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Country Overview: UN Volunteers in the Republic of Congo (PRC)

13 February 2003

Since 1980, UNV has supported the Republic of Congo's priority development activities in fostering food self-sufficiency, improving the social sector and developing the private sector. The first UN Volunteer in PRC was attached to an International Labour Organization (ILO) project in rural development. By 1986, 16 UN Volunteers had served in various phases of this project.

UN Volunteers have also served in ILO executed projects aimed at the development of small and medium-sized businesses and the management of public enterprises. In the agricultural sector, 15 UN Volunteers served Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) projects in crop harvesting and fish farming. Within the framework of projects carried out by the ILO, UNV was also active in the development of small- and medium-sized businesses and the management of public enterprises. In 1989, within the Villages Centres Programme of participatory development, many UN Volunteers promoted income-generating activities at the grassroots level. UN Volunteers helped groups of young people and women and other rural associations initiate income generating activities. From 1993 to 1997, a national programme to combat HIV/AIDS was initiated and supported by four international and four national UN Volunteers who served in information sharing, education, safe blood transfusion, socio-marketing of condoms and the creation of micro-projects. Following the political and security crisis of June 1997, the majority of the UN Volunteers were evacuated except for those involved in humanitarian relief. UNV's support between 1999 and 2002 focused on the rehabilitation of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), the re-establishment of health and educational services, the promotion of justice and protection of human rights. One UN Volunteer administrator managed a justice and human rights programme, which included the sensitization of 330 police officers. In total, some 71 UN Volunteers have served in the Congo.

UNV's current contribution
Over the past year, UN Volunteers have been involved in the following activities:

  • With the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), two UN Volunteers are supporting the protection of refugees and IDPs with an additional UN Volunteer working in human rights;
  • With the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), one UN Volunteer based out of Pointe-Noire supports UNICEF's work in the promotion of health, clean water, nutrition and education; and
  • With the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UNHCR, one UN Volunteer in human rights (HURIST) supports UNDP's efforts in mainstreaming human rights in the development process. The UN Volunteer also supports the UNDP office and its local partners (Government, civil society institutions, etc.) in organizing training sessions on human rights.

PRC's contribution through the UNV programme
Some 40 Congolese have served abroad as UN Volunteers, mostly in rural development. Three professors lectured at the National University of Rwanda, which lost many of its staff in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide. Others were assigned to humanitarian work and to UN peacekeeping missions in Angola, Central African Republic, Kosovo, Sierra Leone and Timor-Leste. Recently, three Congolese were assigned to Chad (physician), Senegal (LIFE programme) and Rwanda (school feeding programme).

Promotion of Volunteerism
The Government has supported three UN General Assembly Resolutions on volunteerism. Although no National IYV Committee was established. The International Volunteer Day of Volunteers (IVD) is celebrated with support from the National Organization of Volunteers for Development and the United Nations Information Centre.



This page can found at: http://www.unv.org/en/what-we-do/countries-and-territories/congo/doc/country-overview-un-volunteers-1.html