Promoting Volunteerism for Peace and Development

VOLUNTEER TOOLKITYOUR ASSIGNMENT AS A UN VOLUNTEER . 1Promoting Volunteerismfor Peace and Development

ForewordThe Promoting Volunteerism for Peace and Development: is apractical guidance for UN Volunteers on how to give expression toVolunteerism for Peace and Development during their UN Volunteerassignment and beyond. The tool is part of a Volunteer Toolkit, whichcontains eight (8) volunteer management tools: The Volunteer Toolkithas been developed to support the implementation of UNV ProgrammeStrategy 2011- 2013, more specifically to enhance the effectiveness ofvolunteer management and the skills of UN Volunteers to become goodadvocates of Volunteerism for Peace and Development.The Volunteer Toolkit is to be disseminated and/or made available to UNVolunteers over the course of their volunteer assignment. The objectiveis to ensure that UN Volunteers (POs, other international UNVolunteers, and national UN Volunteers) can benefit from each tool atthe relevant stage of their assignment: Pre-assignment; Support duringassignment and End of Assignment.Front Cover: Volunteers in Burkina Faso demonstrate traditional solidarity

CONTENTS . 1TABLE OF CONTENTSIntroduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00Volunteerism for peace anddevelopment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00What is volunteerism for peace anddevelopment? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00UNV and volunteerism for peace anddevelopment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00What does it mean to volunteer?. . . . . . . 00Prior to your assignment . . . . . . . . . . . 00Volunteerism for peace anddevelopment in your descriptionof assignment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00Preparatory and ongoing reflectionon volunteerism for peace anddevelopment in your assignment . . . . . 00During your assignment . . . . . . . . . . . . 00Useful concepts and approaches tovolunteerism for peace anddevelopment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00‘Expertise‘ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00A person-to-person approach. . . . . . . . 00Inclusiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00Gender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00Building individual capacity . . . . . . . . . 00Transcending boundaries. . . . . . . . . . . 00Taking an inventory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00Mapping your environment. . . . . . . . . . 00Local traditions of volunteerism . . . . . . 00Sources of support for volunteerism . . 00Volunteer contributions. . . . . . . . . . . . . 00Implementing volunteerism fordevelopment throughout yourassignment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00Building up organizational capacity . . . 00Sources of support for localvolunteer groups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00The multiplier effect. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00Public education and advocacy . . . . . . 00Innovation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00Integrating volunteerism fordevelopment into different kinds ofUNV assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00Assignments in emergency andrehabilitation situations. . . . . . . . . . . . 00Assignments with United Nationspeacekeeping, peace-building,political and electoral missions . . . . . 00Integrating volunteerism fordevelopment into the UNDP/UNVCountry Programme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00Contribute your thoughts –as well as your photos . . . . . . . . . . . . 00Periodic reports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00International Volunteer Day . . . . . . . . . 00International Year of Volunteersplus Ten . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00After your assignment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00Debriefing and End-of-AssignmentReport. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00Keeping up-to-date. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00Staying involved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00Advocating for volunteerism fordevelopment at home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 00

2 . PROMOTING VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENTIntroductionIt is with great pleasure that I welcome youto the United Nations Volunteers (UNV)programme. When you receive this guide,you are one of almost 8000 UN Volunteersannually supporting peace anddevelopment worldwide. You are servingeither on an assignment in developmentcontributing to achieving the MDGs withUNDP or other UN agencies or in in apeacekeeping mission or a special politicalor peace-building mission, in humanitarianresponse or in an electoral operation.As a UN Volunteer you have theextraordinary opportunity to createbeneficial change and have a positiveimpact on people’s lives. Even if your UNVassignment is fairly short, you can have along-term impact and achieve a rippleeffect that extends far beyond theimmediate beneficiaries of yourefforts. Your actions can also inspire othersto volunteer and to believe that they toocan make a contribution towards peaceand development. Ultimately, ifdevelopment is to be effective andsustainable, the people affected by it musttake ownership of its processes and drivethem forward.The United Nations Volunteers (UNV)programme is the UN organization thatpromotes volunteerism to support peaceand development and it benefits bothsociety at large and the individualvolunteer. UNV contributes to peace anddevelopment by advocating forvolunteerism globally, encouragingpartners to integrate volunteerism intodevelopment programming, andmobilizing volunteers. These beliefsinform the concept of volunteerism forpeace and development, which is at thecore of UNV’s mission.The difference UNV makes is bydemonstrating peace and developmentresults and impact through volunteerism.UNV’s comparative advantage is theability and knowledge to bring abouttransformational change throughvolunteerism, community voluntary actionand civic engagement through activepartnerships with civil society, volunteerinvolving organizations, UN agencies andGovernments. This is inspiration in actionUN Volunteers come from 158 countriesand many more cultural backgrounds, andthanks to this wide variety of perspectivesyou bring a range of experiences,expectations and approaches tovolunteerism for development. Thisdiversity gives volunteerism fordevelopment a particular dynamism.

INTRODUCTION . 3Your role as a UN Volunteer is that of bothfacilitator and catalyst. UNV encouragesyou to be creative and entrepreneurial infinding ways to develop capacity and topromote and foster volunteerism fordevelopment both within and beyond theformal framework of your assignment.After all, there is no single ‘correct oroptimal way to volunteer for peace anddevelopment. By optimizing the impact ofvolunteerism, especially in terms ofdeveloping capacity, you can have a deepand long-lasting impact.Whether your service is in your owncountry or abroad, we believe that youhave chosen to be a UN Volunteerbecause you share the United Nations’commitment to development, humanrights and peace. All of these values havevolunteerism at their core. As a UNVolunteer, you are part of a cumulativeglobal effort – volunteerism – that is apowerful force for peace anddevelopment. Indeed, the MillenniumDevelopment Goals (MDGs) are onlyachievable if many millions of peoplearound the world voluntarily mobilize toattain them.personally give expression tovolunteerism for peace and developmentduring – and beyond – your UNVassignment. It draws on previousexperiences promoting and advocatingvolunteerism for peace and developmentin the field. Many UN Volunteers providedvaluable insights and practical advicebased on their personal experience inassignments around the world.This guide is intended to be a livingdocument that will be continually updatedbased on feedback from UN Volunteersso that it remains relevant. Yourcomments and suggestions will thereforebe greatly appreciated.I wish you a great assignment with manypositive results.Flavia PansieriExecutive CoordinatorUnited Nations VolunteersIn this handbook you will find practicaltools and some examples of how you can

4 . PROMOTING VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENTVolunteerism for Peace and DevelopmentWhat is volunteerism for peace anddevelopment?Volunteerism fosters empowerment andbroad-based ownership, through whicheven the most disadvantaged groups cancontribute to more stable and cohesivecommunities. Volunteerism is both amanifestation and driver of social capitaland civic participation, involving morepeople in the decisions that affect theirlives. In particular, it can helpdisadvantaged populations move frombeing passive recipients to becomingengaged actors in their own development.As a component of peace or developmentprogrammes, particularly at thecommunity level, volunteerism provides asense of belonging and ownership, puttingmarginalized communities at the centre oftheir reconciliation and/or developmentprocesses. It is also an important meansby which individuals gain the skillsnecessary to realize their economicpotential.Evidence shows that people in conflictenvironments have the will and instinct torespond with resilience andresourcefulness even in intense orprolonged conflicts. In fact, many of theconcepts related to peace making andpeace building – from conflict preventionand reconciliation, to reintegration andreconstruction – are rooted involunteerism. Ongoing national andinternational conflicts continue to weakennational and individual resilience 1 .Nevertheless, emerging from within theseconflicts, volunteerism can serve as a keysource of reconciliation and reconstructionin divided societies.Volunteering has been a valuable partnerin a broad spectrum of peace anddevelopment activities, having as theiroverriding goal the eradication of povertyand the betterment of the humancondition. It is closely linked to achievingthe Millennium Development Goals(MDGs), where as of today, globalprogress in achieving MDG targets hasbeen slow. As indicated in UNDP’s MDGBreakthrough Strategy, and specificallythe MDG Acceleration Framework 2 ,strengthening participatory processes andbuilding partnerships with civil society,which can be enhanced through1. OECD International Network on Conflict and Fragility.http://www.oecd.org/document/57/0,3343,en_2649_33693550_42113657_1_1_1_1,00.html2. Unlocking progress: MDG acceleration on the road to 2015:Lessons from the MDG Acceleration Framework pilot countries.September 2010, http://www.undp.org/mdg/acceleration.shtml

VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT . 5volunteerism, are vital for achieving thesegoals. It is also widely recognized that topromote sustainable human development,peace is a prerequisite in that process.Volunteerism benefits society at large andthe individual volunteer by strengtheningsolidarity and reciprocity among citizens.It can transform the pace and nature ofdevelopment and peace initiatives.“Many of the volunteers had no job, nomoney, had nothing to do all day…Through their voluntary work they wereable to increase their self-esteem, feeluseful in their community and take onresponsibilities. They felt they wereactively contributing and playing a partin their own development…Volunteering can develop suchincredible power and value in the way itchannels energies, enthusiasm,commitment and skills that otherwisewould be wasted or perhaps even usedin a destructive way.“Achim Merlo, UNV Programme Officer inKyrgyzstan on his experiences in theFerghana Valley, Central AsiaUNV and volunteerism for peace anddevelopment“UN Volunteers and the United NationVolunteer (UNV) programme are notmerely about providing human resourcesor filling the gap, but in fact assisting anduplifting communities so that people canaspire for a better tomorrow.“Haoliang Xu, former UNDP CountryDirector in PakistanThe United Nations Volunteers (UNV)programme is inspired by the convictionthat volunteerism is a powerful means ofengaging people in tackling developmentchallenges worldwide. Everyone cancontribute their time, skills and knowledgethrough volunteer action and theircombined efforts can be a significantforce for achieving peace anddevelopment.“The difference UNV makes is bydemonstrating peace and developmentresults and impact through volunteerism.UNV’s comparative advantage is theability and knowledge to bring abouttransformational change throughvolunteerism, community voluntary actionand civic engagement through activepartnership with civil society, volunteerinvolving organizations, UN agencies andGovernment. This is inspiration in action.”

6 . PROMOTING VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENTThe enormous potential of volunteerism forpeace and development inspires us as anorganization, and it is our mission to deliveron that potential.Ever since UNV served as the focal point ofthe International Year of Volunteers in 2001,UNV has acted as a global advocate forvolunteerism for peace and development,promoting greater understanding andrecognition that volunteerism is a sustainableand culturally adapted asset for developmentand peace. UNV also serves as the hub forvolunteerism within the United Nations,reinforcing linkages between volunteerismand the attainment of the MDGs.Achieving the MDGs by the year 2015 callsfor a global partnership with commitmentsfrom both developed and developingcountries. It also requires the activeparticipation of millions of ordinary citizensfrom all sectors of public and private life.National governments have developmentplans specific to their country‘s needs.Mobilizing people‘s energy, creativity,knowledge and skills through volunteerismtowards meeting development goals canfacilitate a country‘s progress, especiallywhen civil society, the private sector,multilateral and bilateral agencies and otherstakeholders are prepared to integratevolunteerism in delivering on their ownmandates. UNV itself, through mobilizingUN Volunteers and other volunteers, workstoward harnessing volunteerism at thecountry, regional and international levels tomeet critical development goals.Promoting volunteerism for peace anddevelopment is at the core of the UNVmission, and it is our hope and expectationthat you will keep volunteerism at theforefront of your UNV assignment right fromthe start. As a UN Volunteer, you can make adifference by taking a creative approach bothwithin and beyond the prescribed structure ofyour assignment to develop capacity andmobilize others to volunteer for development.Implementing volunteerism for peace anddevelopment results in a win-win situation forthe country where you are volunteering, foryour host organization and for you.Dolores Nunez from Spain wasserving as a UNV Assistant to theUNDP Resident Representative inEcuador while also building capacitiesof representatives of volunteerinvolving organizations. During herworking hours she also trains andadvises members of the nationalvolunteerism round table on projectwriting and proposal in order to obtainfunding. This was made an integralpart of her Description of Assignment.

VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT . 7What does it mean to volunteer?Volunteerism is a fundamental source ofcommunity strength and resilience thatexists in all societies throughout the world.Volunteerism is expressed through a widerange of activities, including traditionalforms of mutual aid and self-help, formalservice delivery, campaigning andadvocacy, as well as other forms of civicparticipation. The UN General Assemblydefines volunteerism as undertaken offree will, for the general public good, andwhere monetary reward is not theprincipal motivating factor. 3Following the International Year ofVolunteers in 2001, the UN GeneralAssembly recognized that “volunteerismis an important component of any strategyaimed at…poverty reduction, sustainabledevelopment, health, disaster preventionand management, social integration andovercoming social exclusion anddiscrimination”. And that “volunteering,particularly at the community level, willhelp to achieve the development goalsand objectives set out in the UNMillennium Development Goals…” 43. UN General Assembly A/RES/56/38 Distr. 10 January 20024. UN General Assembly A/RES/57/106 December 2002Here are a few contemporary examples ofculturally recognized forms ofvolunteerism:■ Minga – In Latin America, minga meansa call for action or a coming together ofthe community for the benefit of all.■ Harambee – In East Africa, harambeemeans working together for a commonpurpose, and encompasses both short,informal affairs as well as organized,days-long events. Harambee gatheringsplay an important role in building andmaintaining communities.■ Kutandizana – In Zambia, kutandizanameans helping each other.■ Zunde RaMambo – In Zimbabwe,Zunde RaMambo literally means‘Chief’s Granary’, but it refers to variousforms of volunteerism, such ascollective planting and harvesting,especially to help vulnerable peopleovercome hardships and benefit fromthe harvest.■ Tatawo – In the Arab region, tataworefers to volunteer labour at both thecommunity and the family level, anexchange that is offered withoutexpectation of direct equal return.■ Mikprites – The Albanian people havean informal mutual support mechanismcalled mikprites, meaning hospitality.

8 . PROMOTING VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT■ Daan – In India, daan means voluntarygiving to contribute to the well-being ofsociety.■ Gotong Royong – In Indonesia, gotongroyong means working together, and itcan address the needs of individuals,families and larger communities.■ Bayanihan – In the Philippines,bayanihan refers to mutual assistanceand self-help among peers.As a UN Volunteer, you are part of thisproud tradition.K UN Volunteers help a little girl to express herfeelings and thought trough painting and coloring© Mario Rizzolio 17 February 2008, Quito, Equador

PRIOR TO YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 9Prior to your assignmentUNV strives to infuse volunteerism intoevery stage of your assignment, from yourinitial recruitment to your eventual returnhome. Together, we are strengtheningvolunteerism for peace and development.Volunteerism for peace anddevelopment in your Description ofAssignmentThe expectations of both UNV and yourhost organization are explained in theDescription of Assignment (DoA).Promoting volunteerism for peace anddevelopment is an integral part of everyUNV assignment. Your DoA outlines waysto promote volunteerism through yourassignment, as well as ways to integratevolunteerism into your assignment to helpyou achieve its objectives.We encourage you to discuss yourDescription of Assignment with yoursupervisor and the UNV ProgrammeOfficer or UNV Programme Manager sothat together you can ensure that this ismaterialized.concerned how volunteerism can addvalue to the assignment. According toSarah Gleave, former UNV ProgrammeOfficer for Laos, including volunteerism forpeace and development in the Descriptionof Assignment helps to achieve thefollowing:■ It creates a better match between anindividual‘s reasons for becoming a UNVolunteer and the output expectationsof their managers;■ It improves integration of volunteerisminto peace and development, and inprogrammatic areas in which UNV isengaged;■ It provides UN Volunteers space tomobilize other local volunteers;■ It increases the impact of eachvolunteer at the community level, whichfurther integrates the volunteer into thecommunity;This results in happier volunteers!Reflecting volunteerism for peace anddevelopment in the Description ofAssignment makes clear to everyone

10 . PROMOTING VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENTIn Nigeria, UN Volunteers supportedthe United Nations Food andAgriculture Organization’s (FAO’s)work on preventing avian influenza.National UN Volunteer Dr. MusaSwang Shallangwa assisted in thecollection of data and assessment ofthe trends of diseases and outbreaks,with an emphasis on avian influenzaand other trans-boundary animaldiseases. Beyond his duties as askilled statistician, he also volunteeredto lecture on avian influenza tostudents of higher educationinstitutions and to the general public.In addition, he dedicated time as aresource person for a NigerianTelevision Authority programme aboutwhat avian influenza is and why thepublic should be concerned about it.Preparatory and ongoing reflection onvolunteerism for peace anddevelopment in your assignmentFormal and informal reflection on yourassignment will be an important part ofyour experience as a UN Volunteer. Itwould be helpful to begin to reflect onyour own experience – your expectations,observations, hesitations, etc. – beforeyour assignment begins. For example,you might want to keep a written recordsuch as a journal or a blog as a way tokeep track of how your perceptions ofyour assignment change over time.Before your assignment, you might wantto jot down your personal expectations ofwhat you hope to achieve, particularly interms of promoting volunteerism.During the course of your assignment,you may want to take stock periodicallyand think about the specific volunteerismfor peace and development element ofyour assignment and how you canimplement it. Once you are onassignment, your UNV Field Unit willsupport you in this reflection process. Youmay also find the Volunteer ReflectionToolkit (which your Programme Officer willprovide) helpful.

PRIOR TO YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 11L In the town of Maungdaw in western Myanmar, on the border with Bangladesh, local Muslim and Rakhineyoung people regularly meet at the local football field to play football. Primo Wusong, a UN Volunteer with WFP,regularly joined the group and found that it was one of the few local forums where young people from the twocommunities mixed together. Since then, he has used this opportunity to encourage dialogue between thegroups.

12 . PROMOTING VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENTDuring your assignment“If I would run another mission… Iwould recommend to the Secretary-General himself to use the [UnitedNations Volunteers programme] and itspeople as much as possible becausethey have proven to be extremelyprofessional. UN Volunteers have beenone of the essential elements for thesuccess of the operation.“Aldo Ajello, Advisor to the Secretary-General, United Nations Operation inMozambique (ONUMOZ)Technical competence, professionalexperience, motivation, attitude andprevious volunteer experience were allsignificant criteria in your selection as aUN Volunteer. Sharing your knowledgeand expertise is clearly an importantelement in your assignment, but your roleis not simply to manage an agenda, anoffice, a programme or an operation. Youhave the chance to contribute todevelopment, create positive change andhave a beneficial impact on people‘s lives.This section of the handbook presents afew requirements and suggestions thatcan help ensure that your work will beeffective and have a lasting impact.Useful concepts and approaches tovolunteerism for peace and development‘Expertise‘“Whenever we go to ‘help‘ anothercountry, it is easy to forget that theyknow more than we do. The peoplewith whom you are working are theexperts on their own life andexperiences.“People in Aid News, July 2005As a UN Volunteer, you have decided todedicate a period of your life tovolunteering for peace and development.You are a qualified, experienced andcommitted professional with substantiveknowledge in your own area of technicalspecialization. No-one in the community inwhich you are working, or among yourcolleagues from other agencies, NGOs orother partners, should see you as ‘just avolunteer‘.Nonetheless, you should be prepared forthe possibility that you may not beregarded as an ‘expert‘ by your communityuntil they feel you have earned this title. Atthe same time, it is worth rememberingthat no-one is an expert when they firstenter a new country and culture. Be open

DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 13to the possibility that the people you havecome to work with may end up teachingyou more than you teach them.In short, you should be proud of yourexpertise and your professionalism, andseek out opportunities to employ your skillswhile bearing in mind that there is stillmuch to learn. In the end, the quality ofyour performance should speak for itself.If you are a national UN Volunteer, youare likely to be familiar with the localculture where you are carrying out yourassignment. However, even though yourlocal partners are fellow nationals, theymay still consider you to be an outsider.They may also hold you to a higherstandard than international volunteers,expecting more from you and being lessforgiving of mistakes.What can you do to earn their respect andtrust? As is true for all volunteers, humilityand a willingness to listen and learn fromyour hosts will help. You can alsodemonstrate your solidarity by highlightingyour shared commitment to achievingyour country‘s national developmentgoals. Telling them about any successfulvolunteer-facilitated development projectsin your own part of the country that youhave been involved in will underscoreyour solidarity and commitment.“When they see a volunteer comingall the way from Cairo, theyappreciate it more,“ says KhaledHammad, a UN Volunteer onassignment in his native country ofEgypt. In his experience, beneficiariesof assistance from national UNVolunteers understand that “you‘renot only there to do your job – for themoney – but that you believe insomething, to help them change forthe better.“A Person-to-Person ApproachOne of the most critical keys to successas a UN Volunteer is to be a good listener.Listening conscientiously is not only acourtesy, but also an important way toshow respect and to learn from thosearound you. Your impact will be greaterand your own experience richer if youtake the time to listen to and reallyunderstand your hosts. At the same time,give your hosts time to understand UNVand its mission, and always make time formutual exchange. The people youencounter while carrying out yourassignment are not only recipients of aid,but human beings. Remember that youare on this journey together.

14 . PROMOTING VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENTHow you communicate what you knowalso matters. Try to avoid taking aprescriptive or didactic approach or ‘actinglike an expert‘. There is a differencebetween telling people what they should doand creating conditions in which peoplecan take matters into their own hands.“People knew that I was there to assistthem and to extend a helping hand tothem, and they realized that I was notthere to achieve any personal materialgain but rather assist them during thedifficult time that they were goingthrough. This sense of brotherhood thatwas developed with the local population(and mainly with the victims of humanrights abuses) made my assignment avery special one.“Emilya Cermak, UNV Human Rights Officerwith MONUC 5 , Democratic Republic of theCongoInclusivenessInclusiveness is a central tenet ofvolunteerism because it helps empowerdisadvantaged people. Because of UNV‘score commitment to promotingvolunteerism; it has a special role to play infostering the inclusion of all groups inpeace and development, particularly5. MONUC: Mission des Nations Unies en RépubliqueDémocratique du Congosocially or politically disadvantaged groups.These groups may include women, peoplewith disabilities, people with HIV & AIDS,younger or older people, victims of wars ornatural catastrophes and others.During your UNV assignment, consider theenvironment you are in and identify whichgroups are socially or politicallydisadvantaged. Why are theydisadvantaged? And what can you do tomake their community more inclusive?GenderAddressing the gender dimensions of aproject or initiative is crucial to achievingsustainable development. UNV believesthat achieving equality between womenand men – gender equality – is inextricablylinked to peace and the development goalof making real improvements in people‘slives and in the choices and opportunitiesavailable to them.As a UN Volunteer, you have the mandateand duty to promote gender equality ineverything you do. Ultimately, you mustensure that both women and men areincluded in, and stand to gain from, thework you carry out during your assignment.With this in mind, strive for gender equalityby drawing both women and men into thelistening and consultative processes so

DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 15that your initiative will benefit from bothperspectives. Yet simply inviting bothwomen and men might not be enough;sometimes women and men have differentpriorities and responsibilities, so schedulemeetings at a time that is suitable to both.Also be aware of and sensitive to contextspecifichierarchies or imbalances amongwomen and men that might make onegroup less likely to voice their needs andconcerns.But gender equality means more thansimply involving equal numbers of womenand men in development initiatives, orserving equal numbers of female and malebeneficiaries. Instead, the goal is to enableboth women and men “to influence theentire agenda and basic priorities“ 4 ofdevelopment.This requires that you work with bothwomen and men to identify the long-termstrategic and short-term practical needs ofboth groups and the communities in whichthey live, and if necessary, address themseparately. It might also require you toproactively challenge existing conditions ofinequality – but in doing so, work closelywith both women and men to understandthe context that gave rise to inequalitiesand to the extent possible, to jointly identifysolutions.6. Rounaq Jahan, The Elusive Agenda: Mainstreaming Womenin Development (London: Zed Books, 1995), as quoted inUNDP Gender in Development Programme, GenderMainstreaming (September 2000).K Women learn of their rights in the upcomingelections in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

16 . PROMOTING VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENTIn places where people living with HIV& AIDS take an active role inresponding to the epidemic, theimpact of the response is moreeffective and more sustainable. TheGreater Involvement of People withHIV & AIDS (GIPA) programme helpsreintegrate HIV-positive individualsinto their societies throughvolunteering. According to UmbertoBernardo, a UN Volunteer who servedwith GIPA in Egypt, the programmeprovides opportunities for peopleliving with HIV& AIDS to engage inpublic or social service, which breaksthe chains of their isolation and puts ahuman face on the epidemic. Byhelping others through volunteering,GIPA participants gain in self-esteemand may even find new or addedmeaning in their own lives.For example, when initiating a livelihoodor disaster mitigation project, ask yourselfthe following questions:Are both women and men beingconsulted? Do consultation meetingstake into account the schedules andpriorities of both women and men?Do both women and men have an equalsay in decision-making? Can the projectbuild in opportunities to balance decisionmakingbetween women and men?Does the implementation of the projectincorporate traditional gender roles? If so,are there ways to challenge those roleswhile minimizing polarization?Will the project‘s success be evaluated interms of its impact on gender dynamics inthe communities where it is implemented?If so, how will this impact be measured?In times of war or violent conflict,women may be called upon to supporttheir families in ways that they had notpreviously done, yet they may lack theresources to do so. Kirsti Mwandingi,an international UN Volunteer servingwith UNHCR Angola, helped initiate aself-help agricultural cooperative for125 women and girls who were warrefugees from the Democratic Republicof Congo. She solicited funds to builda shop, office and storeroom wherethese women could operate theirbusiness, and she voluntarilydedicated substantial time and energyin very difficult circumstances to ensurethey could open savings accounts thatwould give them a sustainable incometo support their community and theirchildren‘s education.

DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 17Building Individual CapacityYour UNV assignment involvesdeveloping local capacity, and yourcontribution should result in theenhancement of your hosts‘ knowledgeand skills. Bolstering the capacities ofboth the individuals and institutionalstructures you work with is crucial toensuring that your work will have anenduring impact. You are much morelikely to leave behind a lasting legacy ifyou invest in the personal andprofessional development of the peoplearound you.One way to do this is by finding coworkerswithin your host agency andcollaborating closely with them throughoutyour assignment to create conditions forthem to develop their capacity andbecome initiators of change. At the outsetof your assignment, they may advise andsupport you during your learning curve byhelping you to understand localinstitutions, practices and customs.During your assignment, you can helpbuild your co-workers‘ knowledge, skillsand expertise so that they will be able tocontinue your work upon your departure.Your efforts to build capacity will also bemore effective if you recognize localinsights and technical and organizationalskills and increase their visibility locally.Transcending BoundariesPoverty tends to reinforce pre-existingcultural, religious and political divisions. Insituations of violent conflict, such divisionsare often intentionally aggravated in orderto intensify hostilities.Volunteerism is one way to help transcendthese kinds of divisions, overcomemisconceptions and even find commonground among opposing groups. Togetherwith your host partners, you may be ableto tactfully explore and createopportunities to promote participation involunteerism by members of differentgroups who may not normally interact witheach other, or may even be hostile towardeach other.

18 . PROMOTING VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENTIn Sri Lanka, UN Volunteers organized camps where young people from differentcommunities, ethnic groups, genders, castes, social strata and geographic locationscome together. Some of these young people had never interacted with their peersfrom other parts of the island because of the protracted civil war that has driven thecountry. Tamil, Muslim and Buddhist youth, who all had strong misconceptionsabout each other, found themselves sharing common concerns and discussingways to overcome their country‘s ethnic and religious divides and achieve peace.According to Okama Ekpe Brook, UNV Programme Officer in Sri Lanka, this smallvolunteer initiative enabled these diverse young people to find common ground andunite behind a shared goal of ending the conflict. The camp participants promised tomaintain contact with each other and continue working together for peace, now withthe full realization that they are all in the same boat.K The Sri Lanka UNV Field Unit organized a race for young people in order to sensitize them to the importanceof the Millennium Development Goals – here, Programme Officer Okama Ekpe-Brook starts the competition

DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 19Taking an inventoryUnderstanding the various resources –especially human resources – available toyou during your assignment will help younot only to carry out your assignment, butalso to come up with ways to promotevolunteerism for peace and development.Below are some suggestions for taking aninventory of the resources available to youduring your assignment.Mapping Your EnvironmentAt the outset of your assignment, it ishelpful to ‘map out‘ the social context inwhich you will be working. This includestrying to identify the various peer groups orsocial groups in your environment andassessing the extent to which they sharethe belief that volunteering can make asignificant contribution to the developmentprocess. (Keep in mind that they may useother terms or expressions to describevolunteering, or may not even recognizevoluntary actions as volunteering.)The following groups can be critical to thesuccess of your assignment – and eachgroup provides an opportunity for you tointegrate volunteerism for peace anddevelopment:■ Your colleagues – those who workclosely with you;■ Former UN Volunteers (national andinternational);■ Your supervisors;■ Beneficiaries of your project orassignment – e.g., patients, farmers,trainees, vulnerable groups, disastervictims, etc;■ The wider local community – particularlymarginalized groups such as people withdisabilities, young people or women;■ The local expatriate community – ifthere is a local expatriate community, itsmembers may also be a resource;■ Other volunteer-involving organizationsor volunteer-sending organizations;■ The media – the media cancommunicate human interest storiesthat highlight the impact of your efforts;■ The private sector – businesspeoplemight volunteer their time, andbusinesses might provide funds or inkindcontributions to support yourproject or initiative;■ Local leaders – e.g., elders, faithhealers, religious leaders, communityorganizers, among others;■ Local institutions – e.g., the municipal orlocal administration, schools, hospitals,etc;

20 . PROMOTING VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENTAuthorities at the national level – politicalleaders, the government and the civilservice, if these are accessible to you;Partners of the national government –notably United Nations agencies workingin the country, but also bilateral aidagencies and international NGOs.Local Traditions of VolunteerismIdentify the character and features of anytraditions of volunteering in your newcommunity. Could a local tradition ofvolunteering be harnessed to increasesupport for, and encourage localownership of, your assignment? Perhapsyou could help rediscover and/or promotelocal traditions of volunteering in tandemwith your assignment. Once again, keepin mind that local traditions might not becalled, or even considered, volunteering.Sometimes UN Volunteers integratevolunteerism into a project withoutrealizing it or giving recognition to it,according to Fumie Arimizu, UNVProgramme Officer in Samoa. Ratherthan using the word ‘volunteer‘ or‘volunteering‘, they call it a‘contribution‘ by beneficiaries orcommunities where a project takesplace.Sources of Support for VolunteerismUNV considers volunteerism to have threemajor sources of support:■ Individual volunteers;■ Volunteer-involving organizations (civilsociety groups, schools, hospitals, etc.);and■ Volunteer networks.In carrying out your assignment, you maybe able to tap into one, two or all three ofthese sources of support for volunteering.For example, you may meet individualsamong your colleagues or neighbourswho might volunteer to support yourefforts. Or a local organization thatinvolves volunteers might partner with youor assist you. Volunteer networks, eitherin the country where you are onassignment or based elsewhere, can beuseful sources of information on bestpractices and shared experiences. If youshare your experiences as a UNVolunteer with them, such networks canalso learn from your experiences (bothsuccesses and failures).

DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 21UN Volunteers in Burundi helped torehabilitate a paediatric ward in RoiKhaled Hospital in Bujumbura, butaccording to Iram Batool, UNVProgramme Manager in Burundi,what they did went far beyond ‘justpainting‘. The UN Volunteersinvolved local associations and NGOsin the rehabilitation project, and triedto build their awareness aboutvolunteerism and how they couldwork together to help vulnerablegroups within Burundi. In this way,they expressed the volunteer spiritand demonstrated the benefits thatvolunteerism can bring.Volunteer ContributionsVolunteers, their organizations andnetworks have at least three channels forcontribution:■ Philanthropy and service to others;■ Mutual aid and self-help; and■ Advocacy and campaigning.provide necessary services. Localvolunteers outside the immediatebeneficiaries of your initiative might alsohelp deliver or amplify the services.Broader and more inclusive servicedelivery has greater likelihood of resultingin successful and sustainabledevelopment.“I have organized several activitieswhere many local volunteersparticipated. Despite the difficultiesthese volunteers have (such as lack offinancial and institutional support, norecognition of volunteerism orvolunteer actions), they are soenthusiastic to volunteer in theircommunity… I keep thinking, how can Icommunicate more effectively withpeople; by using whichexpressions/language can I convincepeople to be more interested involunteering and accept it as apotential starting point for communitydevelopment efforts in their own world.“Kanako Terui, UNV Programme Officer inKosovoConsider how your initiative could bemore effective if you harnessed localvolunteer potential. Does your initiativeaim to help a clearly defined group ofpeople? If so, there might be members ofthat group who would volunteer to help

22 . PROMOTING VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENTapproaches of volunteerism for peace anddevelopment in their daily work. But it ispossible. Here are a few examples of howthis can be done:■ An electrician on a UNV assignmentcould mobilize local counterparts tovolunteer to repair electrical lines inremote areas;L This basketball match on IVD for people in Kosovowith disabilities proved very popular for everyone –and particularly empowering for the participants.Implementing volunteerism for peace anddevelopment throughout your assignmentSome UN Volunteers may have ampleopportunity to promote volunteerism forpeace and development directly throughtheir assignment. For example, it wouldbe easy to integrate volunteerism intoyour assignment if you are anagriculturalist, an HIV & AIDS trainer orhealth professional, a volunteer projectspecialist or volunteer programmemanager, or if your assignment is directlyfocused on community mobilization andcapacity building, human rights, or civiland humanitarian affairs.However, UN Volunteers on a specifictechnical assignment (particularly a shorttermassignment) may think it is difficult oreven unrealistic to apply the values and■ An IT technician could help set upwebsites for local NGOs, or teachcomputer classes in youth orcommunity centres;■ A dentist whose formal assignment is tocare for UN employees could conductpublic education sessions to teachdental hygiene to local people, or eventrain local people to do so;■ A journalist on a public informationassignment could encourage localcommunities to tell their own stories intheir own words and on their own terms,which is empowering.There are endless possibilities forengaging in volunteering both within andbeyond your day-to-day work during yourUNV assignment. Be creative! What couldyou do?

DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 23L UNV Doctors in TrinidadDr. Onuoha Clement, a surgeon whoserved as a UN Volunteer in thesurgery department of Sangre-GrandeHospital in Trinidad and Tobago,organized an extremely successfulWalk Against Child Hunger. Speakingfor both himself and fellow physiciansserving as UN Volunteers, he said that“we were happy to have demonstratedthat our volunteer calling is not limitedto our professional assignments asmedical doctors. Rather, when theneed arises, volunteers can work andwalk the walk too. If this is notvolunteerism, then what else is?“Over the page are some additionalobservations and suggestions onimplementing volunteerism for peace anddevelopment throughout yourassignment.Building up organizational capacityWhere traditions of volunteerism seemless apparent (due to a recent conflict, forexample), there may be a need to helpstrengthen an existing volunteer groupthat may not be functioning to its fullpotential. You could try to help build upthe capacity of this local volunteerorganization so that it will be able tomobilize volunteers more effectively,undertake initiatives with confidence and

24 . PROMOTING VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENTcompetently implement them. You canassist local partners in:■ Articulating objectives more clearly;■ Designing an action plan;■ Identifying and training leaders,including board members;■ Recruiting, training and managing staffand volunteers;■ Interacting with local and nationalauthorities;■ Promoting and advocating a cause.Sources of support for local volunteer groupsIf local groups do not yet have access tonetworks that could support theirdevelopment efforts, you could connectthem to any relevant networks you mayknow and/or to external sources of support.The UNV Online Volunteering servicecould be a valuable starting point since ithas helped build capacity in a wide varietyof organizations around the world.This cost-free service enables organizationsto mobilize volunteers to support theirdevelopment activities over the Internet.The UNV Online Volunteering service canbe accessed at www.onlinevolunteering.org.Nations (FAO), Francesco Bailo’s role was to help peasant associations in thewestern highlands of Guatemala increase their business and thus improve the livingconditions of communities in remote rural areas such as the Altiplano Marquense,where 97.7 percent of the population lives in poverty. “Through the OnlineVolunteering service, we have built a direct link between two rural associations of theAltiplano and online volunteers from 15 different countries on five continents”. Theircontributions were a big push for developing the associations‟ business”, declaresFrancesco. Through onlinevolunteering.org, the peasant associations were able tofind a graphic designer based in London. In less than six weeks she sent newlydesignedstickers with a new logo ready for printing. Online volunteer Lilian Yip fromMalaysia designed the layout of the associations‟ new brochure”, in coordination withmarketing expert Angélica María Hernández Balderas from Mexico, who wrote thecontent. A team of 13 online volunteers from six countries is now exploring ways totake the associations products to international markets, and will assist them inidentifying suitable marketing channels and conforming to regulations

L A selection of the association’s products. Thanks to UNV and online volunteers, they are now just asmarketable as lines from big producers.The multiplier effectCollective action voluntarily undertakenfor the public good has characterizedmany great social movements. Thesynergy of 10, 100 or 1,000 peopleworking together achieves so much morethan one person or a handful of peopleworking in isolation. The more volunteersthat you are able to mobilize, the greateryour impact will be.Public education and advocacyDuring the course of your assignment,you may encounter a situation or a needthat is not yet fully recognized orunderstood by all concerned. In suchA project to promote local participation and volunteerism in waste management inGabú, Guinea-Bissau, offers a good example of how volunteerism can mobilize andbring people together to take development into their own hands. The projectmobilized more than 90 local volunteers in 16 neighbourhoods to actively participatein the town‘s waste management, and it also sensitized the local population to theimportance of volunteerism for development. According to Ana Forjaz, UNVProgramme Officer in Guinea-Bissau, although the project‘s substantive focus waswaste management and it contributed visibly to a major improvement of the servicedelivery and health situation in the Gabú region, the project also served as a pilotexperience for effective local governance within a broader UNDP/UNCDF localdevelopment programme.

L Rwandan children volunteer to help clear a school playground for their own use.cases, public education or campaigning todraw attention to the need can helpincrease understanding and broadensupport for change. However, beforeundertaking this kind of public educationor advocacy campaign, it is important toask yourself whether you are doing sobecause of your own values and beliefs,or those of the local population. It is alsoimportant to consider who will be directlyaffected by any change and how they willbe affected – will solving one problemcreate another? Sometimes such effortsto bring about change run counter todeeply entrench cultural traditions, soproceed carefully, maintaining respect forlocal customs and beliefs.In North Darfur, gendermainstreaming and halting genderbasedviolence are long-term goalsthat must be addressed by thecommunity itself, according toShahzada B. Ahmad of the Sexualand Gender Based Violence Project,and volunteerism offers a way to helpachieve those goals. UN Volunteershave implemented a legal aidprogramme and created a network oflocal attorneys who offer theirservices free of charge to women inneed. These volunteer lawyersperceive their work as an honour;they see themselves as providingtheir community with knowledge.

L A Spanish UN Volunteer with the UN mission in Guatemala educating the local community on their rights.InnovationDuring your assignment, if you come upwith an idea about how to promotevolunteerism for development, togetherwith your co-workers and colleagues try toturn this idea into an initiative that couldattract local and/or national support forvolunteerism. There might be a way to dothis within the framework of your UNVassignment, or you might be able to do it intandem with your assignment, perhaps bypartnering with other local organizations.While serving as a UN Volunteer in Laos, Avi Sarkar started a free school in thevillage of Non Kho Neua in space donated by local temples and the village primaryschool. Since the school opened in 2002, more than 1,000 children have attended.Twenty unpaid volunteers from the local community teach the children, giving theirtime on weekends and after work, as well as collecting resources for the school andsometimes even contributing their own money to buy snacks for the children or toput on school events such as sports days. Inspired by the contributions of thesevolunteer teachers, medical staff from the local hospital – including doctors, nursesand pharmacists – began offering free health services to the children attending theschool. All of this began with the efforts of one UN Volunteer.

28 . PROMOTING VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENTwithin your host organization; some waysto do this include organizing volunteeringopportunities for agency staff, fundraisinginternally for local welfare projects, etc.This section is by no meanscomprehensive, but it highlights somepossible scenarios for promotingvolunteerism for development in differentkinds of UNV assignments.L Volunteers in Laos donate blood at a UNVProgramme Officer-organized blood driveIntegrating volunteerism for peace anddevelopment into different kinds of UNVassignmentsEvery type of UNV assignment has thepotential to promote volunteerism forpeace and development, but differentapproaches may be required dependingon the specific type of assignment or itslocation.Participating in, or initiating, localvolunteer activities and projects not onlyhelps the country where you areassigned, but can also help motivate youand give you the chance to get out of yourregular working environment and get toknow your host country and its peoplemore closely.You are also expected to be an internaladvocate for volunteerism for developmentAssignments in emergency andrehabilitation situationsFamine, natural disasters, armed conflict –UNV assignments in these situations maynot leave much time to think about longtermstrategies for promoting volunteerismfor peace and development. However, youcan be on the lookout for traditionalvolunteer-based approaches to copingwith these kinds of emergencies, and beready to help the host community put theminto action.Ideally UN Volunteers are more engagedin capacity building than in purely servicedelivery. Yet even in emergency situationswhere you may be involved in providingvital services, you may still be able to helpbuild (or rebuild) local capacity. Usually,competent local leaders will emerge inthese situations, and you can supportthem as they help people who have beenaffected by the emergency. You can also

DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 29encourage local people to respond tocommunity needs through voluntary action(e.g., caring for the ill or wounded,providing informal education, replantingcrops, etc.) and support their self-reliantefforts to help their community recover.After Typhoon Durian caused massivedamages in the Philippines in 2006,Bishnu Timilsina, a UN Volunteer fromNepal serving with UNICEFPhilippines as Water and SanitationOfficer, volunteered to supportemergency relief efforts in the Bicolregion. He conducted a rapid needsassessment and then providedtechnical assistance to localgovernments and communities tomaintain WatSan facilities inevacuation centres, relocation sitesand affected communities. Hemotivated and assisted local people toconstruct nearly 1,000 toilets in theaffected region with logisticalassistance from UNICEF. He alsopromoted sanitation and hygienepractices in schools and evacuationcentres. All of these volunteer activitieswere above and beyond his UNVassignment with UNICEF Philippines.Assignments with United Nationspeacekeeping, peace-building, politicaland electoral missionsWithin a peacekeeping, peace-building orpolitical mission, or the fast-pacedenvironment of an electoral operation,both the security situation and tight workdeadlines can make it difficult to do muchmore than carry out your specific technicalassignment. However, in addition tosharing your knowledge and skills withcolleagues in your regular workingenvironment, you may be able to findways to interact with local NGOs andcommunity-based activities within oralongside your assignment. Someexamples of areas where this could beparticularly feasible include:■ Electoral activities – especially civiceducation or voter sensitizationactivities;■ Disarmament, Demobilization andReintegration (DDR) – the reintegrationstage in particular lends itself tovolunteerism opportunities since formercombatants are being reconnected bothsocially and economically with theirhome communities (volunteer activitiescould include joint sports or theatreactivities, among many otherpossibilities);

30 . PROMOTING VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT■ Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) – the localpopulation can be mobilized to contributemanual labour, for example, to facilitateprojects such as the rehabilitation ofschools, health centres and orphanages.You can also take advantage of the manyresources that are available at no costwithin your mission to support volunteeractivities; these resources might include:In Liberia, UN Volunteers haveorganized advocacy campaigns topromote volunteerism as a means tostrengthen national peace-buildingefforts and contribute to development.For example, in November 2006, UNVolunteers attached to the UnitedNations Mission in Liberia organized abrainstorming session attended by 130students from Monrovia‘s fouruniversities to introduce the concept ofa National Youth Volunteer Service(NYVS) programme in Liberia. Throughthe NYVS programme, Liberian youthcan contribute to national reconstructionand development. According to IlariaCarpen, UNV Programme Officer inLiberia, since that first session, theNYVS programme has expandeddramatically, with recent eventsattracting 1,500 student volunteers.■ Transportation from the TransportSection;■ Access to radio broadcasts from thePublic Information Section;■ Use of podiums, gazebos or tents fromthe Engineering Section;■ Engaging off-duty UN peacekeepers inlocal welfare or community-basedprojects.K A UN Volunteer on assignment in Liberia consultswith Pakistani troops.

DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 31Integrating volunteerism for developmentinto the UNDP/UNV Country ProgrammeWhere there is a UNV Programme Officerat the UNV Field Unit, s/he is responsiblefor building up the UNV programme andits volunteerism for peace anddevelopment dimension in the hostcountry under the supervision of theUNDP Resident Representative. Sharingyour experiences with volunteerism (bothsuccesses and challenges), as well asyour ideas and suggestions for volunteerinitiatives with the Country Office Team,will help them develop best practices forutilizing volunteerism.It is also important for UNV HQ to learnfrom your experiences in addressing andintegrating volunteerism for peace anddevelopment and good practices in doingso. Please share any stories or goodexamples you have by emailing them toVolunteerLearning@unvolunteers.org. The“Volunteer Knowledge and InnovationSection” will make use of your valuablecontribution to boost UNV volunteerlearning and share knowledge and goodpractices to support volunteerism for peaceand development across UNV field units.Contribute your thoughtsUN Volunteers and UNV ProgrammeOfficers are required to addressvolunteerism for peace and development intheir work plans, project reports, annualprogramme reports, testimonials, etc.UNV Programme Officers are also requiredto address the volunteerism fordevelopment dimension of their work intheir biannual reports.Feel free to contribute photos or videos ofany volunteer activities you are involved inboth within and beyond your assignment;UNV can use these images to bothdocument and promote the impact ofvolunteerism for development. You arealso requested to share any notes or otherwritings about your experience with UNVso that we can use them to inspire currentand future UN Volunteers.Please share your photos, videos and anywritten materials about your experience byemailing them toinformation@unvolunteers.org.Periodic ReportsAll UN Volunteers are required to completeinitial, interim and final Volunteer ReportingSystem (VRS) reports. These reports aremultiple-choice questionnaires that includea number of questions that take intoaccount the volunteerism for developmentdimension of your assignment. Thesereports will help UNV and our volunteerstake stock of how well UNV as anorganization is implementing volunteerism

32 . PROMOTING VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENTfor development, which will help usimprove future delivery.NetworkingNetworking with fellow UN Volunteers,your Field Units, as well as with your othernetworks and contacts, is an importantway to promote and advocatevolunteerism for peace and development.By sharing experiences with volunteerism,good practices can be identified and newideas and innovative approaches canemerge that will help make volunteerismfor development more effective. Of course,formal and informal meetings andpersonal conversations are not the onlyway to network; you could alsocommunicate the volunteerism fordevelopment message via blogs andonline forums and social networks.TEAMWORKSTeamworks is the globally available, secure Web 2.0 social networking platform thatenables UN organizations and their external partners to leverage the collective knowledgeof communities, individuals, programmes and projects. Teamworks was launched inNovember 2010 as a rich, full-featured platform. By using Teamworks you are joiningthousands of colleagues across the globe and across the United Nations family to shareknowledge and expertise and collaborate in ways never previously possible.For questions related to TEAMWORKS, please contact UNV focal points: Romain Desclousromain.desclous@unvolunteers.org (Former Volunteers), or Koye Adeboye aadeboye@unv.org (IYV+10and External Partners).

DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 33“I tried to bring my NGO and the selfhelpgroups we worked with togetherwith UNV and other volunteerorganisations, both local andinternational. I think exchanging ideasand meeting other volunteers is veryimportant.“Isabel Specker, UN Volunteer intern inMongoliaInternational Volunteer DayInternational Volunteer Day (IVD),celebrated each year on 5 December,provides a special opportunity for allvolunteers to highlight the role ofvolunteerism in helping to achieve theMillennium Development Goals.Join your fellow UN Volunteers, as wellas national and local volunteer-involvingorganizations and their volunteers, incelebrating and raising awareness of theimportant contribution that volunteerismmakes to development.International Volunteer Day offers a greatopportunity to build solidarity and attractattention to volunteerism for peace anddevelopment. Invite your colleagues andother contacts in your country ofassignment to participate in InternationalVolunteer Day events, includingpreparations and follow up. You mighteven organize an event yourself.In Afghanistan on InternationalVolunteer Day 2007, UN Volunteerscollaborated with other UN agenciesand local ministries to educate localyouth in different regions andempower them to initiate their ownvolunteer projects for the benefit oftheir communities. The volunteerstrained the youth about health andsanitation issues, and then the youngpeople went back to their homecommunities to educate their peersand further spread awareness ofvolunteerism for development.Despite security restrictions and otherchallenges to organizing regularprogramming, International VolunteerDay was a successful vehicle foreducating Afghan youth in differentregions. According to Karma Loday,OiC/UNV Support Officer in theUnited Nations Assistance Mission inAfghanistan, “there is no securitysituation that will hinder volunteersdetermined to make a difference.“

L UN Volunteers sailed the Nile on the 13 December in 2008 to empower the people of Egypt to reach the MDGsthrough volunteer effortsInternational Year of Volunteers IYV+ 10In November 1997, the United NationsGeneral Assembly proclaimed 2001 asthe International Year Volunteers (IYV).The United Nations Volunteers (UNV)programme was designated as theinternational focal point.The premise underlying IYV 2001 wasthat voluntary service makes an essentialcontribution in addressing problems inareas of social, economic, cultural,humanitarian and peace building. For thisto happen, there was a need for greaterrecognition and facilitation of volunteerwork, more vigorous promotion ofvoluntary service, and networks tofacilitate a drawing upon – the “goodpractice” – of volunteers. The designationof an International Year of Volunteers bythe UN General Assembly (GA) provideda valuable framework and established afavorable environment enabling a morestrategic use of volunteer contributions.The year 2011 marks the 10th anniversaryof the International Year of Volunteers (IYV)in 2001.Opportunities exist for activitiesthroughout 2011 that will showcase thediversity, breadth and depth of volunteeringworldwide and offer the chance to raise theprofile of volunteering and mobilize manymore volunteers.Throughout 2011, UNV willpartner with different stakeholders toexchange and develop ideas and actionsfor raising awareness about thecontribution of volunteerism to peace anddevelopment; acknowledging theimportance of the work already

DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 35accomplished by the various stakeholdersand identifying areas where greater effortsare needed.All leaders in Governments, volunteerinvolving organizations, civil society,private sector, non-governmentalorganizations, the United Nations systemand from communities are called torecognize and celebrate theachievements of volunteers by activelyengaging in the marking of IYV+10.There are many ways you can get involved to prepare for and mark IYV+10:■ Visit World Volunteer Web: The www.worldvolunteerweb.org is the space whereyou can find news, background information and useful tools for IYV+10.■ Liaise with your host agency and others: You may be able to assist withevents your organizational network anticipates hosting. Use the IYV+10promotional materials to brand your own organization’s campaign. You may alsowish to contact other organizations within your country to exchange event ideasand collaborate for the upcoming year.■ Complete an online survey: to prepare and mark the tenth anniversary of theInternational Year of Volunteers in 2011 and to provide information on existingnational committees, which could play a role in marking IYV+10. The survey canbe found at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JMWF2K3.■ Offer online support: If you wish to volunteer online for IYV+10, you can visitwww.onlinevolunteering.org for opportunities to support IYV + 10 activities. Go to“Opportunity Search” and type “IYV +10” in the keyword field.■ Looking for volunteers to support your IYV+10 activities? You can registeryour organization on www.onlinevolunteering.org and post IYV+10 relatedopportunities for volunteers to support your activities over the Internet.For more information, tools, brochures and resources, visithttp://www.worldvolunteerweb.org/iyv-10/field

36 . PROMOTING VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENTAfter your assignment“A UN Volunteer‘s experiences should bean ongoing and evolving process – notjust a one-time stint.“A former UN VolunteerWhen your UNV assignment comes to anend, you will join the ranks of a globalcommunity of more than 50,000 former UNVolunteers scattered all over the world.Both collectively and individually, former UNVolunteers are part of a very powerful force.Many UN Volunteers view their assignmentas one stage of a lifelong commitment tovolunteerism for peace and development.Debriefing and End-of-AssignmentReportWhen you undergo your end-ofassignmentdebriefing and submit yourfinal Volunteer Reporting System (VRS)report, you are invited to share commentsand stories about your personalexperiences with volunteerism fordevelopment. We ask you to share yourexperiences so that you can contribute toand enhance our knowledge aboutvolunteerism for peace and development.Stories that showcase the special rolevolunteerism played in achieving theobjectives of your assignment areespecially helpful.The process of recording yourexperiences will help to highlight thebenefits you brought to your hostcommunity. This process also offers youthe opportunity to identify challenges anddescribe how you addressed them (or ifthe challenges persist, to offer yoursuggestions for addressing them). It is animportant chance for you to reflect on yourassignment and put your wholeexperience as a UN Volunteer into abroader picture, in terms of yourcontribution to both development and yourpersonal growth, before you return homeor move on to your next professionalopportunity.Sharing your experiences withvolunteerism during your assignment willhelp UNV improve its support for futurevolunteers. Your experiences and thelessons you learned during yourassignment will also help futurevolunteers to grasp the distinctivecontribution that UN Volunteers make todevelopment, and will furnish them withgood practices from the field.

AFTER TO YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 37Keeping up-to-dateThe World Volunteer Web(www.worldvolunteerweb.org) is animportant resource for keeping currentwith developments in volunteerism aroundthe world. You can help keep this valuableinteractive repository of information andexpertise about volunteering relevant andup to date by contributing stories, videosand photos from your UNV assignment tothe website, or even starting a blog aboutyour ideas for promoting volunteerism.Before departing the location of yourassignment, you might also assist localvolunteer groups to submit their ownstories and experiences to the WorldVolunteer Web. We also invite you tokeep updated on the work of UNV byviewing our website (www.unv.org).Staying involvedAfter your UNV assignment ends, thereare many ways to stay involved involunteering for peace and development.Some of these include:■ Getting involved in volunteeringactivities in your home community (orwherever you go after your UNVassignment);■ Becoming a member of the Former UNVolunteer Network and contribute topromote, enable and strengthenvolunteerism for peace and developmentwhile staying in touch with fellow formerUN Volunteers. Do not hesitate to contactus at Former.Volunteers@UNV.org formore information on how to become amember.■ Sharing your skills and expertisedirectly from your home or office byvolunteering over the Internet via theUNV Online Volunteering service(www.onlinevolunteering.org);■ Continuing to support local NGOs orother organizations you may havehelped during your UNV assignment;■ Supporting the efforts of otherorganizations to help them strengthenthe impact of their development work;■ Being an advocate for volunteerism fordevelopment in your home community.(See the next section for more details.)Advocating for volunteerism for peaceand development at homeRegardless of where you go or what youdo after your UNV assignment, you willhave opportunities to persuade others tobecome involved in voluntary actions topromote development and reducesuffering around the world.

38 . PROMOTING VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPMENTAs a former UN Volunteer, you are verywell positioned to be a persuasiveadvocate for volunteerism fordevelopment thanks to your ability tospeak from experience. Your personalinsights, enthusiasm and conviction willhelp make your message compelling.Your efforts as an advocate forvolunteerism for peace and developmentwill have much greater impact if they arecoordinated through active networks, sobe on the lookout for opportunities to joinothers or support collective action toadvocate for volunteerism.Make the most of your position to informand educate the public (whether at homeor elsewhere) about development issuesand to lobby governments to fosterconditions in which volunteerism canflourish. If you wish, you can also be aninformal ambassador for UNV,encouraging others to become UNVolunteers.No matter where you are based, howmuch time you have, or what kind of workyou do after your UNV assignment hasended, you can play an important role inpromoting volunteerism for peace anddevelopment. With so many former UNVolunteers around the world, thepossibilities for success are enormous.Please do whatever you can to continuesupporting our collective mission ofharnessing the vast potential ofvolunteerism to advance developmentand peace worldwide.This is a living document that will change as your needs change. If you have comments andadditions that you feel can make it more useful, please send your feedback tovolunteer_tools@unv.org.It is hoped that the exercises and topics discussed will help to make yourtransition a successful one. We look forward to hearing from you in the future.

NOTES

NOTES

UNV is administered by theUnited Nations Development Programme(UNDP)