Господине министер, Госпоѓо градоначалник,

Excellencies, distinguished guests, dear volunteers, It is my honour to welcome you today, as we pay tribute to the late Mr. Atsuhito Nakata. Thirty years after his passing in 1993, we are here to remember the dedication and commitment of a young man, who chose to serve as UN Volunteer to help build a peaceful and democratic society in Cambodia.

Good afternoon, On behalf of the United Nations Volunteers programme, I am very happy to be here in Mexico City today, on the occasion of International Volunteer Day. Let me start by greeting our Volunteers – today is all about you and the incredible work you are doing here in Mexico.

I have come to you today with an open mind, an open heart and open hands. I have come with an open mind, because this is the first visit of the head of UNV to Yemen since 1982. Forty years is a long time. There is a lot to reconnect, to absorb and to adjust. Last week, my father called me from Moscow and asked where I was going. I said, I am going to Yemen. He was happy to hear that and asked me if I knew that Yemen is one of only ten countries mentioned in the Holy Q’uran.

Madame President, Distinguished delegates, Madame Associate Administrator, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Mme. President, Members of the Executive Board, Mme. Associate Administrator, I am honoured to present the Strategic Framework of UNV for 2022-2025. In line with UNV tradition at the Executive Board, let me start by inviting you to watch a short video of UN Volunteers in action.

Mme. President, Members of the Executive Board, I am pleased to introduce this session presenting the new Strategic Framework 2022-2025 for the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Programme. Please allow me to highlight some of the key elements of the framework – and the close cooperation between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UNV – before Mr. Kurbanov takes the floor to speak to the Framework in greater detail. This Strategic Framework is the third such one for UNV, with the previous two covering the years 2014-2017 and 2018-2021.

Mme/Mr Chairman, Excellencies, Distinguished delegates,

UNV calls on Haitians (or official residents) who are older than 22 years and willing to offer their skills and capacity to support an inclusive and sustainable response and recovery to the recent earthquake that devastated the country.  UNV is looking for a wide range of professional profiles: Information Managers, Field Assistants, Midwives, Communication Officers, Emergency Medical Technicians, Nutrition Specialists, Shelter Specialists, Logistic Operations Specialists and WASH Specialists, among others.