How a local network of volunteers helps rebuild communities in Yaranda, Burundi

State of the World's Volunteerism Report 2018
print pdf
Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

UN Volunteer Mathieu Lembrez (France) is one of the 24 researchers for the 2018 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report, the flagship publication of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme. His research focused on the community of Yaranda in the north of Burundi, close to the Rwanda border. Apart from looking at the interaction of volunteerism and community resilience in Yaranda, Lembrez also researched volunteer initiatives in the areas of natural resource management, disaster risk reduction and conflict-prevention in nearby communities, particularly the work of the Burundi Red Cross. In this photo story, he shares his first-hand experiences and insights on the value of local volunteers in enhancing community resilience.

---

Japan commemorates its UNTAC dead

print pdf
Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

Representatives of the Japanese Embassy, the UN, the Cambodian Foreign Ministry and the National Police held a memorial ceremony for the Japanese fatalities of the UNTAC mission in Cambodia (1992-1993).

On 8 April 1993, 25 years ago, Atsuhito Nakata (Atsu), a Japanese UN Volunteer working as a District Electoral Supervisor with the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), was killed in a tragic ambush along with his Khmer interpreter, Lek Sophiep, in the province of Kampong Thom. He was 25 years old.

Supervisor form

print pdf
Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

Facilitating social cohesion between Syrian refugees and host communities in Jordan through community-based organizations

UNV partnering with UNDP
print pdf
Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been working on mitigating the impact of the syrian refugee crisis on host communities and advancing social cohesion among refugees and hosts in Jordan since shortly after the war broke out in 2012. The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme has been supporting UNDP in sustaining socioeconomic stability and enhancing social cohesion between Syrian refugees and Jordanian host communities in targeted areas, while enabling Jordanians and refugees to pursue their human development aspirations.

At the onset of the Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan, an estimated 500,000 Syrian refugees resided outside the camps. Increased pressure on resources, infrastructure, education, health care, housing, essential services and increased competition for jobs out a strain on Jordanian host communities.  The rising demand for social services threatened social cohesion, as access and quality of service provision diminished under the heightened demand. This put a increasing strain on Jordanian host communities and left them feeling marginalized.

Preparing UN Youth Volunteers for their assignments

Nairobi, Kenya
print pdf
Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

In late March, 17 UN Youth Volunteers from 7 countries came together for an Assignment Preparation Training (APT) in Nairobi. The training supported the volunteers in gaining a deeper understanding of how volunteerism can contribute to peace and development efforts through the role of youth volunteers, by exploring and practicing leadership, conflict management and communication skills.

"This has been the most useful and fun training I have been to," says Edgar Kiliba, UN Youth Volunteer Web and Social Media Communications Associate for the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Tanzania.  Edgar was one of 17 UN Youth Volunteers who participated in the Assignment Preparation Training in Nairobi and are being deployed to five countries on the African continent.

Large-scale mobilization of youth for the SDGs in Côte d'Ivoire

Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire
print pdf
Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

Since the end of the crisis in April 2011, the Government of Côte d'Ivoire has placed the fight against unemployment at the heart of its concerns. Job creation, especially for young people, is at the forefront of action for the country. With a view to contributing to youth empowerment and social cohesion in the north and west of the country, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is technically supporting the implementation of a project entitled "Youth Impact for the SDGs".

"Youth Impact for the SDGs in Côte d'Ivoire" is a US $118,500 project partially funded by Microsoft and implemented in collaboration with AIESEC, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and UNV. The project was developed following a workshop of the UNV Regional Office for West and Central Africa (ROWCA) in Dakar, Senegal, in September 2016 on harnessing the potential of young people to achieve the SDGs through volunteering.

Recognizing the whole-of-society approach to the SDGs through integration of volunteerism data in VNRs

Room 1 - ILPES, Santiago Chile
print pdf
Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

The side event will provide guidance on how Member States can work to strengthen their analysis and reporting under SDG17 through the integration of national data on volunteerism.  In particular to:

Recognizing the whole-of-society approach to the SDGs through integration of volunteerism data in VNRs

print pdf
Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

The side event will provide guidance on how Member States can work to strengthen their analysis and reporting under SDG17 through the integration of national data on volunteerism.  In particular to:

2018 Integration Segment: Innovative communities: leveraging technology and innovation to build sustainable and resilient societies

New York
print pdf
Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

The Segment will address the theme, “Innovative communities: leveraging technology and innovation to build sustainable and resilient societies”

The annual ECOSOC Integration Segment has been mandated to promote the integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development, both within and beyond the United Nations system.

The 2018 Integration Segment seeks to analyze pathways to build resilience through integrated policies, and will:

2018 Integration Segment: Innovative communities: leveraging technology and innovation to build sustainable and resilient societies

print pdf
Low quality, print optimized High quality, color print

The Segment will address the theme, “Innovative communities: leveraging technology and innovation to build sustainable and resilient societies”

The annual ECOSOC Integration Segment has been mandated to promote the integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development, both within and beyond the United Nations system.

The 2018 Integration Segment seeks to analyze pathways to build resilience through integrated policies, and will:

Subscribe to