UNV’s V-Force initiative empowers volunteers and brings communities together, creating a space for communication between volunteers and UN entities, and enhancing collaboration towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
V-Force volunteers “discover their passion” for community development
UNV: What do you see as the intrinsic values volunteerism can bring to the human development agenda?
Selim Jahan: Firstly, volunteerism is undoubtedly helping the human development agenda. Volunteers are working in areas such as education, health, water and sanitation, improving living conditions and, in a nutshell, providing people with all kinds of support. Volunteerism enhances human development, everywhere.
UNV: What do you see as the intrinsic values volunteerism can bring to the human development agenda?
Selim Jahan: Firstly, volunteerism is undoubtedly helping the human development agenda. Volunteers are working in areas such as education, health, water and sanitation, improving living conditions and, in a nutshell, providing people with all kinds of support. Volunteerism enhances human development, everywhere.
With 40 national UN Volunteers placed in 37 counties and two national institutions, the Integrated Support to the Devolution Process in Kenya (2014-2018) improves public services by including local communities in decision making processes across the country.
Good governance is essential to public service delivery
By decentralizing decision making and assuring local participation, the Devolution Project, managed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, UN Women, and Kenyan national and county government offices, promotes collaboration between local communities and national public service providers.
The volunteer researchers are currently deploying to 15 countries to gather evidence for the 2018 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (SWVR) on the theme of “Resilient Communities: The Role of Volunteerism in a Turbulent World”.
“In view of the importance of Korea-UNV cooperation, our government has decided to increase the UNV contribution from US $1.96 million to US $3.15 million and expects to continue our budget contribution in the future,” said Mr Lee Jang-keun, Director General of the International Organizations Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Based on the increase in our contribution, we plan to double the number of UN Volunteer specialists and UN Youth Volunteers fully funded by Korea.”
“In view of the importance of Korea-UNV cooperation, our government has decided to increase the UNV contribution from US $1.96 million to US $3.15 million and expects to continue our budget contribution in the future,” said Mr Lee Jang-keun, Director General of the International Organizations Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Based on the increase in our contribution, we plan to double the number of UN Volunteer specialists and UN Youth Volunteers fully funded by Korea.”
Today’s dialogue expands the current collaboration – specifically in support of peacebuilding and climate action, two key priority areas for Korea.