(Originally published on 01/21/2015)

On January 21^st, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Volunteers (UNV) greeted the delegates of Guangdong Provincial Youth League and Guangdong Volunteer Federation to exchange views on the upcoming Strengthening Volunteerism for Regional Sustainable Development in Guangdong Province project.

The main objective was to begin initial discussions around the new partnership with Guangdong Province, a new multilateral project cooperation in a vibrant metropolis for volunteerism development in China. The project is in partnership with the UNDP, UNV, China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchange (CICETE) and Guangdong Provincial Youth League.

During the meeting, the Guangdong delegates highlighted Guangdong as the first province in China to institutionalize and legitimize volunteerism since 1999 which explains its prosperous development in volunteer services. To further strengthen Guangdong’s international volunteerism, the province hopes to enhance connections with international communities and boost knowledge and experience sharing with other regions in China through this project cooperation. 

After in depth discussions, all stakeholders agreed to launch 12 volunteer monitoring hubs across Guangdong Province and establish international volunteer research institutes in Guangzhou and Shenzhen City. In addition, they decided to dispatch Guangdong volunteers through UN’s young volunteer modality to UN agencies in China and abroad for promoting peace and development missions and to support low-carbon development by mobilizing volunteer organizations and civil societies through education and advocacy.

Mr. Patrick Haverman, UNDP Deputy Country Director, expressed his appreciation for Guangdong delegates’ strong commitment to volunteerism. “Guangdong Province has a very rich culture with advanced volunteer services. Through this project, I believe we can start a fantastic partnership with Guangdong to further explore how volunteerism can contribute to social development.” Moreover, Ms. Eirene Chen, UNV Programme Officer also welcomed Guangdong’s insights and volunteer stories for UNV’s global flagship publication - UNV Global Post-2015 Volunteerism Report.

Mr. Zhao Zhongyi, the Deputy Director General of China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchange (CICETE) considered the longstanding partnership with UNDP/UNV as an important factor for success in developing China’s capacity in volunteerism. CICETE also affirmed to strengthen its relationship with UNDP/UNV under the UN Post-2015 Development Agenda.

Further working level discussions will be convened to finalize project details towards the official launch of the project this year.