UNV promotes sustainable human development through volunteerism and mobilizing volunteers to support UN initiatives. It partners with governments, civil society, and UN agencies to integrate volunteerism into development programs. Each year, UNV mobilizes over 6,800 UN Volunteers from 159 countries to serve in 127 countries, working on peacebuilding, humanitarian aid, health, education and other development areas. Over two-thirds of UN Volunteers come from developing countries and over 30% volunteer in their home countries.

1. Over view
UNV in Africa
Volunteerism for
Peace and Sustainable
Development
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme
is the UN organization that supports sustainable
human development globally through the promotion
of volunteerism, including the mobilization of
volunteers. UNV serves the causes of peace and
development by enhancing opportunities for people
to participate in their own betterment. UNV is
impartial, inclusive and embraces voluntary action in
all its diversity. UNV is committed to the values of free
will, commitment, engagement and solidarity, which
are the foundation of volunteerism.
UNV delivers peace and development results through
volunteerism. To this end, UNV partners with civil
society, UN entities, Governments and the private sector
to advocate for volunteerism, integrate volunteerism
into development planning and mobilize volunteers. The
enormous potential of volunteerism is an inspiration
to UNV and to volunteers around the world. UNV
directly mobilizes more than 6,800 UN Volunteers
every year nationally and internationally. They come
from 159 countries to serve in 127 countries in over
100 professional categories. Over two thirds of these
UN Volunteers and PNVB volunteers
work side by side to clean up the town
during International Volunteer Day in
Burkina Faso. (Philippe Pernet, 2010)
“Many youth around the world
volunteer in their communities,
thereby making tangible
contributions to peace and
development. Civic engagement
is central to building cohesive
communities and to promoting
young people’s integration into
society. Greater efforts should
thus be made to guarantee that
young women and men have the
opportunity to participate in these
types of activities.”
Joint Statement by Heads of UN entities for the
launch of the International Year of Youth, 2010
volunteers come from developing countries, and more
than 30 per cent volunteer within their own countries.
During 2012, some 1,257 UN Volunteers from
outside of the African continent were assigned to UN
development and peace activities within Africa. At the
same time, 662 African UN Volunteers contributed
their skills and expertise in other regions of the world.
Also notably, there were 2,611 African UN Volunteers
engaged within Africa, which is the highest regional
representation among UN Volunteers.

2. To help abolish female genital mutilation
(FGM) in Sudan, UNV engages community
volunteers who involve women, girls, men
and older boys in peer education within
local communities through sports and
other activities. (Blazej Mikula, 2008)
“We identified problems affecting
our community, then we mobilized
the community to address the
deficits. For example, we offer study
circles where skills can be gained
and activities planned in HIV/AIDS
awareness, conservation farming,
livestock rearing and marketing.
We are proud to say we have been
successful and are open to the
world to come and learn from us.”
Youth Group Leader Joseph Banda, Zambia
This overview summarizes UNV activities in Africa, highlighting UNV’s support in
Africa to youth volunteer initiatives, peace building and community-based climate
change adaptation.
Expanding Youth Volunteering
UNV promotes youth volunteerism as a people-centred
resource for achieving the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) and sustainable
development. Through greater citizen participation,
youth volunteering facilitates access to work and
contributes to forming young leaders. In 2012,
966, approximately 14% of all UN Volunteers,
were between the ages of 21 and 29. Not a new
development, to further strengthen its focus on
youth, UNV launched the Youth Volunteering
programme in 1976. Since then, UNV has partnered
with ten universities including Nigeria, Burkina
Faso, Uganda and Japan to provide an opportunity
for youth to realise their full social, economic
and human potential. These volunteers gain a
strong sense of civic engagement to bring about
transformational change in their communities.
Supporting Regional Youth Volunteer
Initiative in Africa
UNV and the African Union Commission are
partners in policy and advocacy on youth
volunteering and infrastructures at national
and regional levels in Africa. Throughout this
partnership, UNV has advised the African Union
on the establishment of a youth volunteer corps
which brings together young people from the
AU’s 54 member states to share their skills,
knowledge and creativity to strengthen Africa’s
relevance in a globalized world. The Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and
UNV are partners in a volunteer programme which
provides West African citizens, particularly youth,
with opportunities to engage in peacebuilding and
development activities through volunteerism in
Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia and Sierra Leone. In
2012, UNV and AUC signed a new Memorandum
of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate and
strengthen national and regional capacities for the
development of youth volunteering programmes
throughout the continent.

3. Youth Volunteer Initiative in Africa
In Burkina Faso, Togo, Mali, Cape Verde, Niger and
Senegal, UNV is supporting national governments
and civil society partnerships to mobilize youth
volunteers to work for the achievement of the MDGs
in the areas of education, health, environment
and economic development. In Rwanda, a joint
youth programme, partly funded by the Japanese
Government, promoted the rights of Rwandan
youth and adolescents, and encourages them to take
a responsible role in their society. The programme
works with youth from 10 to 24 years old on policy
development which empower adolescents and
youth to think critically, understand their rights, and
express themselves freely.
The Asia Youth Volunteer Exchange Programme
in Zambia, funded by the Japanese Government,
mobilizes the skills of Asian volunteers and is an
excellent example of South-South cooperation.
This programme provides a mechanism for
volunteers from Asia to work in Africa and transfer
skills and knowledge in the agricultural and
private sectors, especially to small to medium
scale farmers.
Community members sell surplus white
maize or ‘millies’ at Ondangwa Open Market
in Namibia. The maize was produced as
part of a Community-based Adaptation
project. For the first time, group members
had surplus yields to market and generate
income. (Tuhafeni Nghilunaye/Creative
Enterprise Solutions, 2010)
Supporting Community-Based Adaptation
programme
UN Volunteers mobilized over 5,800 local
community volunteers, helped 49 NGOs/
community-based organizations (CBOs) partners
develop project ideas and proposals and
introduced innovative monitoring practices
for sustainable community-driven adaptation
projects in seven countries including Niger,
Namibia and Morocco. UN Volunteers also
trained Community-Based Adaptation Self-Help
Group coordinators, conducted vulnerability
reduction assessments, monitored and evaluated
community projects, and developed knowledge-based
management products. Of note is Namibia,
where one community began an agriculture
project to improve their own food security and
boost incomes through growing staple foods such
as pearl millet, maize and sunflowers.
“By participating in UNV workshops,
I learned a lot about my region from
the elders and from discussions
with the villagers. It also helped me
understand the value of solidarity
and collective work. I appreciate
meeting people and partners who
are supporting local development in
the oasis. I now want to help more
and more towards better conditions
in the village.”
Saadia Ihihi, Community Volunteer in Morocco

4. In Juba, South Sudan, UN Volunteer Naofumi
Ikeda (Japan), a UNHCR Associate Protection
Officer, is conducting registration interviews
for refugee families coming from South
Kordofan State in Sudan. (UNV, 2012)
“Peacebuilding is relationship
building... A Sudanese colleague
said to me that my presence, as
a volunteer, gives a morale boost,
encouragement and hope for people
in South Sudan.”
Tomohiro Yamanaka, UNV/UNDP in South Sudan
Peace Building
Though the ‘Blue Helmets’ are the face of UN
peacekeeping missions, they cannot operate
without substantial civilian support. UN Volunteers
make up a significant proportion of that support,
working in a wide scope of functions, and can
constitute up to a third of a peacekeeping mission’s
international civilian component. UNV has been
supporting the work of the United Nations
Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO)
and the Department of Political Affairs (DPA) in war-torn
and post-conflict areas since 1992. To date,
more than 14,000 UN Volunteers have served in
more than 40 different peacekeeping and political
and peacebuilding operations. In addition, UNV
supports the significant substantive and logistical
support for the electoral process especially in
fragile post-conflict environment. In 2012, 2,137
African UN Volunteers served in UN peacekeeping
missions including major peacekeeping missions in
the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan,
Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia.
Since 2007, the Japanese Government has
funded the programme for Human Resource
Development in Asia for Peacebuilding, where
UNV has deployed skilled, trained and committed
citizens from Japan and other Asian countries in
the areas of conflict prevention and recovery,
peace building and humanitarian assistance, and
peacekeeping. A total of 113 UN Volunteers has
served in this programme in 32 countries including
Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guinea Bissau, Kenya,
Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and
Tanzania, to name but a few since 2007.
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the
UN organization that promotes volunteerism to sup-port
peace and development worldwide. Volunteerism
can transform the pace and nature of development
and it benefits both society at large and the individual
volunteer. UNV contributes to peace and development
by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging
partners to integrate volunteerism into development
programming, and mobilizing volunteers.
UNV is administered by the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP).
For more information about UNV, please visit www.unv.org