04 November 2008

Bonn, Germany: The life and work of former UNV Executive Coordinator Sharon Capeling-Alakija was celebrated today in a memorial ceremony held in Bonn.

Ms. Capeling-Alakija headed UNV from 1998 until her death from cancer on 4 November 2003. Today's ceremony, attended by more than 60 staff and other guests, took place beneath the UN flag at the former UNV headquarters at Haus Carstanjen. Among the autumnal shades of the Rheinaue gardens, a plaque was unveiled to mark the Canadian maple tree planted shortly after Ms. Capeling-Alakija's death.

Attendees also shared a moment of silence both for the former Executive Coordinator and for all UNV volunteers who have died in service.

In her address, current UNV Executive Coordinator Flavia Pansieri paid tribute to Ms. Capeling-Alakija as "a person with a yearning for life, a desire for engagement, a person who wanted to make a difference in people's lives… and a person who could inspire and lead."

Expressing her regret that she did not have the opportunity to work more with her, Ms. Pansieri noted that Ms. Capeling-Alakija's legacy lives on in the shape of beliefs and values about volunteerism that UNV still applies today. "Her example is still a source of strength, courage and inspiration," she added.

Ms. Pansieri was joined by the Lady Mayor of Bonn, Bärbel Dieckmann, who spoke with emotion about Ms. Capeling-Alakija and her work at UNV. "To her, Volunteerism for Development formed an inherent necessity for both her own development and sustainable development worldwide," she said. "For all those who cried out for help, with the unlimited support of UNV she could provide the help that was needed."

The Lady Mayor thanked Flavia Pansieri and UNV, saying: "If Sharon could be with us today, she would surely give us one of her big smiles and tell us not to look back but to face the challenges ahead of us."

One of Ms. Capeling-Alakija's key achievements during her time at UNV was the inception of the International Year of Volunteers in 2001. Its tenth anniversary will be marked in 2011. Before UNV, after a distinguished career with Canadian University Services Overseas (CUSO), Ms. Capeling-Alakija joined the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) in 1989 as Managing Director and in 1994 was appointed Director of UNDP's Office of Evaluation and Strategic Planning (OESP).

At the end of the ceremony, Nancy Njoroge, who has worked with successive UNV Executive Coordinators as Personal Assistant, offered her own tribute to Sharon Capeling-Alakija. "We gained strength from her commitment," she said, "and with vision and leadership we moved forward, inspired by her love of life."

"She had the gift of touching and inspiring people," concluded Ms. Njoroge, "and was a natural citizen of the world."