UNV?s Executive Coordinator, Flavia Pansieri (left) and Rebeca Grynspan, UNDP Associate Administrator, during the meeting with UNV staff at UNV headquarters in Bonn (Germany). (Photo: C.Bolton / UNV 2012).

UNV staff meets UNDP Associate Administrator, Rebeca Grynspan, at UNV headquarters

Bonn, Germany
print pdf
Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print
On Friday 7 December, almost one year after her last visit to the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme headquarters in Bonn, Germany, Rebeca Grynspan, the UNDP Associate Administrator, was welcomed again by UNV’s Executive Coordinator,  Flavia Pansieri. More than 100 staff members gathered to hear Ms Grynspan’s opinions on engaging volunteers and integrating volunteerism into programming.

On Friday 7 December, almost one year after her last visit to the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme headquarters in Bonn, Germany, Rebeca Grynspan, the UNDP Associate Administrator, was welcomed again by UNV’s Executive Coordinator, s Flavia Pansieri. More than 100 staff members gathered to hear Ms Grynspan’s opinions on engaging volunteers and integrating volunteerism into programming.

Ms Grynspan noted the Secretary-General’s Five-Year Action Agenda, stating that the “youth framework will be very important” for UNV. Sustainable development, environment and climate change and peace and security are also priorities for UNDP in 2013, for which she hopes to havea closer collaboration from UNV.

She said that civil engagement is necessary for the development of a country and that “mobilizing the best in all of us can bring us to achieve common goals.” Other topics Ms Grynspan discussed were South-South collaboration, capacity building and gender inequalities and the synergies to coordinate UNV – UNDP’s efforts to be able to contribute in many more aspects. Ms Grynspan then answered questions from the attendees related to UNV- UNDP working relations.

Ms Grynspan ended the meeting with all UNV – HQ staff by highlighting Flavia Pansieri’s passion and commitment to volunteerism, thanks to whom “many more people know now that UNV made a contribution that helped to improve many people’s lives.” She emphasized that “Flavia gave volunteerism a different dimension”.

Ms Grynspan is an Under-Secretary-General to the United Nations. She also served as Director of the Subregional Headquarters in Mexico of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).  Ms Grynspan was also a member of the UN Millennium Project’s Task Force on Poverty and Economic Development and of the UN High-Level Panel on Financing for Development. From 1994 to 1998, she was the Vice-President of Costa Rica.

Bonn, Germany