In this issue:

Dear all,

This fifth issue of UNV in Cambodia is filled with the many activities that have taken place over the past five months.

Recently the UN Volunteers have been very busy with the second round of Post 2015 Dialogues, the UNV Retreat, the Volunteerism Caravan Pilot and the Phnom Penh Model United Nations.

This issue also features the achievements of two National UN Volunteers :Sinet Seap, Gender Equality Project Officer at UN Women, who was one of the first youth delegates supported by UN Women Cambodia to attend the Commission on the Status of Women in New York and Mana Kheang who is the LGBT Human Rights Officer for ‘Being LGBT in Asia’ initiative based at the OHCHR Cambodia.

Have a great summer everyone!

Thank you,

Your UNV Field Unit

UNV CAMBODIA Inspiration in Action Newsletter # 5 Phnom Penh, July 2014

News from UNV HQ 1

How to become a UN Volunteer? 1

LGBT Rights are Human Rights 2

Cambodian Youth have their say in Post 2015 Dialogues 3

Women’s Rights in New York 4

Volunteers, Landmines and Team Building, UNV Annual Retreat 5

Volunteerism Caravan, Battambang 6

Why should you volunteer? VolCam Information Session at IFL 7

Phnom Penh Model United Nations 8

ASEAN Youth Volunteer Programme 9

On the 9th April, UNV HQ launched its first UNV Strategic Framework 2014-2017, which focuses on harnessing the power of volunteers and volunteerism to support the achievement of internationally agreed goals.

The Strategic Framework will guide UNV’s work over the coming four years and reflects a focus on working more systematically with UN partners to jointly deliver more impact in peace and development.

It directs UNV efforts and programme resources into five priority areas where volunteerism has a transformational and cumulative impact on the lives of people:

(i) securing access to basic social services;

(ii) community resilience for environment and disaster risk reduction;

(iii) peace building;

(iv) youth; and

(v) national capacity development through volunteer schemes.

The vision of UNV is a world where volunteerism is recognized, within societies, as a way for all people and countries to achieve peace and development through the simultaneous eradication of poverty and significant reduction of inequalities and exclusion.

One of the new initiatives developed at UNV HQ is to increase opportunities for interaction among field units at regional level. In this context, Isabelle Devylder, UNV Programme Officer joined the UNV Programme Officers from Asia, Pacific, Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, in a Regional Capacity Development Workshop in Bangkok.

It was a great moment of experience sharing, peer learning and strategic discussions about UNV positioning in the region, including programming and mobilization opportunities.

Participants included Rosemary Kalapurakal, UNV Deputy Executive Coordinator, as well as HQ Portfolio Managers and colleagues from the Volunteer Knowledge and Innovation Section (VKIS).

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News from UNV HQ

UNV HQ & UN Learning Session

There are many misperceptions about

volunteerism; including that it is often

considered a western concept. The UN

looks at volunteerism with a

broad approach by recognizing the

many and varied manifestations of

volunteerism.

Given the growing interest among UN

colleagues about the UNV programme,

UNV Cambodia held a special discus-

sion in March as part of the UN Learning

Sessions.

It was also an opportunity for UN staff to learn how they could become UN Volunteers and

gain international experience. Currently more than 80% of UN Volunteers come from the

“South”, serving with 35 UN entities in 127 countries.

Participants had the opportunity to find out

more about the recruitment process, as UNV

assignments are generally not advertised on

websites but applicants need to register in the

UNV global roster in order to apply. For each

UNV assignment, the roster team looks for

candidates in a data base which contains

more than 10,000 active candidates. It is a

competitive selection process so the attendees

were advised to continually update their CV to

increase their chances of selection.

Two Cambodian colleagues, former UN Volunteers , joined the UN Learning Session to share

their past experiences. Mr Charoeun Sok, Finance Associate in UNDP spoke very fondly of his

time in Liberia and how it was beneficial to his career. He spoke about the different people

he met, and overcoming culture shock. He praised UNV for the opportunity it gives people

especially native Cambodians to travel the world and gain experience in different counties.

Mr. Narin Sok, Head of UNIDO, said you could not describe a UNV mission as a holiday,

nor a career break, as there can be many challenges, such as enduring the different climates

or encountering an unsettled political environment. Mr Sok accredited overcoming these

challenges and his cumulative experiences as a UN Volunteer to lead him to his position now.

How to become a UN Volunteer?

Photos: : Shuji Sekine and UNV, Isabelle Devylder

“Eradicating discrimination takes time and education. It requires changing not just laws and policies, but also hearts and minds. Everyone – government, civil society, development partners and individuals – can take part in making these changes to combat violence and discrimination against LGBT persons. Because

they share the same dreams as everyone else.”

– Ms. Claire Van der Vaeren, UN Resident Coordinator

Mana Kheang, a National UN Volunteer is the LGBT Human Rights Officer for ‘Being LGBT in Asia’ initiative based at the OHCHR Cambodia. She played a vital role in the Cambodia LGBT Law Conference held on the 4th and 5th of March. The conference followed a National LGBT Community Dialogue in January co-hosted by UNDP, USAID and OHCHR Cambodia as part of the regional ‘Being LGBT in Asia’ initiative which analyzed and identified broad social and legal environment of the LGBT community and civil society in Cambodia.

When asked to describe the LGBT situation in Cambodia in past couple of years, Mana was optimistic in her answer “despite the fact that stigma and discrimination on LGBT individuals still exist in the Cambodian society, in the past couple of years we have seen the great movement and voices from the LGBT community”.

Mana referenced the CCHR’s ‘From Prejudice to Pride’ report, which summarizes that the LGBT movement in Cambodia has continued to expand and to grow in strength. “ In particular” Mana mentions, “there has been significant progress with establishing a network of LGBT organizations and individuals from across ASEAN, and therefore increasing coordination, communication and knowledge-sharing, with a view to achieving regional respect for

the rights of LGBT people”. Mana reflects on the fact that progress is more visible among the younger generation than the older generation, most likely due to the increase of globalization and social networks. “Cambodian youth in the cities are becoming more aware and increasingly confident in opening up about their sexuality and gender expressions”.

The March event, Cambodia LGBT Law Conference, followed up the National Dialogue with specific focus on laws affecting LGBT citizens in ASEAN states, specific legal issues facing the LGBT community in Cambodia and built the skills of workshop participants to communicate about these laws and future legislation.

Mana presented the findings from the National LGBT Community Dialogue’s at the Cambodia LGBT Law Conference on March 4th, 2014. She reported that the January dialogue was thought to be widely successful by all participants. It showcased both the challenges and progress that have been made with regards to the LGBT community in Cambodia. According to Mana, the workshop “provided the opportunity to raise awareness and promote greater respect for LGBT rights”. The aim of the workshop was to build a knowledge baseline of the political, legal, social and institutional environment in which LGBT people live in and develop an understanding of the capacity of LGBT organizations to engage in policy dialogue and community mobilization. It also provided the recommendations on the future LGBT movement in Cambodia. Mana clarifies :

“Just like the struggle for racism and gender equality, education on sexual orientation and gender identity takes time, but we all can be a part of the changes to combat violence and

discrimination against LGBT people and ensure universal equality for everyone“.

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LGBT Rights are Human Rights Being LGBT in Asia

Photos: : UNOHCR, Mana Kheang

On the 7th May, more than 50 young Cambodians from different youth organizations, various provinces, ethnics and minorities as well as representatives from international organizations that work with youth and volunteers participated in a dialogue on the post-2015 development agenda, discussing the role of civil society in the implementation of the new post-2015 development agenda, which will be the successor of the Millennium Development Goals.

The participants were also passionate about forming partnerships between the Government and civil society organizations which they felt was crucial for the development of Cambodia.

You can have your say too!

From now until 2015, the UN wants as many people in as many countries as possible to be involved with MY World Global Survey: citizens of all ages, genders and backgrounds, and particularly the world’s poor and marginalized

communities. MY World asks individuals which six of sixteen possible issues they think would make the most difference to their lives. The sixteen issues cover the existing Millennium Development Goals, plus issues of sustainability, security, governance and transparency. In addition to the survey, E-discussion questions are available on this web-space dedicated to the “The Dialogue on the post-2015 development agenda: Partnerships with Civil society’’.

“I want this to be the most inclusive global development process the world has ever

known”

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon

In April 2013, Cambodian youth representatives had met in Phnom Penh to discuss Cambodian issues that need to be addressed in the new development agenda and came up with the following priorities:

Education, Employment, Health, Climate Change and Governance.

This year, UNV and UNFPA co-led the Dialogue on the post-2015 development agenda: Partnerships with Civil Society. Peter Prix, a UN Youth Volunteer at the Resident Coordinator Office facilitated this event with National UN Volunteer, Sinet Seap, and Markara Nuon, UNV Programme Assistant who acted as translators and group facilitators.

The Dialogue allowed participants to bring up and discuss solutions to the issues raised during the previous year and to further elaborate on the means of implementation of the new development agenda through partnerships with civil society.

The participants were an engaged and active group, eager to express their opinions on the future of Cambodia. They spoke about the importance of Cambodian Youth obtaining a good education and working skills in order to be successful in their lives.

Suggestions were made for more scholarships and training opportunities for students as well as a higher quality of education be made available so that graduates can meet market standards.

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Cambodian Youth have their say in the Post 2015 Development Agenda Post 2015 Dialogue

Photos: : Conor Wall

“We are the owner of ourselves, the owner of our future and the future of our country. We should be a positive change maker and role model to encourage the women today and in the future to be a positive change in

our community and country.”

Sinet Seap, a National UN Volunteer and Gender Equality Project Officer at UN Women, was one of the first youth delegates supported by UN Women Cambodia to attend the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) held between 10 and 21 March 2014 in New York.

“It is important for young women, and Cambodia’s

female citizens to monitor and follow up with the

decision-making and other results from policy makers especially on “Challenges and Achievements in the

Implementation of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for women

and girls”

The CSW gathers together representatives of UN Member States, intergovernmental agencies and civil society organizations to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and the advancement of women worldwide.

As a National UN Volunteer, Sinet felt that participating in the CSW in New York was a great learning experience.

“My attendance at the CSW will benefit my country, likewise with the attendance of young women all

around the world; we were given the space to voice the concerns of the young women from our home

countries direct to policy makers at the global level”.

The CSW was a platform, according to Sinet, for young women to learn from each other as well as a cultural exchange and opportunity for women to network. Furthermore, it allowed Sinet and her UN

Women colleagues to interact with participants who come from nations with similar backgrounds to Cambodia and to bring back home, solutions with a different perspective.

“It was an opportunity for women to demonstrate that they are part of the solution, part of sustainable development”

Sinet encourages women to have their voices heard, through events organized by NGOs, UN agencies, as well as by speaking with government officials. Social media is an important tool for women according to Sinet, who uses it to question, provide comments and share the best practices of women’s work from different countries.

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Women’s Rights in New York CSW

Photos: : UN Women, Sinet Seap

Sinet has been a National UN Volunteer since the beginning of 2014, she supports UN

Women's work in strengthening young women's participation in decision-making and

leadership processes, from the local commune level all the way to the global level

through working with young women groups and youth organizations. She provides

support to implement their projects and enables their empowerment and political

participation at a sub-national level in Cambodia. In addition to these roles, Sinet is

also a UN Women youth focal point and works in collaboration with UN Women

teams to make sure the concerns of young women are included in the design, imple-

mentation and monitoring and evaluation of the UN Women program.

Moreover, Sinet is the UN Women representative on UN Youth Task Force, which

strives to improve UN planning and coordination in order to streamline youth pro-

gramming so that the challenges and issues faced by youth and young people in Cam-

bodia are identified.

Sinet’s participation at the CSW was a success; however she felt

that there were not enough women in attendance from ASIA

Pacific. “We only had several participants from Cambodia, Ti-

mor-Leste and Fiji. Our voices were raised, but it is hard to

guarantee that our voices were considered.”

“It was a great opportunity for all UN Volunteers to learn and do activities together, in order to get

to know each other much better” UN Volunteer, 2014

Raising Awareness about demining and Volunteerism advocacy in communities was the theme of UNV’s annual retreat 2014 which took place in Battambang at the beginning of June. The many activities organised throughout the retreat aimed at strengthening the Volunteers’ understanding of the concept Volunteerism for Development and its different expressions. The UNV Field Unit also decided to partner and organize activities with the Clearing for Results Project as several UN Volunteers have and continue to support the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) by building its capacity in regulating, monitoring and coordinating the country’s mine action sector.

Volunteerism Caravan The action packed retreat began with the pilot of the Volunteerism Caravan. The Caravan was attended by both UN Volunteers and other volunteers from VolCam member organizations as well as community members in Battambang, to test the concept and see how to replicate it in other provinces later on in the year. The objective was to gather different segments of society and

a beneficiary’s site, where they met and spoke with a family whose farming land had been demined by CMAC and UNDP Clearing for Results. In 2 hectares, CMAC removed 21 mines. When asked about their fear of farming the land, they replied that they were no longer afraid as the threat has been removed. Many of the UN Volunteers were looking forward to the second part of the day, a visit to the demolition site and the detection dogs training. It was exciting and quite humbling experience to watch the different mines explode. It was only when the mines exploded that the volunteers understood the sheer size of the destruction area that mine could create. Visiting the detection dogs training centre was both interesting and entertaining. These dogs, originally from Eastern Europe and trained in Sweden are used to detect mines in Cambodia. The UN Volunteers watched the dogs practice demining whereby the dog would move along a rope smelling the ground then sit when it smelt a mine. The dog handlers, both female, marked the mine then congratulated the dog on its find. When asked which was more effective the metal detectors or dogs, the CMAC officials said that they are both useful together as the dog cannot pin point exactly where the mine is.

Phare Ponleu Selpak Circus

On the evening of the 12th June, the UN Volunteers attended the Phare Ponleu Selpak Circus “Chills “ show. Phare Ponleu Selpak (PPS) is an association which supports community development through providing children, young adults and their families with social, educational, emotional and cultural support. Artistic practice and development is at the heart of the formal education, life and social skills offered to the young people they work with. After witnessing the amazing and exciting show, the UN Volunteers were eager to visit PPS the next day to learn about their organization and try out some of their tricks. Team building activities included circus training by the PPS coaches, learning how to cartwheel and tumble as well as juggle and hula hoop! Overall the UNV Retreat 2014 was a resounding success, that allowed the Volunteers to not only get to know each other better but to further educate themselves on important Cambodian issues such as demining as well as interact and share experiences with volunteers based in Battambang.

create a space for debate and dialogue around Volunteerism, through exchange of experiences and networking. The Volunteerism Caravan was well received by the volunteers who felt it was beneficial to meet and network with other volunteers in the area, as well as to be able to discuss the challenges and benefits of volunteering in Cambodia.

Mine Action in Cambodia and UNDP Clearing for Results Project

On the second day of the retreat the UN Volunteers were welcomed at the CMAC Demining Unit in Battambang by His Excellency Prum Sophakmonkol , and his CMAA colleagues. One of the objectives of the retreat was to provide the UN Volunteers with a broader understanding of the UNDP Clearing for Results II project which addresses the ninth Cambodian Millennium Development Goal: De-mining, UXO and Victim Assistance. CMAC introduced their organisation and gave a briefing about the work they do and the landline situation in Cambodia. They estimate that there may be as many as four to six million mines and other pieces of unexploded ordnance in Cambodia. The CMAC officials also spoke of the serious social consequences of the landmines in Cambodia. A high percentage of the population has been struck down by this mines and this affects entire families and their ability to secure an

income. After the presentations, the Volunteers were shown how a deminer works with a metal detector and the care and patience it takes to manually remove a mine. After the demining demonstration, the UN Volunteers visited

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Volunteers, Landmines and Team Building: UNV Retreat 2014 UNV Retreat

Photos: : UN Women, Veronika Stepkova and UNOCHR, Bushra Rahman

On the 11th of June, more than 30 national and international volunteers arrived from different parts of the province of Battambang to attend the pilot of the Volunteerism Caravan organized while UNV was holding its annual retreat in that province.

Inspired by a similar activity organized in Tunisia as part of the Arab Youth Volunteering for a Better Future project the Volunteerism Caravan was launched by VolCam to broaden the scope of the Recognize me! Campaign, with the objective of continuing to support the recognition of volunteers’ achievements in Cambodia, to disseminate information about volunteer opportunities not only

“Volunteerism has made me think and act

globally”

‘Being a volunteer working is different, you are now part of a community, and that makes all

the difference’

They felt that organizations should be more accountable for their volunteers in terms of recruitment and their progress.

The volunteers also discussed the kinds of mechanisms the communities or host organizations need to do to support volunteers. Many of the volunteers felt that recognition of the good work that is being done should be made public; a good model of volunteering would lead to more effective volunteering.

The participants finished the session by describing how volunteerism has changed their lives both professionally and personally. The overwhelming majority spoke of how they see and do things differently, how they have learnt from another culture and recognized that there are many ways to do the same task. The volunteers spoke of their new skills set that will help them in their future career but also developing a new passion and dedication to help those in need. Through volunteering, they have built relationships that are not based on money; they have pushed their boundaries and found a respect for a culture that wasn’t theirs.

The Volunteerism Caravan was designed not only to share information about the current status of volunteerism in Cambodia, regionally and globally but it was also a way for volunteers based in Battambang to meet each other, discuss the challenges and benefits of volunteering in Cambodia and exchange their stories. Similar events will be held in different provinces between September and November and results will be presented during IVD Celebrations in Phnom Penh and used to update the 2008 publication: Volunteerism, harnessing the potential to develop Cambodia.

in Cambodia, but also internationally, and to build a support network of volunteers deployed in the country. The initiative will take place over several months and intends to create a space for discussion between the volunteers and local communities and to inspire young women and men to participate in the

progress of their country, enhancing their crucial roles in response to local needs.

UN Volunteers and other volunteers deployed through VolCam member organizations as well as their community counterparts in Battambang, participated in group work, discussing key issues relating to volunteerism, which was facilitated by UN Volunteers.

A noticeable theme that emerged amongst the participants was that Volunteerism was not only an enriching experience but a

mutually beneficial one for both the volunteers and the community in which they work. It is an opportunity for the volunteer to increase their skills set while contributing as a global citizen. However, it was revealed that the volunteers felt that there were many misperceptions linked to volunteerism. They felt that at times volunteers were seen as skill-less, who did not necessarily care about their job as it was

not for profit.

The perception of volunteers was interchangeable depending on the age of the volunteer, their class background and their culture. To some, volunteerism were seen as something that only the privileged did to find themselves, or the term was synonymous with a holiday. The volunteers felt that in order to change these misperceptions, the government, organizations and schools need to educate people on the benefits of volunteerism and remove the stigma associated with it.

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“Volunteerism is about sharing skills and changing lives” Volunteerism Caravan

Photos: : UN Women, Veronika Stepkova and

UNOCHR, Bushra Rahman

‘Start young, be proactive!’ was the advice

from National UN Volunteer Mana Kheang as she spoke to young university students from her alma mater.

On Saturday 21st June, Mana Kheang joined representatives from five different VolCam organizations, United Nations Volunteers (UNV), France Volontaires (FV) , VSO, Khmer Youth Association (KYA) and Youth Resource Development Programme (YRDP) to lead an information session on volunteerism Department of International Studies (DIS) of the Institute of Foreign Languages (IFL) at Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP) university students.

and advocate for Volunteerism in Cambodia. Pierre-Yves Devroute from France Volontaires explained what they do in Cambodia such as: advise and guide volunteers, organize activities regarding the promotion of different kinds of volunteering as well as organizing workshops and events.

Men Vannavy from VSO Cambodia’s presentation concentrated on the International Citizen Service Programme (ICS) which is a volunteering experience for young people who want to

make a difference in some of the world’s poorest communities. In Cambodia, ICS run projects in the Northeastern part of the country. Cambodian youth spend three months working alongside young people from the UK as a team to tackle issues that affect the local community.

Finishing off the session, Isabelle Devylder, UNV Programme Officer, informed the students about the different ways to volunteer with UNV: UN Volunteers, UN Youth Volunteers, and On-line Volunteers. Mana Kheang, a National UN Volunteer, gave an inspirational speech to the students, urging them to get involved in any way they can and letting the students know, that although volunteering may not always be the easiest path, it is a worthwhile one.

“Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they are worthless, but because they are priceless”

The objective of the Information Session was to encourage students to engage in volunteerism and to introduce them to VolCam , the network of international and local Volunteer service agencies and volunteer involving organizations in Cambodia where information about volunteer opportunities in the country is available .

KYA presented on their organization, outlining the different projects that they are involved in such as water sanitation and their disability programmes. In particular, Sokha Yet mentioned the climate change awareness raising Bike Tour, which took place on May 4th in partnership with the EU. 3000 people took part in this very successful event: “Europe on A Bicycle: Green is Beautiful”.

A representative from YRDP spoke about their training programmes which are attended by on average 700 university students per year as well as their Youth Initiative Projects where the participants visit NGOs and Government institutions that deal with topics relating to the YRDP training courses.

It was not just local organizations that attended the information session. Both VSO Cambodia and France Volontaires took this opportunity to introduce the students to their organizations

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VolCam Information Session @ The Institute of Foreign Language, RUPP

VolCam Info Session

Photos: : IFL, Lay Boseihak and UNV,Maeve Anne Halpin

Why should you volunteer?

We believe that when it comes to environment,

we preserve it! When it comes to economy, we

develop it! When it comes to development, we

sustain it!” Delegate of Greece, PPMUN, 2014

On the 5th July, 39 delegates from four different

universities acted as foreign diplomats and

participated in the first Phnom Penh Model United

Nations (PPMUN) organised by United Nations

Volunteers in partnership with the Department of

International Studies (DIS) of the Institute of

Foreign Languages (IFL) at the Royal University of

Phnom Penh (RUPP).

The Cambodian students opened the

ECOSOC Committee with speeches from

their country’s perspective that were both

inspirational and passionate; UK declared

that developed nations should “leave no

one behind” while USA sought to remind

the audience that we cannot “lose sight of

unfinished business of the MDGs”.

Negotiation is a key skill developed during

MUN which the delegates used in

abundance while debating a draft

resolution that was submitted by the developed

block on “Achieving Sustainable development:

The post 2015 Development Agenda”.

The discussion by the delegates revolved around

communicable and non-communicable diseases,

technical and financial assistance to achieve

universal primary education and open trade

agreements that benefit developing countries.

Sudan and Mauritius advocated for technical and

vocational training to be introduced in developing

countries. This was a popular suggestion that

gained support from many developing countries

and was later adopted into the resolution. The

delegates’ negotiation was successful and the

resolution was passed with a vote of 38-1.

The ECOSOC committee session was suddenly

interrupted with an emergency announcement

that Typhoon Caroline had hit the Philippines

causing widespread devastation throughout the

country and costing an estimated $900 million in

damage. The delegates were asked to make a

joint statement in their blocs on the natural

disaster and to comment on strengthening the

coordination of emergency humanitarian

assistance of the UN, as well as formulating a

response to climate change and risk reduction.

The surprised delegates worked efficiently and

effectively by negotiating amongst themselves a

speech that reflected their member states’

response to the crisis. Haiti spoke of their

familiarity with the Philippines’ situation and

urged countries to send aid as soon as possible as

a delay in humanitarian response could have

disastrous effects on the country.

“It is not rocket science, the Philippines lay at

your mercy to your political will. We must help

them now and quickly”.

The first PPMUN was a success due to the hard

work, effort and commitment of the delegates

and the IFL student volunteers that allowed the

conference to run smoothly. Model United

Nations is not only a fun and interactive way for

students to gain first-hand experience of what it

would be like to work in diplomacy but it is also a

great opportunity for the delegates to enhance

their public speaking, negotiation, problem

solving skills, and team work while exploring the

complexity of International Relations.

During a simulated session of the UN Economic and

Social Committee (ECOCOC) the delegates wrote

resolutions and debated on the topic ‘Achieving

sustainable development: the post 2015

development agenda’ , focusing on the progress

of the Millennium Development Goals and

making recommendations for the development of

Sustainable Development Goals.

Training

Prior to the conference, the delegates engaged in

three training sessions held at UNDP. These

sessions, delivered both by IFL Lecturers and UN

Volunteers and covered a variety of topics that

would be beneficial for Model United Nations

such as research skills and position paper writing.

UN Youth Volunteer, Peter Prix, gave an over view

of the UN to the delegates and discussed in-depth the

Post 2015 agenda and how they could get involved

with the MY World survey. Mana Kheang, National UN

Volunteer led a riveting public speaking session in

which she taught the delegates not only about

confidence and presence but speech patterns and

pauses.

PPMUN was held at the Cambodia-

Korea Cooperation Centre on Saturday the 5th July,

and was officially opened by the Vice Rector of

RUPP, Ms Suos and the UN Resident Coordinator

Ms Claire Van der Vaeren. Ms Claire Van der

Vaeren mentioned the importance of such

events, in particular for students to put into

practice their knowledge and skills. Model UN

Conferences also “provide with some insights

into the complexities of defining globally

understood and accepted goals, and achieving

global consensus for them across the diverse

multi-cultural, multi-lingual membership of the

UN”.

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Delegates debate the Post 2015 Agenda at the First Phnom Penh Model United Nations PPMUN

Photos: : UNDP, Sanghak Kan and UNV ,Maeve Anne

Halpin

PPMUN

Crisis!

On 13 March, Dr. Saran Kaur Gill - Deputy Vice Chancellor (Industry & Community Partnerships) & Executive Director of AsiaEngage - and her team from Malaysia undertook an assessment mission in Phnom Penh to identify and hold discussions with potential partners in Cambodia to explore the possibility of replicating the ASEAN Youth Volunteers Programme’s (AYVP) inaugural programme.

The AYVP creates volunteering opportunities for young people across ASEAN communities. AYVP prides itself on being a knowledge-driven volunteerism programme that supports the exchange of learning experiences, develops capacity building, and forges a sense of regional identity while making a sustainable difference to communities across ASEAN.

AYVP originates from the “Prosper Thy Neighbour” approach to ASEAN cooperation and aims to foster a community of caring societies and promote a common regional identity. AYVP is administered by the AYVP Secretariat at the National University of Malaysia (UKM) under the umbrella of AsiaEngage.

The inaugural programme took place in Malaysia in August 2013 and focused on the development of ASEAN Youth Eco-leaders. Since then, the UN Volunteers programme in Cambodia initiated discussion with the AYVP Secretariat to replicate this Youth Eco-leaders modality in the country and invited Dr. Kaur Gill to present the programme during IVD 2013 in Phnom Penh.

VolCam meeting

While in Cambodia, Dr Saran Kaur Gil and her team had the opportunity to meet with H.E. Tauch Choeun, General Director, General Directorate of Youth at the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport; H.E Lav Chhiv Eav, Rector, Royal University of Phnom Penh and Mr. Srey Sunleang, Director of Department of wet land and coastal zone at the Ministry of Environment.

Dr Saran Kaur Gil and her team also attended a VolCam meeting and received feedback from the members on the programme. AYVP, she said, chose Cambodia because the youth and civil society response after IVD last December was overwhelming.

‘Volunteers from Cambodia are amazing. They are the hope of your nation’.

The Youth Eco-leaders modality that they are looking to implement focuses on environment. It is for 18-30 yrs. Olds from university, college, industry, NGOs, government or self-employed. It will last 5 weeks in total. The objective of this programme is to find youth that have potential to become leaders.

AYVP will provide the tools needed for the volunteers to earn life skills that will help them influence and teach others when at home.

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ASEAN Youth Volunteers Programme

AYVP and Regional Capacity Workshop

Photos: : Shuji Sekine

Opportunities Now Recruiting in Cambodia

Organizations operating in Cambodia, click for more information

about vacancies:

World Vision (Various)

Save the Children

Aide et Action Suisse

International Justice Mission

Malaria Consortium

CARE

Development Alternatives, Inc

More on CAMHR AND Bong Thom.

Happening in Phnom Penh Culture

Meta House:

July 18th: 7.30PM: film showing of the Position among the stars (2010, 115 min), L. Retel Helmrich confronts the most important issues facing Indonesia’s fast-changing society:.

July 20th: 7 PM: CHAKTOMUK SHORT FILM FESTIVAL, organized by the local film collective 4K, will present the six winners and show trailers from 4K’s new film project “Pram Ang”.

Around Phnom Penh:

July 18th: 18:30: Opening of the photo exhibition "Streets of Phnom Penh" by: Jeff Perigois and Jason Sacchettino at the restaurant Le Saint Georges

Le Café Polyglotte: Every 1st and 3rd

Wednesday at 6.30 PM come to Le Bistro to

join others to speak French/ other languages,

for more info click here.

Pocket dictionary—Days and Months

today t’ngai nih

tomorrow t’ngai saaik

yesterday m’serl menh

morning bpreuk

afternoon r’sial

evening l’ngiat

month khaeh

year ch’nam

Sunday t’ngai aadteut

Monday t’ngai jan

Tuesday t’ngai onggeea

Wednesday t’ngai bpoot

Thursday t’ngai bprahoaa

Friday t’ngai sok

Saturday t’ngai sao

January ma ga raa

February kompheak

March mee nah

April meh sah

May oo sa phea

June mi thok nah

July ka kada

August say haa

September kan’ya

October dto laa

November wech a gaa

December t’noo

Khmer corner

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Programme Officer 077 333 046

Markara Nuon Maeve Anne Halpin Isabelle Devylder

Programme Assistant

012788 173

Communications, Youth & Outreach

078 277 578

United Nations Volunteers in Cambodia

@ http://www.un.org.kh/unv/

Share your opinion and stories with us! maeve.anne.halpin@undp.org unv.kh@undp.org

Your UNV FU:

Welcome new UN Volunteers!

Mr. Taesang Kim, UNDP - UNV Climate Change Knowledge Management Officer- Arriving 1st August

Prior to joining Taesang, was Program and Policy Officer at the East Asia Secretariat of ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, world's leading association of

cities and local governments dedicated to sustainable development. He started his career at the Korea Foundation, public diplomacy agency under the Ministry of

Foreign Affairs of the Korean government, and subsequently, worked at the Korea Institute for Development Strategy as Project Coordinator. Taesang studied Inter-

national Cooperation at the Graduate School of International Studies, Seoul National University in S. Korea, and holds Bachelor of Police Administration and Interna-

tional Studies from Dongguk University, S. Korea.

Ms. Martina Tomassini, UNICEF – UNV Communication Officer– Arriving end of August

A former UN officer at DPI and OCHA in NYC and an Oxford MA graduate in Development & Humanitarian Studies, Martina is a passionate multi-lingual communica-

tion specialist and humanitarian worker. She has spent the past 10 years travelling for work, study and volunteering. Her mission: putting her communication skills

and the experience gathered with NGOs in India, Mexico and Tanzania to the service of humanitarian work. She focuses her interest primarily on communication,

training and education. On a steady diet of Miyazaki’s animations and surrealist art, in her free time she is often spotted doing acrobatics on aerial silk and cook-

ing. You can talk to her in Italian, English, French, German and Spanish. She is working on Mandarin, please be patient. When not on the road, she lives in Oxford,

UK.

Ms. Naomi Umeda, UN University Volunteer– Arriving beginning of September

Naomi is currently an international studies major and on her last year of university in Japan. Being the daughter of former Christian missionaries, she was born

and raised outside of Japan and has lived in the Philippines for 13 years. Her time living in the Philippines strongly influenced her to become passionate about in-

ternational development and volunteering. Naomi’s past volunteer experience has mainly revolved around promoting international development among her

peers. She is very excited to be a part of the UNV team in Cambodia!

Mr Pen Mony, UNV Specialist for Improving the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for the Project of Disability Rights Initiative Cambodia (DRIC), Democratic Gov-

ernance Cluster- Arriving 1st August.

Prior to joining us, Mony was Deputy Chief at the Office of Planning, Statistics and Information Technology at the Persons with Disabilities Foundation (PwDF)

where he supported PwDF in developing Strategic and Annual Plans and supported the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation in developing

the National Disability Strategic Plan 2014-2018. Mony also worked with many other organizations in the disability sector such as Action on Disability and Develop-

ment (ADD), Cambodian Disabled People Organization (CDPO) and Disability Action Council (DAC). Additionally he was involved in the developing law on the pro-

tection and promotion the rights of persons with disabilities in Cambodia. Mony holds Master of Business Administration from Build Bright University, Phnom

Penh, Cambodia, and Bachelor of Economics from Institute of Economics, Phnom Penh Cambodia.