24 December 2008

Ramallah, Occupied Palestinian territory: On 18 December 2008 UNV and the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction (PECDAR) signed a ‘Letter of Intent’ for the recruitment of Palestinian nationals for international UNV volunteer assignments.  As a National Authority institution, PECDAR’s mandate includes aid coordination, economic policy, project management, coordination with NGOs and UN specialized agencies, as well as capacity building, technical assistance and training.

PECDAR will actively support UNV with the identification of suitable Palestinian candidates and will provide assistance in issuing visas to those selected to serve as UNV volunteers.  The majority of these UNV volunteer assignments will assist UNV’s support of various UN agencies, including the UN Department of Peace-keeping Operations in post-conflict areas such as Sudan, Burundi, Congo, Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Haiti. 

This new initiative of UNV, in collaboration with PECDAR, aims to advance volunteerism in support of promoting peace and development worldwide by mobilizing Palestinian professionals to serve as UNV volunteers in other countries.