The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. Volunteerism is a powerful means of engaging people in tackling development challenges, and it can transform the pace and nature of development. Volunteerism benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens and by purposefully creating opportunities for participation. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for recognition of volunteers, working with partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing an increasing number and diversity of volunteers, including experienced UNV volunteers, throughout the world. UNV embraces volunteerism as universal and inclusive, and recognizes volunteerism in its diversity, as well as the values that sustain it: free will, commitment, engagement and solidarity.
UNV volunteers are involved in multiple activities in developing countries to promote peace and development through sports. UNV also engages in projects with partner organizations to promote sport for development and peace. Examples include the following:
’Smiling Beijing: Green Olympics’
Project to donate football field to East Timorese Foundation
Football day in Sarajevo-Ilidža
ONLINE VOLUNTEERING: The Online Volunteering service connects organizations working for sustainable human development with volunteers. Volunteers contribute their skills online to help organizations address development challenges. Organizations (including organizations working in the field of Sport for Development and Peace) collaborate with online volunteers over the Internet to strengthen the impact of their development work. Thousands of volunteers are ready to provide their support: professionals, students, retirees and expatriates from across the globe volunteer their skills online to help organizations address development challenges.
If you are interested, please visit:
www.onlinevolunteering.org
UNV (2009), Forging Paths for Peace: UNV Annual Report 2008, Bonn, Germany.
Factsheets are available on Volunteerism for Peace and Development, Volunteerism and the Environment, Volunteerism and Peace, Transfer of Knowledge Through Expatriate Nationals, International Volunteer Day, etc.
Today, the Head of the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP), Mr. Poul Hansen, addressed the 2010 Annual Session of the Executive Board of UNDP and UNFPA at the UN Office at Geneva, during a session dedicated to the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme. Mr. Hansen spoke as a representative of the Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General on Sport for Development and Peace, Mr. Wilfried Lemke, about the power and necessity of volunteerism in sport...
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