21 September 2008

Bonn, Germany: There is a general acceptance that there can be no lasting peace without development, as the UN General Assembly declared in 2004. Thus the International Day of Peace on 21 September is a chance to contemplate the two inseparable factors of this year's theme, 'Peacekeeping and Human Rights', and also the role that development and volunteerism play in both.

On a daily basis, our UNV volunteers provide vital civilian support to UN peacekeeping efforts around the world, safeguard human rights, support UN work with refugees and communities displaced by violence, and help ensure democratic processes gain traction.

UNV volunteers are advocates for volunteerism, engaging and empowering communities in post-conflict situations. They get involved in local initiatives, transferring their skills, motivating local people, and mobilizing more volunteers. They are also role models, inspiring people to volunteer for development.

For example, via the National Youth Volunteer Scheme in Liberia supported by UNV, local volunteers contribute to re-building social cohesion through volunteer collective initiatives such as peace gardens, cleaning campaigns and sporting events. After 14 years of conflict in Liberia, the organization's slogan – 'Build your nation! Become a volunteer!' – is a confident message of hope for the future.

There are UNV vehicle mechanics in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who provide on-the-job training and thus open up job opportunities for the unemployed. There are also Logistics Officers and Civil Engineers in DRC training communities in agricultural techniques to improve their productivity. In Burundi, UNV volunteers and local people even got together to renovate a zoo in Bujumbura.

Furthermore, UNV volunteers ensure that women take an equal role in peacebuilding processes and that their rights are protected in post-conflict situations. For example, in Kosovo a UNV volunteer is helping to integrate gender awareness and related issues into the government offices and programmes; in Sudan UNV volunteers are training peacekeepers and mission staff on prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse.

At the time of writing, more than 2,100 UNV volunteers are serving in 19 UN peacekeeping missions. Over the past 16 years, UNV has supported 44 UN peacekeeping missions, plus more than 50 elections, most recently in Nepal and Timor-Leste. Some 40 percent of all UNV volunteers are engaged in peacekeeping support every year and we have deployed 11,300 UNV volunteers on 16,000 assignments with DPKO.