An expression of the substantial involvement of UN volunteers in UN peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, the aim of this book is to convey a better understanding of the work of volunteers in conflict situations. It is a collection of first-hand accounts of the volunteers themselves.

This book brings together the personal experiences of individual UN volunteer specialists who served in a wide range of recent missions. Thomas G. Weiss and Larry Minear, co-directors of the Humanitarianism and War Project, place these first-hand accounts in a broader historical and institutional context and offer some reflections on the UN volunteer experience for the international community as a whole.

Organizing elections in a mine field - the Cambodian challenge
the politics of reassurance - international prescence at the local level in South Africa
voting for peace - preparing for post-war democracy in Mozambique
end of the war machinery - demobilization in Mozambique
caught in the crossfire - dilemmas of human rights protection in former Yugoslavia
back from Rwanda - confronting the aftermath of genocide
behind the compound wall - volunteerism under challenge in Somalia
part of the system - varieties of volunteer support roles
the art of building peace - artisan skills for development and peace in South Asia
conclusions - UN volunteers and the UN system.