What motivates someone to become a humanitarian? We asked international UN Volunteer Naeun Lee, currently working with UNHCR in Almaty as Associate Protection Officer, to share her journey to becoming a humanitarian.
On 19 August each year, we mark the World Humanitarian Day, paying tribute to aid workers who risk their lives in humanitarian service, and rallying support for people affected by crises around the world.
What motivates someone to become a humanitarian? We asked international UN Volunteer Naeun Lee, currently working with UNHCR in Almaty as Associate Protection Officer, to share her journey to becoming a humanitarian.
After completing her studies in Sociology and Education in 2017, Naeun started her career with the International Cooperation Department of the Korea Education and Research Information Service (KERIS). In 2020, she started working with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) as a Programme Manager, and was appointed to her first international assignment in Uzbekistan.
“This experience deepened my interest in Central Asian countries,” says Naeun. “During my time at KOICA, I became immersed in the unique blend of cultures found in post-Soviet countries and the social environment there. Given the vast territories of Central Asia, each region possesses its own distinctive tradition. Working in that multicultural office with Uzbek, local Korean, and Tatar colleagues provided me with an incredibly interesting experience and a significant opportunity to broaden my perspective to embrace diverse environments and people of different backgrounds”.
During her time in Uzbekistan, the Covid-19 pandemic, deterioration of the situation in Afghanistan, and then war in Ukraine, made Naeun think more about inequity, social protection and building better futures for people in need of humanitarian assistance. These regional developments and personal experiences were key in Naeun’s motivation to join UNHCR.
In May 2023, Naeun was deployed as an international youth UN Volunteer, funded by the Government of the Republic of Korea, to the UNHCR Representation to Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. As an Associate Protection Officer, one of Naeun’s tasks is to communicate with refugees, asylum-seekers and stateless people in these countries who contact UNHCR, seeking counselling and assistance. Naeun also acts as the disability inclusion focal point for the Almaty office.
“These tasks ignite my motivation and passion for my job, as they involve communicating directly with those in need of assistance as well as enabling me to contribute to finding solutions for their situations”.
Looking back, Naeun thinks that various parts of her education and work experience combined with her personal traits brought her to the humanitarian path. She has always had an interest in human rights, even including the subject in the middle school social science classes she taught during a 4-week student teaching practice. Since childhood, she has empathized with other people’s feelings, a trait which Naeun feels drives her passion for humanitarian work.
“After this UNV experience, I aim to start my master’s degree in the field of humanitarian studies with a focus on health issues,” says Naeun. “The health crises and the urgent requirement for humanitarian assistance that I witnessed during the pandemic have prompted me to deeply contemplate about humanitarian action and to identify effective solutions to the inequalities in healthcare faced by the most vulnerable individuals. My role as a disability focal point enables me to contribute to UNHCR activities in the areas of social protection and mental health support for refugees and asylum-seekers.
Once I’ve completed my master’s degree, my aspiration is to rejoin an international organization, such as UNHCR, where I can apply my expertise to addressing the most pressing humanitarian needs.”
For Naeun, being a humanitarian is more than a job.
“I believe that being a humanitarian is inherent to human nature, rooted in the spirit of upholding human rights and dignity. Our society requires individuals who are ready to assist those in need and who are motivated to bring positive changes. I aim to always be one of them.”
World Humanitarian Day is marked on 19 August, the date on which, in 2003, UN headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq was attacked, killing 22 humanitarian aid workers. For the twentieth anniversary of the attack, the 2023 World Humanitarian Day campaign brings together the global humanitarian community to show our unwavering commitment to deliver for the communities we serve, no matter who, no matter where and #NoMatterWhat.
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