2007 Annual Report

UN Volunteers: Civic engagement in action

The United Nations Volunteer (UNV) programme promotes civic engagement through volunteerism around the world. It serves as a valuable and unique part of the UNDP global development network, as well as a strategic resource supporting development work across the UN system.

In 2006, the programme worked with 23 UN partners in 144 countries and engaged more than 7,500 skilled professionals as volunteers. UNV’s activities in financial terms reached a record high of $180 million. More than two-thirds of the volunteers came from developing countries, with around 40 percent serving within their own countries. An additional 2,100 volunteers signed up through UNV’s rapidly expanding Online Volunteering programme, which helps more than 900 registered development organizations obtain expertise and support online.

In advocating volunteerism for development, UNV works on the conviction that voluntary action by millions of people is a potentially powerful but vastly under-used resource. Voluntary action is a principal manifestation of trust and solidarity within and among communities that can move disadvantaged people towards active involvement in their own development. In 2006, UNV supported a number of initiatives offering new opportunities to marginalized groups, including women, youth and the poor. Building on long standing local traditions of volunteerism in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Niger, for example, UNV and its partners encouraged youth to contribute to local development efforts related to achieving the MDGs.

Other UNV efforts in 2006 focused on working within local communities to develop MDG strategies. In Mali, Pakistan, Senegal and Uganda, the programme supported the creation of national volunteer schemes.

Through UNV, a global exchange of volunteers helps foster the exchange of knowledge and experiences. In 2006, over 2,600 UNV volunteers played crucial roles supporting 15 UN peace operations and a number of post-conflict elections. For the elections in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, UNV mobilized 800 volunteers from 91 nationalities in support of the elections and peacekeeping, providing administrative and financial support and civic and electoral education. Half of the volunteers came from neighbouring countries and many contributed local and regional African expertise, which built confidence among local voters eager, yet hesitant to participate in the democratic process after many years of civil strife.

Through its advocacy of volunteerism for development, the integration of volunteerism into development planning, and the mobilization of volunteers nationally and internationally, UNV is pursuing distinctive contributions to effective development.