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Miina Huotari is a UN Volunteer with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights () in Guatemala. She has been a Human Rights Officer since 2022 and part of the overall OHCHR team in Guatemala City.

Miina's volunteer role focuses on discrimination and inequality. Her assignment is funded by her home country, Finland, and includes research and advocacy to monitor violations and support marginalized communities through field missions. Life as a volunteer can be challenging, but Miina says her role makes a difference, especially for individuals and groups who are often left behind.

In the field

"Every day I realize how much there is to do in the field of human rights." Miina spends her time in research, preparing documents and materials, visiting communities through field missions and observing judicial hearings. She also verifies cases of potential human rights violations and supports people in claiming their human rights.

She feels fortunate with the learning that comes as part of her assignment and also emphasizes that UN Volunteers like herself do not fit the stereotypical idea of a volunteer. "UN Volunteers are experts in the field that we're recruited to serve in. We are required to deliver high-quality work alongside other professionals and contribute meaningfully to the UN's mission."

Human rights and the Â鶹APP

One of Miina's key areas of focus is the human rights of people of African descent.

"I support making visible the human rights challenges faced by Afro-descendant populations and monitoring the implementation of the International Decade of People of African Descent, already into its second phase."

"On 17 December 2024, the UN General Assembly adopted , by which it proclaimed the Second International Decade for People of African Descent, with the theme "People of African descent: recognition, justice and development". The Second International Decade opened on 1 January 2025 and will end on 31 December 2034. "The people of African descent are a highly marginalised group and population that still suffers consequences of colonialism, slavery, xenophobia, isolation, discrimination and racism."

She has also closely followed court cases such as the and provided international standards-based support to defending lawyers and advocates, and observed the court hearing related to the . "Our monitoring and observation play a huge role because having the UN vests in the room means a lot to the survivors and potential victims of human rights violations."

As expansive as her work is, Miina also candidly shares the challenges, both at a personal and professional level. "As an international UN Volunteer, leaving your country, it's not a walk in the park. It's a challenge to leave everything you know and take on a new cultural and political context. What made my situation very different is that I have a son, who was two years old when we moved, and obviously, that brings another challenge. But what helped me was seeing how well my son adapted; the curiosity that he had was contagious."

Evolving funding climate

Reduced funding and shifting expectations of the development sector are reshaping the landscape. "It's very concerning that there is less willingness to contribute to this work. I think we live in a very fast-paced global society where people expect immediate, tangible results. Our work seeks structural, sustainable results that are sometimes visible in the long run and serve rights' holders and societies better in the long term," she shares.

"People get frustrated and question a lot of the work of the UN. But my question is, what if we're not there? What if we stop doing what we're doing? Who will win?"

Miina also highlights the vital role of in global human rights efforts. For her, every crisis is a call to act¡ªbecause protecting human rights is everyone's responsibility, everywhere.

Multilateral action for global change

Miina's UN Volunteer assignment underscores the role of in addressing today's . "Human rights are the same for anyone, everywhere, but bringing a different kind of cultural mindset helps to contribute to how things can be done differently," she adds. "In the case of Finland, my home country's diplomacy generally focuses on human rights, rights-based institutions, and women's rights. This kind of international cooperation contributes to the human rights work that we do here in Guatemala."

Volunteering isn't just about contributing skills, Miina shares, it's about into the fabric of human rights work. She believes that every challenge is an opportunity to innovate and strengthen approaches to justice. Her message to those committed to global change is clear: persistence matters, even in times of crisis.

"It's the responsibility of the state to protect and promote human rights. But it's also the responsibility of every single individual in the world. It's the foundation of how we treat each other every single day."

This story was produced by ¡ªthe organization of the Â鶹APP that promotes peace and development through volunteerism.

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