On Thursday 18^th November 2021, the Council of Ministers approved the draft law on volunteerism in Guinea Bissau. The draft law is composed of 7 Chapters and 27 Articles and was developed with UNDP support through the Project: ‘’Enhancing capacities of the National Volunteer Committee of Guinea Bissau for inclusive citizenship, peace and sustainable development”.

The law on volunteerism aims to promote and guarantee all citizens participating in volunteering actions a legal framework to base their actions.  Among other things, it addresses volunteering principles, rights and duties of volunteers, the relationship between volunteers and organizations, volunteer management etc.

The approval of the draft law reflects the will of the Government of Guinea-Bissau and partners to jointly promote volunteerism as a means to transform the country’s development pathway. The next steps will be the adoption of the law by the Peoples’ National Assembly followed by its promulgation into an Act  by the President of the Republic.  

The project, ‘’Enhancing capacities of the National Volunteer Committee of Guinea Bissau for inclusive citizenship, peace and sustainable development” is implemented by the State Secretariat for Youth and Sports with UNDP support to create a conducive and enabling environment for youth engagement in peacebuilding geared towards the achievement Sustainable Development Goals in Guinea Bissau.