Promoting Volunteerism for Peace and Development

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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.
Page 1 and 2: VOLUNTEER TOOLKITYOUR ASSIGNMENT AS
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS . 1TABLE OF CONTENTSIntrod
Page 5 and 6: INTRODUCTION . 3Your role as a UN V
Page 7 and 8: VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPM
Page 9 and 10: VOLUNTEERISM FOR PEACE AND DEVELOPM
Page 11 and 12: PRIOR TO YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 9Prior t
Page 13: PRIOR TO YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 11L In t
Page 17 and 18: DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 15that you
Page 19 and 20: DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 17Building
Page 21 and 22: DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 19Taking a
Page 23 and 24: DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 21UN Volun
Page 25 and 26: DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 23L UNV Do
Page 27 and 28: L A selection of the association’
Page 29 and 30: L A Spanish UN Volunteer with the U
Page 31 and 32: DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 29encourag
Page 33 and 34: DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 31Integrat
Page 35 and 36: DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 33“I tri
Page 37 and 38: DURING YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 35accompli
Page 39 and 40: AFTER TO YOUR ASSIGNMENT . 37Keepin
Page 41 and 42: NOTES
Page 44: UNV is administered by theUnited Na

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