Overview

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Akintobi Olusanmi (Nigeria), UNV Urban Management Specialist, conducting perimeter and topographical surveys of 112 hectares designated by authorities of Twic County to accommodate an estimated 1,000 households, comprising both returnees and host families. Akintobi also provides technical support and develops training programmes in surveys, urban planning and land administration. (UNDP South Sudan, 2012)

UNV in Action: Supporting United Nations Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

“UN Volunteers have to respond creatively to what can be constantly changing and sometimes dangerous conditions on the ground. Thanks to their hard work and dedication, voter mobilization has, in most cases, been a UN success story. Through their actions, they have helped change perceptions and taught citizens how to build trust, something which is fundamental to the recovery of countries in the aftermath of conflict.” Richard Dictus, UNV Executive Coordinator, “UN Volunteers Helping to Pave the Way to Democracy,” New World, United Nations Association/United Kingdom

Few activities are as closely associated with the United Nations as peacekeeping and peacebuilding. For over six decades, the United Nations has contributed to fos-tering and stabilizing peace in places where others are often unable or unwilling to go. UN Volunteers play a key role in supporting these United Nations peace and development missions.

UNV is a longstanding partner in peacekeeping and special political missions led respectively by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the De-partment of Political Affairs. Today, UN Volunteers are helping with 10 peacekeeping operations and five special political missions in 17 countries. The rapid en-gagement of highly-skilled and motivated volunteers has been recognized as a crucial factor in achieving the objectives and mandates of UN missions in many countries.

UNV will work with partner UN entities in expanding its role to further engage communities within the context

of UN peace keeping, peacebuilding and political mis-sions, contributing to building both local and national capacities, and the compact between states and its ci-tizens and rebuilding mutual trust between its citizens.

The new UNV Strategic Framework (2014-1017) highlights peacekeeping and peacebuilding as one of the organization’s five key strategic focus areas.

In Atauro Sub-District, a small island north of Dili, Timor-Leste, national UN Volunteers Natercia Mendes and Gil Boavida explain to community members how the electoral process works. Leading up to the presidential elections, UN Volunteers prepared simple materials and graphic to show the importance of each person’s vote. (Sebastian Urresta/UNV, 2011)

The following examples provide a snapshot of the breadth of expertise and support UN Volunteers offer to United Nations missions around the globe.

CIVIl AFFAIrS

The Democratic Republic of Congo struggles with one of the most complex and protracted humanitarian crises in the world. UN Volunteers are deployed in 27 duty stations across the country, contributing directly and indirectly to the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO). An additional 100 UN Volunteers are supporting the work of other United Nations entities, including OCHA, UNDP, UNEP, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNOPS and WFP.

From 2007-2012, about 1,304 UN Volunteers were deployed in MONUSCO. UN Volunteers have served in the Civil Affairs section, the key facilitator for interaction between MONUSCO, stakeholders and local communities. They help with civilian protection through organizing joint protection teams, promoting grass-roots

community reconciliation, bolstering civil society and restoration and extending state authority. UN Volunteers are also deployed in a joint MONUSCO-UNDP project helping to strengthen local governance and peace consolidation.

NATIoN BUIlDING

In South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, UNV is providing extensive support to the urgent, complex process of state building. Since the establishment of the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan, UN Volunteers have been supporting a mandate that focuses on peace consolidation, protection of civilians and strengthening of the security and justice sectors. In 2011, 214 UN Volunteers from 70 countries were deployed throughout the country to directly support the referendum that determined the status of Southern Sudan.

“It was a life changing experience for me, first to be in that team that made history by conducting a very successful referendum, and secondly by being able to build the capacity of the local counterparts through training and conducting of the public outreach programs. As a UNV, I also benefitted by enhancing my management skills as I was able to coordinate the activities of the many departments where I was the Team Leader. Long Live UNV! Changing Lives from better to best.”

Jasiru Cornel Bernard, UN Volunteer from Kenya, talking about

his experiences during the January 2011 referendum in South

Sudan

rECoVEry AND rECoNSTrUCTIoN

UN Volunteers have been contributing to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) since it was established in 2004 to support the country’s transitional government. Following Haiti’s devastating earthquake in 2010 - which left 1.5 million people homeless - the United Nations Security Council increased the force levels of MINUSTAH to support not only Haiti’s reconstruction and recovery efforts, but also capacity building of rule of law institutions and coordinating international electoral assistance.

In 2012, 70 UN Volunteers lent substantive support to MINUSTAH, by engagement in civil affairs, electoral and judicial processes, human rights and conflict reduction programmes. Another 156 UN Volunteers provided technical expertise in communications, engineering, transport, asset management, construction, finance, administration, air operations, medical fields and training. The special strength of UN Volunteers is their grassroots level actions that reach impoverished and remote communities and bridge MINUSTAH’s significant capacity to meet the needs of these most vulnerable communities.

PoST-CoNFlICT ElECTorAl ProCESS

From 1999-2012 in Timor-Leste, over 3,000 international and national UN Volunteers serving with the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste facilitated three successful electoral processes, supported national capacity building programmes, and assisted with human rights and judicial reforms. In the lead-up to the 2012 elections, UN Volunteers were part of the United Nations Electoral Support team, providing logistical assistance and advice for election planning and organization.

UN Volunteer Vehicle Technician Adama Aissatou Sheriff inspects a UN vehicle at the Transport section of MINURCAT in N’Djamena, Chad. She comes from Sierra Leone, a country that has itself experienced conflict. (Harald Franzen, 2009)

“UNV has played a key role in supporting the planning, organization, supervision and observance of elections in nearly every major United Nations-supported election since the early 1990s.”

Richard Dictus, UNV Executive Coordinator.

UN Volunteer Lubna Lasu, UNV Civil Affairs Expert, speaks on ‘Volunteerism for Peace

and development’ at Grand Bassa County, Liberia. (S-J Mungo/UNV, 2012)

Deployed throughout the country at regional and dis-trict levels, UN Volunteers not only worked in voter education, finance, electoral planning, administration and public information, but they also served as strong advocates for volunteerism in a country that is slowly reviving its embedded tradition of volunteerism.

QUICK FACTS: UNV AND PEACEKEEPING IN 2012

Nearly 3,000 UN Volunteers worked in peacekeeping and peacebuilding missions

From 143 countries

Over 30 per cent of the civilian capacity in United Nations peacekeeping and peacebuilding missions were UN Volunteers

30 per cent of these were women

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support 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).

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“I am just one of many UN Volunteers contributing to peacekeeping. My story is a small piece in a bigger picture. UNMIL is working hard and partnering with Liberians to strengthen all elements of this nation. Everywhere you look, UNVs are making a lasting impact on that process. I consider myself privileged to be among them.”

Roman Kotovych (Canada) works with the United

Nations Mission in Liberia as a UNV Judicial System

Monitor

For more information about UNV, please visit www.unv.org