September of this year marks the 5th anniversary of the adoption of the Global Goals. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, strong international cooperation is needed now, more than ever before to build back better and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UN Volunteers contributes to the SDGs through its strong partnerships and capacity to engage volunteers. The SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals – is one of the goals that most UN Volunteers serving in Sri Lanka are contributing to including Afraa. She is a National UN Volunteer serving with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Sri Lanka as a Research Assistant for SDG Planning and Financing. She was engaged in a project focusing on finding alternative and innovative means of financing for the SDGs and restructuring the high-cost of debt that Sri Lanka is grappling with.
Afraa has been supporting her team and UNDP in financing for SDGs at the national level. As her team works on developing a National Development Plan, she assists the process through data collection, compilation and analysis. Afraa is involved in UNDP’s work on the Joint SDG Fund which provided the opportunity to support formulating the proposal for reinforcing the SDG financing architecture (Component 1), aimed at contributing towards the Integrated National Financing Framework.
Strong international cooperation is needed now more than ever to ensure that countries have the means to achieve the SDGs
Afraa describes her volunteering experience as an eye-opening opportunity to learn how the UN functions and makes joint efforts for progress.
“In the same way, I believe that every single volunteer is in a position to make a change, no matter how small it is, as we can transform the world in cooperation for shared goals”
Afraa Mohamed, Research Assistant for SDG Planning and Financing, UNDP Sri Lanka
Her supervisor Kirthisri Rajatha Wijeweera, Senior Economic Advisor (Sri Lanka and Maldives) at UNDP, expressed his appreciation of the valuable contributions of Afraa and UNV to his team’s work.
“UNV Sri Lanka has been supporting our work by mobilising qualified UN Volunteers. Afraa applies herself diligently, works hard and always strives to learn new things. Our team will continue to draw on her energy and efforts as we move forward,”
Kirthisri Rajatha Wijeweera, Senior Economic Advisor (Sri Lanka and Maldives) at UNDP Sri Lanka
Looking back on her experience as a UN Volunteer, Afraa is grateful about meeting like-minded friends, who join forces with her in transforming the world and move forward to achieve shared values.