Overcoming barriers to inclusion through volunteerism
Volunteerism is a powerful means of including people who are still customarily marginalized in development processes. Through engagement with people with disabilities, everyone learns, and everyone has the opportunity to grow.
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is a United Nations system-wide service provider. Our mandate is to enable talented and dedicated volunteers to help the United Nations system deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In doing so, we are intentional in recruiting volunteers with disabilities. For a long time, we have worked together with our partners to achieve more inclusive development outcomes. Additionally, we are now working to make the United Nations system itself more inclusive and diverse.
Calling the United Nations system to action on disability inclusion
In 2015, the United Nations made a promise—a transformative promise—to leave no one behind. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are at the very heart of that commitment to lift people up by championing inclusion and equality to improve lives.
Working with persons with disabilities is not new for the United Nations system. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) identifies and protects the rights of persons with disabilities. We must uphold these rights in our peace, development and humanitarian work.