclusionthe-new-normal
July 1st, 2025
At United Nations Volunteers (UNV), inclusion isn’t a goal—it’s how we work. Persons with disabilities are recruited as UN Volunteers across the United Nations system, contributing ideas and working alongside communities for peace and development solutions. These opportunities are made possible through UNV's flexible and unearmarked resource, the Special Voluntary Fund. In 2024, UNV recruited 273 UN Volunteers with disabilities across 26 UN partners—a 41 per cent increase from the previous year. Meet three of these volunteers who are helping build a more accessible, representative, and united world—one assignment at a time.
Meet Cristophe from Jamaica
Cristophe Phillips is a UN Volunteer Operations and Programme Assistant with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Jamaica. “I was motivated to apply because I saw an opportunity for learning more about the work of UNDP and realizing that, based on their inclusive mission, I, as a person with a disability, could contribute to their efforts.”
Beyond his core duties, Cristophe champions sign language. “Deaf people prefer being called ‘deaf’ and not ‘hearing impaired’. The office team is sensitive about deaf culture awareness,” he explains.
What should the UN system include?
“More opportunities, greater representation, and full accessibility for persons with disabilities contributing to every aspect of UN’s work.”
Let's hear it from Melissa in Chile
“I’d like everyone—regardless of where we come from, how we perceive the world, or what our needs are—to feel part of the United Nations. May every person with a disability feel that their voice matters, that their presence is valued, and that yes, they can be here too, building a more just world,” says Melissa Cisternas, UN Volunteer in Programme Support with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Chile.
Melissa manages the communications element of operations, including the follow-up with service providers, processing invoices, assigning funding sources, and coordinating with programme officers. Her work is essential to enabling programmes that protect and promote human rights.
She was hesitant to apply at first, but she still did and was selected. “The interview panel made me feel very confident before I started. It was a very emotional moment."
“Sometimes persons with disabilities hesitate to apply for certain roles. We don’t always know how we’ll be received.”
And here's Sebastian from Ecuador
“When the vacancy opened, I was drawn to the opportunity to take my professional growth to the next level,” shares Sebastian Flores, UN Volunteer Disability Inclusion Specialist in the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office (UNRCO) in Ecuador.
Sebastian has more than a decade of experience in universal accessibility and the rights of persons with disabilities. He began his volunteer assignment in October 2024. As a person with a visual impairment (low vision), this is an “incredible” experience, he says.
For Sebastian, UNV is a space for both personal and professional growth. He values the opportunity and hopes others will follow suit.
“UNV showcases the value of diversity in the professional sphere.”
He envisions a future where, as more persons with disabilities join the United Nations in Ecuador, their needs are already anticipated—and met.
Rooted in inclusion
The stories of Cristophe, Melissa, and Sebastian show what’s possible when volunteering is rooted in inclusion. Thanks to the Special Voluntary Fund (SVF), UNV is creating accessible, equitable spaces across the UN system, where persons with disabilities don’t just participate, they lead. So far in 2025 alone, 226 persons with disabilities are serving as UN Volunteers worldwide, including 41 across Latin America and the Caribbean.
Inclusion isn’t just a goal—it’s the new normal.
FootnotesUnited Nations Volunteers in Latin America and the Caribbean
