Annual Report 2008

UNV Volunteers: developing capacity through volunteerism

The UN Volunteers (UNV) programme, administered by UNDP, supported the development objectives of 25 UN organizations in 2007, by deploying 7,500 UNV volunteers and promoting volunteerism and the integration of volunteerism in development planning. Some 77 percent of all UNV volunteers were from developing countries, an expression of South-South development cooperation. This included 2,185 African nationals and 1,133 nationals from across Asia who became volunteers serving outside their home countries. In Somalia, a Nepalese UNV volunteer nurse taught midwives and nurses, while in Trinidad and Tobago, a Kenyan UNV volunteer doctor developed HIV testing protocols. UNDP engaged 2,105 UNV volunteers in 488 projects, including 16 co-funded from UNV’s Special Voluntary Fund.

Volunteerism plays a role in capacity development by promoting people’s involvement in the development of their own societies. Through its business model of advocacy, integration and mobilization of volunteers, UNV enhances the role of volunteerism in development. One important result indicator was the integration of UNV activities in 41 UN Development Assistance Frameworks and in 29 Country Programme Assistance Plans.

In addition to the placement of UNV volunteers, UNV contributed to developing national capacities for volunteer management, developing volunteer legislation and establishing national volunteer schemes in countries such as Burkina Faso, Ecuador, Liberia, Niger, Pakistan and Tanzania, among others.

To advance results-based programme management, UNV held five results workshops to analyze its contributions in post-conflict, disaster management, youth participation, governance, and national volunteer infrastructure. The workshop on capacity development for democratic governance in Africa found that volunteers helped strengthen the accountability and transparency of government institutions in the delivery of basic services, increased access to justice by poor and marginalized peoples, improved citizens’ participation in development planning, enhanced the organization of elections, and strengthened social services. The impact of UNV’s contribution to developing capacity for democratic governance and elections was demonstrated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Timor Leste.

UNV volunteers worked in a range of projects, including a joint programme on human security in Honduras, improving disaster risk reduction capacity in India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, supporting the rule of law in Sudan, and building health sector capacity in countries such as Malawi, South Africa and Trinidad and Tobago. Through UNV, people have the opportunity to contribute their skills for developing capacity worldwide, with a third of UNV volunteers contributing to capacity development within their own communities.