50 years of the United Nations Volunteers programme: a contemporary witness recalls

Prof. Dr. Peter Molt, UNV’s First Deputy Executive Coordinator
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The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme turns 50 this year! A unique common service to the UN system and beyond, UNV provides dedicated volunteers and volunteerism expertise to our partners across the world. The organization has been described as the 'jewel' of the United Nations. To mark our anniversary, we share the reflections of former leading executives and deputies of UNV. First up: Mr Peter Molt (Germany), the first Deputy Executive Coordinator of UNV, 1970-1975.

At the end of October 1970, I received a request from the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to advise on the establishment of a United Nations Volunteer Service (UNV). The background to this request was that I had been instrumental in the establishment of the German Voluntary Service in 1962 and later served as one of the directors of the Service from 1966-1969.

UNV and UNDP promote volunteer service for the Beijing Winter Olympics

Beijing, China
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Launched end March 2021, the project aims to promote volunteer service for the Winter Olympics, develop a collaboration network for volunteering in Olympic cities and enhance youth engagement in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through volunteerism.

In selecting 28 outstanding candidates to serve as volunteers with UN entities in China and abroad, UNV will be empowering international volunteering talents, and bolster the professionalism of China's volunteer management system.

Online volunteers with UNDP help improve health governance

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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been expanding the reach of its health and development initiative by engaging passionate online volunteers. In 2020, UNDP published 401 opportunities via the Online Volunteering service, calling for 1,754 online volunteers. Online volunteer candidates brought a range of expertise and educational backgrounds, from students to recent graduates, medical students and doctoral researchers. Even former UN Volunteers applied, spurred by their dedication to development. All offered valuable qualities to bolster the work of UNDP's teams across the world.

Online Volunteers supporting the Istanbul Regional Hub of UNDP initially completed tasks in research, translation and economic modeling to support projects on non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention and control across low- and middle-income countries.

Addressing the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on communities

Dishnika Perera, UNV Communications, Asia and the Pacific
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When the Coronavirus pandemic began spreading across the world just over a year ago, it did not spare any community or society. COVID-19 rapidly caused devastating socio-economic impacts such as income loss, business impacts and health concerns. Basic consumer needs were affected. The lack of awareness among communities, in the wake of an unfamiliar crisis, further exacerbated the situation.

While COVID-19 severely impacted the most vulnerable communities, its effects were also felt across UN programme countries, reversing many positive gains in sustainable development. To support countries and UN partners in their response to the pandemic, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme invested its resources to deploy UN Volunteers with partners, financed through its UNV Special Voluntary Fund.*

What is unique about UN Community Volunteers ?

Jo Scheuer, UNDP Resident Representative, Mali
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COVID-19 has hit Mali in the context of security crises. The country has been weakened by the resurgence of inter-community violence and a surge in violent extremism. For the first time, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has deployed 60 UN Community Volunteers. Their role? To fight misinformation and raise awareness about the pandemic and preventive measures. Find out more in the below video interview with Jo Scheuer, UNDP Resident Representative in Mali.

What is unique about UN Community Volunteers is that they are from the community. They know the community; they are embedded in the community; they know the community dynamics. [We had] the opportunity to use this 'instrument' and have a direct impact on communities. --Jo Scheuer, UNDP Resident Representative in Mali

Hard-fought progress on Tuberculosis in Kiribati at risk due to COVID-19

Dr Innocent Nyandwi, UN Volunteer TB/HIV Medical Officer in Kiribati, UNDP
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On World Tuberculosis Day, 24 March, we raise awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of Tuberculosis (TB) and efforts to end this epidemic. The theme this year – The Clock is Ticking – conveys the urgency to step up efforts and act on commitments to end TB, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr Innocent Nyandwi (Rwanda) is a UN Volunteer TB/HIV Medical Officer serving with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Kiribati. He shares his experience of the disruption caused by COVID-19 that threatens to reverse hard-fought progress on TB. 

Under the World Health Organization (WHO)’s End Tuberculosis Strategy, countries around the world have set ambitious targets to reduce the number of TB cases and deaths, as well as catastrophic expenses due to TB, by the year 2035, with interim milestones set for 2020 and 2025. Even before the onset of COVID-19, we were running out of time, and now, because of the pandemic, the targets are in jeopardy.

UN Volunteer helps WHO boost capacity of Kazakhstan’s national laboratories

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One of the most critical activities of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Kazakhstan in 2020 was to strengthen the operations of local laboratories in the context of COVID-19 and beyond. Laboratory networks are an essential platform for emergency preparedness and response, since they share information, experience and systems to exchange clinical samples and other biological materials for testing.

During 2020, the WHO Country Office in Kazakhstan initiated and conducted several missions in collaboration with Dr Joanna Zwetyenga (Denmark), Technical Expert on Laboratory issues, Biosecurity and Biosafety from the WHO Regional Office in Europe.

The first mission concluded with Dr Zwetyenga developing an action plan to strengthen laboratory response to COVID-19, with recommendations to train national mentors to support the laboratory capacity of staff conducting testing for SARS-CoV-2.

Coordinating humanitarian response in the COVID-19 context

UNV Communications, Latin America and the Caribbean
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In 2020, UNV supported system-wide action on COVID-19 by investing US $2 million from its Special Voluntary Fund* in the mobilization of national UN Volunteers in 79 countries and with 18 UN entities. Some of these coordinate humanitarian response and take aid where it is needed most. UN Volunteers like Nyasha Mazango (Zimbabwe), Melanie Raire (Papua New Guinea) and Camila Pérez Zambrano (Ecuador) have put their knowledge and expertise at the service of their fellow citizens.

In crises and emergency situations, volunteering provides governments and civil society organizations with greater flexibility and response capacity. This is particularly true in humanitarian crises, further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic

Calling for young researchers for local peacebuilding

Bonn, Germany
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About the assignments

The pivotal role of UN Volunteer health professionals in COVID-19 response plans

Bery Kandji, UNV Communications, West and Central Africa
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Since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, the United Nations has been advocating for a large-scale, coordinated and comprehensive health response. Through its Special Voluntary Fund (SVF),* UNV has deployed 126 UN Volunteers worldwide since early 2020 to date in different sectors, to assist countries in the fight against COVID-19. Some of these serve as Public Health Officers with the World Health Organization and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to reinforce health systems and capacities.  

In times of health and sanitary crisis, laboratories are crucial in providing reliable data for emergency preparedness and response. In Zimbabwe, Ronald Timbe, UN Volunteer Medical Epidemiologist, is engaged through WHO in COVID-19 response surveillance activities led by the Ministry of Health and Child Care. He works on the development and revision of COVID-19 surveillance tools, including the production of situation reports.

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