18 February 2004

La Paz, Bolivia: Bolivian President Carlos Mesa and Alfredo Marty, UNDP Resident Representative a.i., in Bolivia, officially launched the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme ‘Youth With People Participation’ initiative.

Over the next two years, 1200 university graduates will volunteer their expertise to the programme, which will reach out to every municipality in Bolivia, that requests assistance, and has developed a plan to reduce poverty in its constituency with the central government.

Within the framework of the Bolivian ‘Strategy to Fight Poverty ‘ (EBRP), the programme will mobilize 300 UN Volunteers each semester, who have completed their education in a number of fields such as law, management, sociology, medicine, economics, and engineering. Their mission will be to assist communities to address a wide range of social issues including poverty reduction, support local volunteer-involving organizations (VIOs), empower women and enhance capacity for small and family businesses. Each UN Volunteer will serve a six-month assignment.

During this phase of the project, achievements will be linked to the promotion of volunteerism aimed at strengthening the EBRP initiative, and empowering Bolivian volunteers to play a key role for capacity development at the local level.

At the ceremony in the presidential palace, UNDP Resident Representative a.i., Alfredo Marty, described the graduates as the future leaders of Bolivia who are selflessly serving their country. “I want to emphasize and thank, on behalf of UNDP and the UN Volunteers programme, the selfless commitment made by these young women and men, for the less advantaged of their country. In Bolivia, solidarity is highly valued by society. We salute these young Bolivians.”

Bolivian President Carlos Mesa, said the young volunteers, “once they have completed this experience, their vision, view and feelings about their home, Bolivia, will be different … as they will then know another side of our diverse and multicultural nation.”

The programme in Bolivia is a result of the World Bank - Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. International creditors agreed to excuse a significant portion of Bolivia’s debt, on condition, the funds be invested domestically to support poverty reduction strategies. UNDP and the UN Volunteers programme provide a platform to local development institutions and the central government to implement programmes, quickly and efficiently, by offering specialized human resources for the complex procedures.

Cesar Guedes, Programme Specialist for Latin America at UNV headquarters in Bonn, Germany said the project will empower young people and is a unique opportunity to sensitize them about the roots of Bolivia’s challenges. “They are the key players in the effort to reduce poverty and inequality in Bolivia, one of Latin America’s least developed countries. Volunteerism in Bolivia can be traced back hundreds of years to the collective societies of the Incas, making the current initiative both relevant and culturally sensitive,” he said.