w e i v r e v O UNV in action: South-South Cooperation UNV facilitates South-South cooperation through volunteerism. South-South cooperation brings developing countries together to find solutions to development challenges through exchange and transfer of skills, knowledge and best practices. It is an integral feature of most of UNV’s peace and development initiatives. UNV mobilizes skilled specialized professionals from one developing country as UN Volunteers to support a wide range of technical, social and human development activities in another developing country. UN Volunteers strengthen the delivery of basic services, advance progress towards the Millennium Development Goals, strengthen popular participation in local governance processes. They are also at the forefront of action in countries faced with climate change challenges, natural disasters and fragile peace situations. They engage youth, women and marginalized populations in development processes through volunteerism.
“Facilitating South-South exchanges of experience and knowledge is central to what UNDP and UNV do around the world. Together with UNV, we work to boost development, expand opportunities, tackle poverty and inequality and build resilience.” Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator
The majority of UN volunteers deployed in the field are from developing countries. Of the 6,807 volunteers UNV mobilized from 159 countries in 2012, 81 per cent were from the South. About 57 per cent of these UN Volunteers served in Sub-Saharan Africa, 13 per cent in the Arab States, another 13 per cent in Asia and the Pacific and 12 per cent in Latin America and the Caribbean. Moreover, 62 per cent of the 11,037 Online Volunteers, who delivered 16,196 assignments through UNV’s Online Volunteering service, were also from the South. UN Volunteers work in over 100 professional categories and their contributions to South-South cooperation occur in a range of developmental sectors.
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Women in Micheweni, Pemba Island, Zanzibar listen to the new radio station - set up with the help ogf UN Volunteers. Through this channel, important social and development issues are brought to community homes and discussed. (Nossos Chatzopoulos/Real2Reel Film Productions, 2011)
Primitivo (Tom) Tengco (right) from the Philippines is a UNV Agriculture Development Specialist and Team Leader of the UNV - AYVP in Zambia. He coordinated community training courses on better crop and dairy production and provided technical support to the farmers in the rural Choma District, Zambia. (Carol Atwell/UNV, 2011)
“I went through many things myself during the war in Sierra Leone, so it is difficult to listen to these stories. I listen to every individual witness and document what they say and how they are treated. This is part of the healing process and helps them move on with their lives.” Joyce Kamara (Sierra Leone) served as a UNV Liaison Officer to Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission from 2007-2009, and is now a UN Volunteer Gender Affairs Officer in South Sudan
Disaster Risk Reduction and Food Security A unique South-South collaboration is exemplified by the Escuelas Vivas (Living Schools) project between the Brazilian and Salvadoran Government and in collaboration with UNV. El Salvador is located in a region that is prone to natural disasters. This project (2011-2012) aimed to develop capacity in the Salvadoran communities in disaster prevention, response measures and food security. Five international UN Volunteers from Brazil with experience and training in family agriculture and natural disaster prevention were sent on assignment to El Salvador to exchange knowledge and share experiences on disaster risk reduction and food security. The Brazilian UN Volunteers trained as many as 144 people, and 560 local volunteers participated in the project through activities such as preparing gardens, planting seeds and lobbying with local governments. In 2012, over 30 activities under the project focused on risk prevention, including workshops and evacuation simulations to train students and their families, and develop a preventive disaster plan for the schools.
Youth The Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Volunteers Programme (2009-2012) was established as a partnership between UNV and the African Development Bank to engage the citizens of the region, particularly youth, in peacebuilding and development activities through volunteerism. Under the programme, 160 ECOWAS volunteers from the region were deployed in four pilot countries: Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia and Sierra Leone. UN volunteers worked with government institutions in areas such as health, education, and agriculture. UNV also contributed to the establishment of the African Union Youth Volunteer Corps to recruit youth to work in all African Union Member States.
Economic Development The Asia Youth Volunteer Programme (AYVP) is a flagship regional initiative which mobilizes skilled Asians volunteers, deploying them in Tanzania and Zambia for development assistance. The programme is an excellent example of South-South cooperation since it enables exchange among volunteer experts from similar development contexts. Since its inception in 2006, the programme has mobilized 22 UN Volunteers. AYVP Tanzania works with small to medium-scale private sector enterprises (SMEs) to expand sustainable income opportunities in the country. UN Volunteers provide SMEs with expertise in management skills, marketing, and technical assistance in IT. UN Volunteers are also working with the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture (TCCIA) to support cost-effective and practical private sector development. In Zambia, AYVP focuses on innovative, community-centred and sustainable agricultural methods to improve food security. UN Volunteers work directly with farmer groups, agricultural workers and community volunteers to offer training and assistance in the design and implementation of various agricultural methods. In 2012, more than 260 farmer groups, agricultural workers and community volunteers were trained in sustainable and innovative agricultural practices, such as crop diversification, fruit processing and waste recycling.
In Guatemala, UN Volunteer Fredy Soto during a capacity building workshop on vulnerability reduction with beneficiaries of the Community-Based Adaptation programme in the village of Taltimiche, Comitancillo, San Marcos. (Daniele Volpe, 2012)
Climate Change The Community-Based Adaptation Programme (CBA), a five-year pilot programme from 2008 to 2012, is a good example of a triangular South-South cooperation initiative. Under CBA, UNV has supported UNDP and the Global Environmental Facility to strengthen the resilience of communities, addressing the impacts of climate change in seven pilot countries: Bolivia, Guatemala, Jamaica, Morocco, Namibia, Niger and Samoa. The UNV component of the programme is being delivered by UN Volunteers, most of who are from the South. UN Volunteers have driven community mobilization and capacity building, facilitated volunteer contributions and ensured inclusive participation of communities under the project. They have also conducted vulnerability reduction assessments, trained CBA self-help group coordinators, and organized capacity building workshops. Efforts in 2012 have particularly focused on replicating, scaling up and integrating the lessons learned through evaluation field studies. On average, eight CBA projects designed to enhance adaptation capacity to climate change were implemented in each country. By the end of 2012, UN Volunteers had mobilized more than 13,000 volunteers, enhanced cooperation with almost 50 local institutions and raised their capacity to design and implement CBA projects themselves. This resulted in greater ownership and sustainability of the entire initiative.
Participants in the national consultation on youth volunteering in Morocco. (Laboratoire Brahim/UNV, 2012)
ECOWAS Volunteer Emmanuel Aniesedo from Nigeria, Laboratory Technician is reading a malaria parasite slide on a microscope in February 2012, at the JFK hospital in Monrovia, Liberia. (Mohamed Kanja Sesay, 2012)
Health South-South cooperation has been critical to UNV efforts to build medical capacity in Malawi. Delivery of quality health services been a challenge in Malawi where approximately one doctor is available to every 62,000 people. UNV has been active in Malawi since 1982, building partnerships with the Government, non-governmental and communitybased organizations and UN agencies. UNV and UNDP began working with Malawi’s Ministry of Health in 2004 to improve its health services. Since then, the Capacity Development in Health project has evolved in size, and is funded through UNDP and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The project – often referred to as the ‘UNV doctors project’ – is a remarkable example of the contribution UN Volunteers make worldwide. Out of the 93 UN Volunteers serving in Malawi, 60 of them doctors, and 6 are in related medical professions, serving in hospitals and clinics throughout the country. Seventy three per cent of these UN Volunteers are from the South. When the project was first initiated, the need for doctors
was so great that UNV and the Ministry focused on immediate posting of medical personnel to fill the critical gaps. Nine years later, UNV deploys UNV Doctors, Physiotherapists, Dentists and Pharmacists who provide essential medical services and, in turn, actively transfer their skills to Malawian health practitioners to ensure sustainability. The Malawi College of Medicine is currently training approximately 50 medical students per year, and UNV Doctors mentor the students, transferring their specialist skills
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).
For more information about UNV, please visit www.unv.org