The Global Human Resource Development Programme for Peacebuilding and Development (HRD Programme) is a joint partnership between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the Hiroshima Peacebuilders Center and UNV. It was established in 2007, is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The HRD Programme aims to advance the reach and impact of volunteerism through the strategic deployment of skilled individuals to UN agencies engaged in peacebuilding and development.
In this report, the Secretary-General has highlighted several priority actions that will enable stakeholders to maximize the impact of voluntary efforts for peace and development under the 2030 Agenda. A shift from ad hoc and isolated volunteer projects to sustainable investment at scale is needed to widen volunteering opportunities and ensure the inclusion of all types of people. Increased practice- sharing and knowledge development, in particular on informal volunteering and volunteering in fragile and low-income contexts, are required.
According to a report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) of June 2018, the crisis in North-eastern Nigeria (now in its ninth year) “remains one of the most severe in the world, where human rights violations continue to be reported daily, and where the food security and nutrition situation remains concerning as conflict continues to limit the amount of land under cultivation.”
Guyaku, located in the Gombi Local Government Area of Adamawa State, is amongst the villages suffering from this humanitarian crisis. In the year 2013, the Guyaku village was attacked by insurgents. This led to the displacement of members of the community. In this situation, many have lost their lives, other their properties, leaving many women and children exposed to security threats and without any means of subsistence.
Massive displacements of people continue to take place with the intensified conflict in North-East Nigeria. A report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) of June 2018 underscores the need for action to support the internally displaced, especially women. The report emphasizes that 5,500,000 people are in need of assistance regarding early recovery and livelihood issues.
UNV and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are on the ground since early 2018, with funding support from the European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO), to assist the communities affected by the humanitarian crisis. The Sengere community, located in the Adamawa State is one of them.
Ndachem Abubakar is one of the UN Community Volunteers who are deployed in 10 communities across crisis-affected North-East Nigeria, with a focus on Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States.
Jumpstarting economic recovery in the community of Sengere.
The Mafoni community in Maiduguri, Borno State in North-East Nigeria, is among the communities most affected by the large-scale displacements due to the conflict in the region. This community has suffered from the insurgency, with many having lost loved ones and seen most of their livelihood assets destroyed. It is a community where internally displaced persons (IDPs) who are seeking protection and residence are living with or among the host community.
Despite the situation, Falmata Haruna Bwala did not hesitate to seize the opportunity offered by UNV to serve as a UN Community Volunteer on a UNDP project with funding support from the European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO). She serves as a Village Supervisor in a region with many displaced and distressed communities, including the Mafoni community.
Falmata says that she has been inspired by one of Mahatma Gandhi’s quotes: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”.
In this blog, Isabel Schmidt, Executive Director of Statistics South Africa talks about the importance, as well as the challenges, of measuring the contribution of volunteerism in South Africa.
Tshepiso steps back and admires his handiwork. As part of his contribution to Mandela Day, he has painted the interior walls of a corrugated iron shack that serves as a crèche for young children in an informal settlement in Johannesburg. In the spirit of ubuntu, he regularly ferries his elderly parents, aunts and uncles to hospital or assists them with shopping. Just last weekend he repaired a broken kitchen cabinet door for his neighbour, Mrs Potts.
The Executive Board, Welcomes the organizational transformation of UNV in 2017-2018 and the decentralization of capacities and delegation of authority from headquarters to the regional and country levels, enabling UNV to be better ‘fit for purpose’ for its new Strategic Framework; Recalling decision 2017/31, paragraph 8, notes the importance of regular resources provided by UNDP to deliver on its Strategic Framework; Reaffirms the crucial role of the Special Voluntary Fund to the delivery of the UNV Strategic Framework, 2018-2021, calling upon all develop
