United Nations VolunteersVolunteerism for Peace and Development

Adeline Aubry

CBA Volunteerism & Community Adaptation Specialist

United Nations Development ProgrammeJune 2009

UNV in profile

Established in 1971 by the UN General Assembly as a development partner for the UN system.

The focal point for the promotion and wider recognition of volunteerism within the UN.

Administered by UNDP.

Why Volunteerism for Development?

Societies need to build their own solutions. Volunteerism is a powerful means to engage ordinary people in tackling development challenges and to make communities an active development actor and not anymore passive recipient.

Volunteerism is part of the fabric of most societies. Volunteers who receive guidance and organized leadership can contribute to development in a sustainable and constructive manner.

The MDGs need the contribution and support of millions of people.

Volunteers as a Key Development Resource

“Achieving the Millennium Development Goals will require the contributions of millions of ordinary people through voluntary action.” Kofi Annan

What we believeVolunteerism for development

Delivers benefits → to society at large and to individual volunteers

Makes important contributions → economically and socially

Contributes to a more cohesive society→ by building trust and reciprocity

Is universal, diverse and inclusive→ by offering opportunities for excluded people to participate,

and advocating for equal opportunities for all through VIOs (Volunteer-Involving Organizations)

Integration of volunteerism into

development programming

Global Advocacy to make the contribution of volunteerism

recognised globally

Mobilization of

Volunteers

UNV Business Model

global advocacy examples

Support research to assess the impact of volunteerism Johns Hopkins University / UN Statistics Division / ILO–Now 26 countries are reporting the contribution of non-profit activities in

their national accounts–Average 5% contribution to the economy from volunteerism, philanthropy

Stimulate national policy and legislation supportive of volunteerism Since the International Year of Volunteers, over 70 countries have introduced

new laws or policies on volunteerism

Communicating through publications, campaigns and media outreach“Teach India”

  

Integration in development programming based on partnerships

European Union

IADB

IFRC

IPU

New Academy of Business

OneWorld

Cisco

Kraft

Project Urgent

Shell Project Better World

Suez

ESCAP FAO ICAO IFAD ILO IMO Millennium Campaign OCHA UNCDF UNHCHR UNHCR UNCHS UNCTAD UNDOC UNDP UNDPKO

UNESCO UNICEF UNOPS UNIDO UNFPA WFP WHO

AVI CIVICUS DED FORUM IAVE VSO

etc.

Corporate & Private Sector UN organisations

Cooperating agencies

Nothing we want to do in isolation!

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

7,991 UNV assignments in 2008

Demand remains strong

Mobilization of volunteers

Who are UNV volunteers?

Men64%

Women36%

37 years average age

5-10 years average working experience

159 nationalities

100+ professional categories:

Project managers and administrators

Policy advisors

Engineers & technicians

Doctors and health professionals

Where UNV volunteers work?

In 2007:

7,753 UNV volunteers

79% from developing countries (south-south cooperation)

34% volunteered within their own countries (sustainability)

What do UNV volunteers do?

Achieving the MDGs and reducing human poverty

HIV/AIDS awareness, training, monitoring, evaluation

Disaster Prevention, Management and Recovery

Support for elections and democratic governance

Peace building and conflict resolution

Civil affairs and human rights

Communications and training

Community development and mobilization

Environmental monitoring, eco-tourism, energy

…

Health: prevention is better than cure

Dr. Vincent Onah works in Zomba Central hospital, Malawi.

He and colleagues volunteer to teach parents preventative medicine.

Women then voluntarily spread their knowledge in their own villages.

Gender: raising the agenda

National UNV volunteer Aicha Dariti, one of six volunteers ensuring gender mainstreaming in Morocco’s development programmes.

Environment: reclaiming the desert

In Ethiopia, guided by the UNV volunteers' expertise, the local youth volunteers:

- construct trenches and micro-basins to conserve soil and water - plant tree seedlings and Jatropha, - run apiculture centres and nursery sites.

200 youth volunteers (43% female) at four pilot sites covering 438 hectares.

Kenya’s neighborhood volunteers

Fostering coexistence after ethnic violence in late 2007, volunteers:- mediate and talk to youth about peace and reconciliation- support District Commissioners to identify potential disturbances- ensure that humanitarian aid is evenly distributed

“We have a connection with the people at the community level

and intend to use our acquired skills to bring the entire settlement together.”

Gregory Ngugi

UNV volunteers fighting HIV/AIDS

In many parts of the world, it was volunteers who first raised HIV and AIDS as an issue critically needing to be addressed.

UNV volunteers are:

- empowering and involving people living with HIV to respond to stigma and discrimination

- promoting voluntary counseling and testing- providing home-based care- conducting media awareness campaigns- establishing micro-grant facilities

for income-generating activities- influencing national development policies

UNV Assistant to the UNDP Resident Coordinator

Dolores Nunez is serving as an assistant to the UNDP Res Rep in Ecuador

and in the same time she builds capacities of Volunteer-Involving Organizations and train the members of the national association of volunteerism on project writing.

UNV volunteers are professionals working on a peer basis

UNV volunteers listen and discuss teach and train encourage and facilitate but do not replace as primary responsibility rests with the government andthe community.

UNV volunteers act as a catalyst in helping to mobilize the local population to generate positive changes in their own communities.

focus on developing local capacities

Reduce dependencyEmpower Foster ownershipEnhance sustainability

Not give fish to people, but teach them how to catch the fish.

Role model and represent values

Non-threatening appraoch

UN face in the field Flexibility

CreativityPassion

Capacity building

National ownership

South-South collaboration

Inclusion and participation of marginalised people

Bridge between communities, authorities,

civil society and UN

Youth mobilisation

UNV‘s added-value

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Online

Volunteers

Development

organizations

“…let us recognize the power of volunteerism to promote peace and development around the world.

Let us also pay tribute to the many millions of citizens all over the world who, every day – in ways small and large – volunteer their time, ingenuity, solidarity and creativity to help build a better, more sustainable future.”

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

thank you Adeline Aubry

CBA Volunteerism & Community Adaptation Specialist

United Nations Development ProgrammeJune 2009