2014-2015 REPORTTHE PROGRAM FOR HUMANRESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
FOR PEACEBUILDING
Joint Programme of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme and the Hiroshima
Peacebuilders Center, funded by the Government of JapanABOUT THE PROGRAMME
Peacebuilding is a complex process that aims to resolve violent conflict and establish lasting peace.
The foundations of peacebuilding are the restoration of justice, healing of trauma, reconciliation,
development action and effective leadership. With violent conflict never far from headlines aroundthe globe, one of the central parts of the Government of Japan’s strategy to help foster lasting peace
worldwide is the Program for Human Resource Development for Peacebuilding.
Funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, this program demonstrates the power ofvolunteerism in peacebuilding and peacekeeping activities through the fielding of skilled, trained
and committed citizens from Japan and other Asian countries to countries experiencing conflict or
post-conflict situations.
United Nations Volunteers deployed under the program bring new skills and qualities that expand
the reach of peacebuilding efforts. Working alongside national counterparts, UNV’s Human Resource
Development for Peacebuilding volunteers (UNV HRD Volunteers) contribute their skills, experienceand enthusiasm to projects that range from humanitarian coordination within emergencies andprotracted displacement situations to crisis prevention and post-conflict recovery efforts. A numberof assignments also support and strengthen the delivery of basic services so that local governanceand civil society can be stabilized and strengthened for the long haul. Social inclusion plays a vitalrole in all aspects of the volunteer assignments, with youth, women and marginalized groups
proactively included in peace and development initiatives in communities.
Promoting volunteerism is a key aspect of the sustainable contribution that these volunteers makearound the world. They show others how volunteering propels one from being a passive recipient tobecoming a driver of peace, reconciliation and development processes.
When beneficiaries are actively engaged as volunteers – especially those on the margins of society– the impact is longer lasting. The UNV HRD volunteers are encouraged to promote volunteerism incommunities and to involve women, youth, people with disabilities and marginalized groups. They
often become role models themselves and serve as an inspiration to the people with whom theywork.
HOW THE PROGRAMME WORKS

The Program for Human Resource Development for Peacebuilding has been operating since 2007 asa joint partnership between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the Hiroshima Peacebuilders

2

Center and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme. Participants in the program begin byattending a five week classroom-based training at the Hiroshima Peacebuilders Center. They workthrough problem-solving exercises, discussions and lectures before taking up their assignments as
UN Volunteers.
The next step is to build practical experience by deploying the volunteers to work in countries facing
peacebuilding-related challenges around the world. The volunteer assignments are managed by
UNV, which undertakes an extensive matching process so that the volunteers are assigned topeacebuilding-related projects implemented by United Nations partner agencies.
The volunteers typically work directly in support to vulnerable groups, such as refugees, women,children and others affected by conflict. Through their roles, they aim to bring excluded groups into
peace and development processes, protecting and supporting those at risk, and strengthening theskills and capabilities of authorities and civil society so that the basic needs of vulnerable people canbe met.
These volunteers find themselves living and working in challenging conditions. They deal with longhours, limited infrastructure, unfamiliar languages and cultures, and sometimes volatile security
situations. Despite this, most volunteers report drawing as much from their postings as they give.
Volunteers develop new skills, gain experiences that cannot be learned in a classroom and boost
confidence in their abilities. They are also able to make significant contributions towards improving
the lives of people affected by crises. Between 2007 and 2015, a total of 132 UNV HRD volunteers
completed UN Volunteer assignments. They provided support to more than 16 United Nations
agencies and partner organizations, delivering humanitarian assistance and improving basic services
for vulnerable people in 43 countries.
In some of the world’s most troubled places, these volunteers have assisted in crisis prevention andrecovery efforts and served with United Nations missions to boost their operational capacity andenhance the skills of their national counterparts. Across the breadth of circumstances in which thesevolunteers have served, they have focused particularly on empowering women, young people andmarginalized groups, and in doing so they have contributed to building trust, capacity and resilienceamong ordinary people involved in some of the world’s most fragile peace processes.

3Participant in the Youth Volunteer summer camp held through the Arab Youth Volunteering for a Better Future programme in
Jordan. The camp aimed at strengthening youth volunteering capacities and providing opportunities for learning and exchange
among youth volunteers. (WupY-PS, 2013)

WHAT IS A UN VOLUNTEER’S
ADDED VALUE?
› INNOVATION› STRONG COMMITMENT› WILLINGNESS TO LEARN› PROFESSIONALISM› BRINGS SKILLS THAT FIT HOST AGENCY NEEDS› SERVICE-ORIENTED PROFESSIONALS› 
HELPS WITH CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL COUNTERPARTS

4

THE VOLUNTEERS
AT WORKIn line with its Strategic Framework 2014-2017, UNV is concentrating its efforts in five priority areas in which
volunteerism has a transformational and cumulative impact on the lives of people: 1) securing access to basicsocial services; 2) peacebuilding; 3)community resilience for environment and disaster risk reduction 4)
youth; and 5) national capacity development through volunteer infrastructures. UNV also focuses on building
a credible body of knowledge and enhancing innovation.
The Program for Human Resource Development for Peacebuilding showcases Japan’s commitment tovolunteerism, peacebuilding and South-South cooperation. This year, the UNV HRD Volunteer assignments
were aligned under UNV’s five priority areas, with many of them cutting across several areas.
UNV-supported development efforts take a human rights-based approach to programming. The organization
has a strong commitment to gender equality, with recognition of the role that women play as a driving force
in peace and development efforts and their importance in societal transformation across all areas ofprogramme delivery. UNV strives for gender balance in all its operational engagements, including among UN
Volunteers deployed.

SECURING ACCESS TO BASIC SOCIAL SERVICESPEACEBUILDINGCOMMUNITY RESILIENCE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTIONYOUTH

NATIONAL CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT THROUGH VOLUNTEER INFRASTRUCTURES

5

6

SECURING ACCESS TO BASIC
SOCIAL SERVICES
Securing access to basic social services is at the heart ofmany United Nations entity mandates and activities andthe Millennium Development Goals. UN Volunteers
contribute to enhancing access to social services,
including primary health care, HIV and AIDS services,and education. UNV supports local governanceinitiatives that promote inclusive participation andbolsters community engagement in planning,
implementing and monitoring of local development
projects. UNV involvement amplifies the efficiency andoutreach, as well as ownership and sustainability, ofsocial service and governance programmes.
Over time, UNV has developed solid knowledge andlearned lessons about the role and application ofvolunteerism in service delivery and local governance.
UNV has been particularly active in the context ofconsultative processes to identify community needs andlocal capacity development and the strengthening ofcommunity voice to ensure accountability.

In 2013, in the framework of the project support to the implementation of a National Volunteer Programme in Cape Verde (SVF funded), theNational Volunteer Corps launched a call of proposals to select projects from local VIO that would receive grants up to 100.000 CVE to
implement activities aimed at fostering volunteerism for development. 23 Projects from different Island were selected. Among the selected
projects three initiatives in São Vicente, a project from Centro de Intervenção Comunitária Ribeira Bote, aimed at providing psychological andeducational support for children; a project to train volunteer surf lifesavers, and an initiative from an Association of people with disabilities
where students of physiotherapy and other health related subjects provide assistance to people with disabilities. (Omar Camilo, 2013)

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SECURING ACCESS TO BASIC SOCIAL SERVICES

LEIKA

ARUGA
UNV Programme Specialist, UN Women
Viet Nam

Leika Aruga was assigned as a UNV Programme Specialist and Gender and HIV
Focal Point for the UN Women Viet Nam country office. She arrived in Viet Nam
at a critical moment for women’s rights: the government was scheduled to bereviewed by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW) Committee in 2015; a five-year National Programme
on Gender Equality was about to be developed; it was the final year to fulfil
commitments under the Millennium Development Goals; and the 20-year
implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action was coming under review.
These pivotal processes generated exciting opportunities for engaging withgovernment and civil society and advocating for gender rights andresponsiveness.

In May 2015, Leika led a group ofambassadors and heads of agencies
to a border area in relation to the humantrafficking situation there. (Leika)

UN Women, at the time, was focusing on strengthening legal frameworks andbuilding institutional capacity with a view to changing national laws, policies
and practices to better safeguard women’s human rights in Viet Nam,increasing women’s access to justice and helping raise women’s voices toprotect these rights. UN Women was also helping to systematically implement,
monitor and report on CEDAW progress.
Leika provided technical and managerial support for UN Women projects andactivities in this thematic area. Her routine work involved helping partners
design and plan activities and monitoring and reviewing theirimplementation. She promoted inter-agency collaboration throughparticipation in working groups and she drafted donor reports, corporate
progress reports and project briefs. Leika fed into the organization’s
knowledge base by collecting and disseminating best practices, successstories and lessons learned.
Among numerous significant tasks she undertook, Leika prepared for andattended the 61st CEDAW session in Geneva where she supported the VietNam government delegation and NGO representatives. To get ready for thisevent, she helped organize a mock CEDAW session in Viet Nam with a sitting
CEDAW Committee member and supported civil society organization
networks to develop a shadow report.

Leika (3rd from right) Participated in the
UNV retreat in Quang Ninh, Viet Nam.
(Jakub Zak, UNV Communications Officer.
24 June 2014)8

To mainstream gender concerns into the laws and policies of Viet Nam, UN
Women worked with the Ministry of Justice to conduct reviews and draft laws
based on CEDAW. Leika helped the process get off the ground by preparing a
Letter of Agreement and managing the recruitment of consultants. During thelegal review of key laws, Leika consulted and coordinated with other United
Nations agencies to prepare joint United Nations recommendation statementsthat advocated for gender-responsive revision of laws. She organized training

SECURING ACCESS TO BASIC SOCIAL SERVICES

and thematic workshops for core Ministry of Justice staff to impart knowledge
and skills on CEDAW and women’s human rights standards to be applied inlaw making. Leika also coordinated civil society training that took place under
the project. She contracted the trainer and together with the trainer
developed the agenda and training materials through consultation withstakeholders, then oversaw the training organization and follow-up.
Leika facilitated a number of research activities, including a study on domestic
violence survivors’ access to justice. For this study, she consolidated andresponded to feedback from stakeholders and provided editing services. Leika
assisted a project that used a gender lens to review the training curricula,teaching materials and methods of the Judicial Academy, with the goal ofinstitutionalizing gender training in the criminal justice system, particularly
with reference to violence against women. She contracted the international
consultant and helped prepare a detailed work plan. “This project,” Leika
observed, “will contribute towards the transformation of the patriarchal justicesystem which has been hindering women’s access to justice.”
Participating in meetings on HIV-related activities, Leika learned about thegrowing number of women in Viet Nam living with HIV resulting from intimate
partner transmission. Thus, Leika proposed a UN Women project that would
offer technical assistance for the Ministry of Health to collect sex-disaggregateddata and to conduct gender analysis on information related to efforts to address
the HIV epidemic. “Allocation of necessary resources and improved coordination,
coherence and accountability for gender across all areas of government is
critical,” said Leika, “for the effective implementation of laws and policies that
result in positive, measurable change in the lives of women and girls.”
With Leika’s help, UN Women made inroads with the government and civilsociety in Viet Nam in deepening the awareness and knowledge of CEDAW andmoving forward with implementation of CEDAW via laws, policies andprogrammes. This included training and supporting justice system actors toensure better access to justice for women. Accountability mechanisms andmonitoring and reporting systems for gender equality were also strengthened.
“Work remains to decentralize the understanding of CEDAW and women’s
rights, reaching local and commune levels,” Leika adds, “so that all Vietnamese
women can one day claim and enjoy their human rights.”

VALUE ADDED: “In Viet Nam, UN Women’s partner civil society
organizations highly value volunteerism and promote it through their project
implementation. The fact that I am also a volunteer brought us closer andencouraged young people to take part in our activities. In particular, the 16
Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, which I helped organize,drew together young professionals and students as volunteers to plan an
event calling for a society free of gender-based violence,” said Leika.

THIS PROJECT WILL CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THE
TRANSFORMATION OF THE PATRIARCHAL JUSTICESYSTEM WHICH HAS BEEN HINDERING WOMEN’SACCESS TO JUSTICE.

?

WHO BENEFITED
293•	LEGAL AND GENDER
OFFICERS FROM THE MINISTRY OF
LABOUR, INVALIDS AND SOCIALAFFAIRS, THE MINISTRY OFJUSTICE AND THE PARLIAMENTARYCOMMITTEE ON SOCIAL AFFAIRS
WHO ATTENDED TRAINING AND
WORKSHOPS AT WHICH THEY
BECAME BETTER EQUIPPED WITH
CEDAW KNOWLEDGE AND
UNDERSTANDING OF LEGALNORMATIVE STANDARDS AND
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES IN
ADDRESSING VIOLENCE AGAINSTWOMEN.

222•	
PEOPLE, INCLUDING
DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS OF THE
MINISTRY OF JUSTICE AND THE
MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTAND TOURISM, SENIOR OFFICERS
OF POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS AND
VIET NAM WOMEN’S UNION,
MEMBERS OF CIVIL SOCIETY
ORGANIZATIONS AND SURVIVORSOF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, WHO
GAINED BETTER UNDERSTANDING
OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE AND
WOMEN’S ACCESS TO JUSTICE IN
THE PLURAL JUSTICE SYSTEM,
BASED ON RESEARCHCONDUCTED BY THE INSTITUTE OFSOCIOLOGY OF HO CHI MINH
ACADEMY OF POLITICS AND
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION.

100

•	
YOUNG PEOPLE (83 WOMEN,
17 MEN) WHO ATTENDED FOUR
WORKSHOPS THATSTRENGTHENED CIVIL SOCIETY
NETWORKS AND SUPPORTED THE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE CEDAWSHADOW REPORT, AS WELL AS
MONITORING OF CEDAWIMPLEMENTATION. (THISINCLUDED 25 LEADERS OF
GROUPS OF WOMEN LIVING WITH
HIV WHO LEARNED TO KNOW AND
CLAIM THEIR RIGHTS). THE
WORKSHOP FACILITATEDCOLLABORATION AMONG THE
THREE MAJOR NGO NETWORKSPROMOTING WOMEN’S HUMAN
RIGHTS AND THE WOMEN LIVINGWITH HIV NETWORK AND LED TO
UN WOMEN SUPPORTING THE NEW
PARTNERSHIP THROUGH FOLLOWUP ACTIVITIES.

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SECURING ACCESS TO BASIC SOCIAL SERVICES

KEITA

KUBOYAMAUNV Associate Programme Officer, UNHCR
Egypt

As an UNV Associate Programme
Officer for UNHCR in Egypt, Keita
Kuboyama was put in charge of amonthly cash assistanceprogramme for Syrian refugees.

“The lives of Syrian refugees are in danger even after they arrive in Egypt. Mostof them have depleted almost all of their savings, leaving them severely
vulnerable and having made sacrifices that are hard for us to even imagine. In
order to ease the suffering of tens of thousands of people, cash assistanceprovides refugees with a dignified opportunity to meet their basic humanneeds.”
Many Syrians who have escaped the devastating conflict in their own country
have found refuge in Egypt, most of whom are dispersed within residential
neighbourhoods in the cities of Cairo, Alexandria and Damietta. As refugees,these Syrians face daunting challenges trying to earn enough money to pay
for rent, food, education, health care and other basic needs. Whatever savings
they brought with them have dwindled and limited opportunities for jobs
have given rise to negative coping mechanisms. Some families are taking
children out of school, living in unacceptable housing, reducing the quantityand quality of food, going without basic items and trying to earn additional
cash through begging, child labour and early marriage.

Meeting with Head of Community Service Unit
in order to revise vulnerability criteria of cash
assistance to Syrian refugees. Location:
UNHCR Cairo Office. (Robert Attala, 2015)

From the onset of the Syrian refugee crisis, UNHCR and its national andinternational partners have given monthly stipends to the most vulnerable
Syrian refugees so they can meet minimum requirements for housing andessential items. UNHCR has run cash assistance programmes for poor urban
refugees from Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq and other parts of theworld since 1993. The cash infusion modality has proven to be the mosteffective assistance for urban-based refugee caseloads, as in Egypt’s cities
goods are readily available. Cash enables families to meet their basic humanneeds, while at the same time supporting the local market.
As the chief coordinator of this cash assistance programme, Keita managed adirect implementation programme that delivered monthly cash assistance to
32,000 of the most needy Syrian refugees, representing 25 per cent of thetotal registered Syrian refugee population in Egypt in 2015. Because it isessential that a cash-based programme is conducted transparently andaccountably, a string of formalities and documentation were required, which
Keita oversaw. Keita also drafted donor reports and, through his own initiative,
created a Standard Operating Procedure manual for better internal andexternal coordination.
An internal United Nations audit was conducted of the programme while
Keita was at the helm of coordination. The auditors reviewed all financial andoperational documents for 2014 and 2015 and visited Alexandria andDamietta to discuss operational procedures with implementing partners. The

10

SECURING ACCESS TO BASIC SOCIAL SERVICES

conclusion was that the monthly cash assistanceprogramme was adequately accountable andimplementation was transparent; the auditors even went
as far as to conclude that this programme was one of thebest practices of UNHCR.
Through his UN Volunteer assignment, Keita gained
practical programmatic management skills and a deeper
understanding of refugee issues. “Through the cash
assistance programme, we have been contributing topeacebuilding in Syrian communities, as well as in the
Egyptian host communities in which they live,” noted
Keita. “I understand much better refugee issues and theimportance of host country acceptance of refugees
and UNHCR’s central role.”
Keita found that working with supervisors andcolleagues that he admired and respected raised his
own level of professionalism. He was impressed withthe clarity and focus of the UNHCR mandate. “We areworking for the refugees,” he explained. “We need tosave their lives, to hear their voices and learn theirneeds to be able to assist them and make sure they
feel that being here is safe.”

Meeting with Head of Livelihood Unit in order to review the mid-term planningdocuments programming and monitoring in 2015. Location: UNHCR Cairo
Office. (Marihame Jessica, 2015)

Keita was so impressed, in fact, that he said he wants
to work with UNHCR for the foreseeable future. And
the feeling was mutual; UNHCR found funding for
him to continue working on the cash assistanceprogramme for an additional year as an international UN Volunteer. “I did mybest to manage the direct implementation of cash assistance with timely cash
disbursements; and I saw huge impacts,” said Keita.

?

WHO BENEFITED
32,000WE NEED TO SAVE THEIR LIVES, TO HEAR THEIRVOICES AND LEARN THEIR NEEDS TO BE ABLE TOASSIST THEM AND MAKE SURE THEY FEEL THAT
BEING HERE IS SAFE.

•	SYRIAN REFUGEES IN
EGYPT WERE ABLE TO MEET THEIRBASIC HUMAN NEEDS DUE TO THE
CASH ASSISTANCE PROGRAMMEFOR WHICH KEITA WAS THE CHIEF
COORDINATOR.

11SECURING ACCESS TO BASIC SOCIAL SERVICES

MOEKO

TSUJIIUNV Associate Community Services Officer, UNHCR
SenegalWhen Moeko Tsujii arrived in Senegal to work as an UNV AssociateCommunity Services Officer in the UNHCR Regional Office for West Africa, thepopulation of concern for UNHCR in the West Africa region was 267,751
refugees and 8,856 asylum seekers. About 43,500 of these were living in urban
areas.
The community services team of the UNHCR regional office supports country
offices to empower urban refugees and facilitate local integration. The
community services team also helps offices to ascertain durable solutions forrefugees, ensure that persons with special needs are identified and encourage
refugees to participate in programmes that affect their own situation.
To help UNHCR implement its policyof promoting refugee self-reliance,
the regional office needed toestablish a methodology that could
assess the resilience and coping
mechanisms of urban refugees in West
Africa. Moeko was assigned to design
ways to profile the situation to help
better understand the status of urban
refugees. Under the supervision of the
Deputy Director of the regional officeand the Senior Community Services
Officer, Moeko created a model
framework for urban profiling. The
framework included ways to assess
refugee self-reliance and to gather
information about their coping
mechanisms.
Moeko contributed to pilot research inurban refugee profiling in the capital city,
Dakar, with plans that the methodology
could be adapted by other countries in
the region. Taking part in both the

Moeko (in the foreground) took part in a
UNV retreat with other UN Volunteers at an
eco-village in Senegal. (UNV, 2015)

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SECURING ACCESS TO BASIC SOCIAL SERVICES

quantitative and qualitative research,
Moeko created research tools andcollected data in collaboration with
relevant UNHCR units, partnerorganizations, refugees and asylum
seekers. The research focused on four
population groups, each with a particularprofile.
As part of this task, Moeko talked face toface with refugees and asylum seekers tounderstand their needs and gather theiropinions on what could be done to
Moeko plants a tree with fellow volunteers as part of a teambuilding exercise. (UNV, 2015)
foster greater self-reliance andsustainable solutions. She mapped out
existing and potential service providers for refugees and asylum seekers in
Dakar. The results of the mapping were shared with UNHCR’s protection unit,
which then used this information to better guide refugees and asylum seekers
to services. The data also helped the Senegal Country Office coordinate more
effectively with service providers and improve their referral system.
One of Moeko’s favourite activities during the year was representing the UNV
programme at the Francophone Summit in Dakar. She and fellow UN
Volunteers from Senegal staffed a UNV booth; they explained UNV’s work to
local and international visitors and encouraged others to volunteer.
Through her UNV assignment, Moeko gained experience and knowledge in
conducting social research and plans to further hone her skills in community
services so that she might continue to contribute in this field. While the lengthof her assignment meant that Moeko did not see the research through to its
final stages, her successor carried on the project, and Moeko has high hopesthat the project will contribute to bettering the plight of refugees and asylum
seekers in Senegal and the West Africa region.

?

WHO BENEFITED•	PEOPLE REACHED BY THE
PROJECTS ON WHICH MOEKO
WORKED:BY BUILDING A STRATEGY OF A RESEARCH WHICH
HAS NEVER BEEN MADE, I GAINED A LOT OFKNOWLEDGE ON CONDUCTING RESEARCH, AND
EVALUATION OF PROJECTS.

43,500	
URBAN REFUGEES ANDASYLUM SEEKERS IN WEST
AFRICA

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SECURING ACCESS TO BASIC SOCIAL SERVICES

NANA

OTA

UNV Programme Analyst, UN Women
EcuadorAs a UNV Programme Analyst for UN Women in Quito,
Ecuador, Nana Ota provided technical assistance to anumber of projects that promoted women’s
leadership and participation in politics and others thatworked toward eliminating violence against womenand girls.

Nana attended the United Nations Economic and Social Council
FORUM on the post-2015 development agenda in New York in June
2014. (A fellow youth participant, 2014)

MY SUPERVISOR WAS
EXTREMELYSUPPORTIVE AND SHE
WAS PASSIONATEABOUT PROVIDING ME
WITH LEARNINGOPPORTUNITIES.

14

In Ecuador, gender-based violence is widespread andingrained in society. According to WFP (Nine Facts
about Women in Ecuador), six out of every 10 women
have experienced some sort of gender-based violence.
One of four has been a victim of sexual violence. Nearly
70 per cent of the time, this violence is perpetrated bypartners or former partners. Women who marry young
record the highest levels of violence, and nine out of 10
divorced women report some sort of gender violence.
More than 15 per cent of girls between the ages of 10
and 15 have been victims of sexual violence, leading tohigh rates of adolescent pregnancy and extremely highmaternal mortality rates. Despite the seriousness of thissituation, no public policy on gender violence has been
implemented.

One way UN Women addressed the problem duringNana’s tenure as a UN Volunteer was a women’s leadershipproject that enhanced and strengthened dialoguemechanisms between civil society and political parties.
Capacity building and training targeted government officials to raiseawareness and enhance their understanding of gender issues. The project was
executed in collaboration with stakeholders – civil society, local governments
and political parties – in several local communities and Nana was an
enthusiastic liaison with partners. Dialogue on gender issues was organized
so that public policy might better reflect voices of women and other citizens.
More than 100 women from local communities expressed the need for
eradicating violence against women, women’s right to access justice,reproductive health and rights, sexual education and women’s mental health.
At the same time, Nana was tasked with interfacing with the Japanese
government regarding financial assistance for a project to help women
victims of violence. The project was designed in collaboration with the local
government so that victims of gender-based violence could access justice intheir communities.

SECURING ACCESS TO BASIC SOCIAL SERVICES

Nana supported the Ecuador
office to organize various
events and activities for UN
Women global campaigns.
She helped analyse andcompare South American
gender equality data for
the Union of SouthAmerican Nations meetingin March 2015. She
expanded the reach ofinternational campaigns,
such as Orange YOUR
Neighbourhood, whose
Nana organized and taught yoga classes at a women’s shelter in Quito, Ecuador. (Mónica Leiton, 2015)
objective is theelimination of violenceagainst women, and she
conducted HeForShe
campaigns in several places, including San Francisco University in Quito andprivate companies. As a result, more than 1,000 Ecuadorian men were
engaged in the fight for gender equality.
“My supervisor was extremely supportive and she was passionate aboutproviding me with learning opportunities,” said Nana. Among theseopportunities were a training programme on the application of Beijing 20 and
one on the situation of violence against women in Ecuador. Nana also
attended the United Nations Economic and Social Council Forum in New Yorkon the post-2015 development agenda.
“These experiences gave me an opportunity to reflect on what we can dofrom the individual level to the social level for gender equality and ending
violence against women. I have a considerably deeper understanding ofgender aspects, as well as a wide range of basic theories and empiricallygrounded research,” she explained. “Any public policy will fail without
integrating gender issues.”

VALUE ADDED: Nana had the enviable opportunity of creating a
volunteer activity at a women’s shelter. At the shelter, a refuge for Ecuadorianand Colombian women victims of sexual violence, Nana organized twice
weekly yoga classes and conducted research and a survey. Nana found this tobe a powerful experience for understanding at the individual level what canbe done to create communities without violence.

?

WHO BENEFITED
1,000

•	
ECUADORIAN MEN
INVOLVED IN THE FIGHT FOR
GENDER EQUALITY THROUGH THE
HEFORSHE CAMPAIGN.
•TWOMAJOR POLITICALPARTIES IN ECUADOR COMMITTEDTO WORK FOR GENDER EQUALITY
AND TO FIGHT AGAINST GENDERBASED VIOLENCE.

300•	MORE THANWOMEN
PARTICIPATED IN TRAINING ON
GENDER EQUALITY.

15

SECURING ACCESS TO BASIC SOCIAL SERVICESRUINOMOTOUNV Child Protection Officer, UNICEF
Lao PDRAs a UNV Child Protection Officer assigned to
UNICEF in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic,
Rui Nomoto took part in the daunting task of
supporting the introduction of a new concept tothe country – civil birth registration and vitalstatistics documentation.
In Lao PDR, issuance of birth certificates has notbeen standardized. According to UNICEF, amongchildren under the age of five, 75 per cent arereported to be registered with the government, butof these registered children only 33 per cent have
had a birth certificate issued. Of this 33 per cent,
only 17 per cent are actually able to show a birthcertificate.
UNICEF, through its implementing partner Plan
International, has been supporting the Governmentof Lao PDR financially and technically to establish an
efficient and well-functioning civil registration andvital statistics system.

Seven representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Lao PDR
government travelled to the Philippines for a study tour on childregistration systems as part of the UNICEF project that Rui Nomoto
worked on as a Child Protection Officer. (CRVS Lao PDR, January 2015)

Working side by side with Plan International, Ruihelped in the early stages of developing thisprogramme by supporting programming processes
and monitoring results. Rui was a member of aworking group that included the International
Organization for Migration, UNFPA, UNICEF, the World
Health Organization and Plan International.

Officially recording a child’s birth lays the foundation for safeguarding manyof that person’s civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. “An
unregistered child in many respects is an invisible child,” explained Rui. “This is
in contradiction of Article 7 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
the Child which specifies that every child has the right to be registered atbirth without any discrimination.”
In addition to ensuring access to basic services, such as health and education,birth registration is a tool in the arsenal for child protection. A birth certificate
is documentary proof that registration has taken place and secures the child’s
right to origin, to a nationality and enables them to claim these rights. It canhelp prevent child labour by enforcing minimum employment laws, prevent

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SECURING ACCESS TO BASIC SOCIAL SERVICES

children in conflict with the law from being treated as adults, help counterchild marriage and protect against forced conscription in armed forces, illegal
migration and human trafficking. “Hopefully, this programme will improve theoverall child protection mechanism in Lao PDR,” noted Rui.
By obtaining accurate data on people’s major life events, such as marriage andchild birth, the government will also be able to better understand thesituation of women in the country. For example, the data will show figures onchild marriages and the age of mothers who gave their first birth. These data
are essential for protecting women’s rights and health.
Birth and civil registration is also an important component of a comprehensive
peacebuilding and reconstruction strategy, as it gives all groups access tobasic social services, which can help heal ethnic divisions, re-establish fairpolitical institutions and ultimately revitalize the economy.
“It is an exciting opportunity to work in a new field like birth registration,” said
Rui. “I had previously thought of birth registration as a health issue, but now I
realize its importance for child protection.”
The project was starting to be take concrete shape as Rui was completing her
assignment. The long-term feasibility of the project depend on factors such as
budget and human resources. “Civil registration and birth registration is apretty new topic in Lao PDR,” said Rui. “It may take time to let the government
and people know about its importance; to change behaviours will be evenmore difficult.”?

WHO BENEFITEDIT IS AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY TO WORK IN A
NEW FIELD LIKE BIRTH REGISTRATION. I HAD
PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT OF BIRTH REGISTRATIONAS A HEALTH ISSUE, BUT NOW I REALIZE ITSIMPORTANCE FOR CHILD PROTECTION.

•	RUI ASSISTED THE STAFF OF PLAN
INTERNATIONAL, A UNICEF
PARTNER, TO HELP THE
GOVERNMENT OF LAO PDRINTRODUCE CIVIL BIRTHREGISTRATION AND VITALSTATISTICS DOCUMENTATION- A PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT
ENDEAVOR FOR CHILDREN OF
POOR HOUSEHOLDS, ETHNICMINORITIES AND STATELESSGROUPS.

17

SECURING ACCESS TO BASIC SOCIAL SERVICESTAKAHIRO

UTSUMIUNV Programme Officer, WFP
Egypt

Takahiro Utsumi was assigned to Cairo, Egypt, towork as a UNV Programme Officer in WFP’s
Regional Bureau for the Middle East, North Africa,
Central Asia and Eastern Europe. He helped
support overall programme coordination andmanagement. As the regional office’s purview is avast one – Algeria, Armenia, Egypt, Iran, Iraq,
Jordan, Kyrgyz Republic, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco,
the State of Palestine, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan,Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine and Yemen – this meant
tracking 32 emergency and protracted relief andrecovery programmes and 19 public institution
capacity development programmes.

Takahiro and a colleague attend the WFP Regional Country Directors
Meeting. (WFP, 2014)

Takahiro reviewed new programme documentation
and budget revisions and made sure that capacity
building of public services was adequately outlined
in programme plans. Takahiro also reviewed internaland external reports from country offices, including
emergency reports, which required liaising with adozen country and operational offices throughout theregion to gather pertinent information.

The operating environment in the region madeTakahiro’s job more demanding than anticipated. One
year prior to his assignment, the WFP regional office had planned for 14.5
million beneficiaries (apart from Syria) whose assistance would have required
US $1.5 billion for commodities and cash and voucher transfers. But crises
escalated in 2014 in Iraq, Libya, the State of Palestine, Syria, Ukraine andYemen, and the resources available could not stretch to cover theskyrocketing needs of the region. With planned operations only about 67 percent funded, the situation called for new tactics and serious strategic
rethinking.
WFP was supporting governments in the region to increase food security forvulnerable populations, stabilize the food supply chain, reform and scale up
safety nets, promote good health and nutrition while minimizing food wasted
during production and processing. WFP was also helping refugees anddisplaced people in Iraq, Libya, the State of Palestine, Ukraine and Syria. In
Yemen, nearly 45 per cent of the population (around 10 million people) were
food insecure. In 2013, Sudan, one of WFP’s most complex operations, joined
the Regional Bureau and new emergencies were unfolding there. School

18

SECURING ACCESS TO BASIC SOCIAL SERVICES

feeding capacity building
programmes were being rolled
out in five mostly middle income
countries.
Reports passing through
Takahiro’s purview were
essential for the organization’s
decision-makers to staycognizant of events on the
ground in these crisis-affected
and rapidly changing
environments. Externalreporting kept fundraisers anddonors appraised of WFP’s
responses and operations.

Takahiro (centre) and colleagues during a monitoring visit to the Azrak refugee camp, home
to 50,000 Syrian refugees, in October. (WFP, 2014)

As explained by Takahiro, “The programme review process is one of the mostimportant processes in our business for launching new programmes orchanging strategy of existing programmes so that we can cover as many foodinsecure people as possible.”
During programme formulation and review processes, Takahiro double
checked that gender-related technical inputs were incorporated inprogramme documents, verifying that every WFP programme in the region
had a gender perspective. He ensured that WFP gender targets were reflected,
including at least 50 per cent women beneficiaries in leadership positions ofproject management committees, with 60 per cent of these femalecommittee members slated to receive training on food, cash and voucher
distribution modalities.
Takahiro is proud to have been part of a team whose goals are to save lives
and protect livelihoods in emergencies and to help rebuild livelihoods
following crises. Takahiro’s work contributed to WFP’s strategic objectives in
the region: helping people meet their own food and nutrition needs, reducing
undernutrition and breaking intergenerational cycles of hunger.

VALUE ADDED: Due to the overwhelming emergency nature of WFP
operations in the region, many of Takahiro’s colleagues were short-term
consultants, while Takahiro’s one-year volunteer contract provided continuity
in business processes during this eventful period.

?

WHO BENEFITED•	TAKAHIRO HELPED IMPROVEPROGRAMMING FOR WFP’SREGIONAL OPERATIONS.

24.7

	WFP WAS ASSISTINGMILLION FOOD-INSECURE PEOPLEACROSS THE REGION, INCLUDINGREFUGEES, DISPLACED PERSONS,RETURNEES, FOOD INSECUREPEOPLE AFFECTED BY MANMADEAND NATURAL DISASTERS AND
THOSE WHO ARE EXTREMELYIMPOVERISHED.

19

SECURING ACCESS TO BASIC SOCIAL SERVICESMIHOYOSHIKAWA
UNV Child Protection Officer, UNICEF
India

India is home to the largest number of children in the world. And that is where
Miho Yoshikawa was sent to work with UNICEF, an organization dedicated tohelping protect children from violence, exploitation and abuse. As a UNV Child
Protection Officer in UNICEF’s Delhi office, Miho was tasked with programmemonitoring, assistance to the organization’s state offices and documentation
and research, among other responsibilities.
In recent years, India has made major investments in legislation, schemes andflagship programmes for child protection, such as the Juvenile Justice Act,
Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012 and the Integrated Child
Protection Scheme. While these initiatives saw child protection move up higher
on the priority list of policymakers and implementing agencies, the sheer scaleand diversity of India, the low numbers of child protection personnel, limited
role of civil society in programme implementation and absence of robust
accountability mechanisms hinders progress on the ground.

Miho poses proudly in front of the UNICEF
logo. (UNICEF India, 2015)

UNICEF supports the government’s Integrated Child Protection Scheme andother child welfare programmes that create a protective environment forchildren through the improvement and expansion of services for children inneed of care and protection. UNICEF focuses their work in India on childlabour, child marriage, child sexual exploitation and violence against children
through mobilizing education, health, social protection and communication
actors to contribute their resources, knowledge and expertise to prevent andprotect children from violence, exploitation and abuse.
Miho’s role during her year as an international UN Volunteer was to boost
knowledge management capacities of the organization. She updated thechild protection section of the UNICEF India intranet, maintained a databaseof child protection programmes and supported child protection officers at thestate level through regular communication and information sharing.
Miho documented child protection initiatives on violence against children,
justice for children and child labour. Her timely and accurate updates on thesechild protection initiatives were shared with 20 child protection officers and23 education officers in UNICEF’s offices in Delhi and 14 states. The repositoryof information and resources on child protection issues and initiatives that she
prepared was readily available to state offices and continually updated. Miho
also helped UNICEF’s communication officers to select information on childprotection for dissemination on local, national and international levels.
In addition to these tasks, Miho helped the child protection section toorganize meetings and training sessions. She assisted in preparation of

20

SECURING ACCESS TO BASIC SOCIAL SERVICES

programme reports, donor reports and project status reports and helped withthe planning and reviewing of the child protection annual work plan andother strategic documents, including briefing notes, evaluation reports andfunding proposals.
One area Miho documented was violence in schools. To encourage intergender dialogue on violence among adolescent girls and boys, she drafted an
episode of Meena - a cartoon character popular in South Asia - on childprotection and violence against children. Meena is a spirited nine-year old girl
who braves such important social topics as the girl child’s right to educationand the stigma of HIV/AIDS. The Meena character is a successful advocacy andteaching tool for girls’ and children’s rights. UNICEF developed the Meena
Communication Initiative as a mass communication project that can change
perceptions and behaviour that hamper the survival, protection anddevelopment of girls in South Asia.
Miho worked with the Centre for Child and the Law at the National Law Schoolof India University in Bangalore to organize a regional conference in Guwahati
in Assam State to promote implementation of the Juvenile Justice Act inIndia’s Northeast States and Sikkim State. During the conference, shemobilized 30 student volunteers from the law school, briefed them on theinitiative and guided them to support conference logistics and organization.
120 people participated in the conference, including judges from theSupreme Court of India and the High Courts of the states and personnel frominstitutions and organizations working on child protection and juvenile justiceat the community level. The conference gave practitioners a chance to
network and become more actively involved in discussing effective
implementation of the Act. As the Northeast States and Sikkim State had not
had many chances to discuss the issue because of a lack of infrastructure,
participants found the conference to be a significant opportunity to share
their practices and constraints and to discuss ways forward.

I HAVE IMPROVED MYPERSONAL AND
COMMUNICATIONSKILLS THROUGHWORKING IN A
MULTICULTURALENVIRONMENT, AND IHAVE A BETTERUNDERSTANDING OF
APPROACHES TO CHILD
PROTECTION SYSTEMSAND TO SOCIALCHANGE PROMOTION
AS WELL AS UNICEF
AND GOVERNMENTPROGRAMMATIC
GOALS, VISIONS,POSITIONS, POLICIESAND STRATEGIES.

To prepare for a smooth transition after her departure, Miho wrote a plan for
UNICEF’s continued effective use of the knowledge management tools she
developed and maintained. Miho noted that documentation of violenceagainst children, justice for children and child labour and the recording of bestpractices are essential tools for policy design and programming.
As the first international UN Volunteer assigned to UNICEF India, Miho’s
successful assignment contributed to the promotion of the value ofvolunteerism in the organization and among its partners. With Miho’s help,
UNICEF India staff were better able to share information and knowledge onchild protection in a timely manner, which contributed to more effective andcollaborative implementation of projects at the state level. This also helped
UNICEF with appropriate programming at the central level and enhanced theorganization’s working knowledge of the issues.
Miho gained as well. “I have improved my personal and communication skills
through working in a multicultural environment,” she said. “And I have a better
understanding of approaches to child protection systems and to social change
promotion as well as UNICEF and government programmatic goals, visions,
positions, policies and strategies.”?

WHO BENEFITED•	MIHO CONTRIBUTED TO PROJECTSUNDER THE “INTEGRATED CHILD
PROTECTION SCHEME” THAT IS
BEING IMPLEMENTED BY THE
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA. SO FAR,
THIS FLAGSHIP SCHEME HAS
REACHED 170,000 OUT OF THE 40
MILLION CHILDREN IN THE
COUNTRY.

21

22

PEACEBUILDING
Since the early 1990’s, UNV has played a vital role insupporting Security Council-mandated peacekeeping
and special political missions in war-torn and postconflict areas. The 2009 Secretary-General’s Report on
Peacebuilding in the Immediate Aftermath of Conflictencouraged UNV to continue supporting special politicaland peacebuilding initiatives, with particular attention
given to strengthening national civilian capacities to
impact the sustainability of peacebuilding initiatives.
UN Volunteers advance peace in some of the mostchallenging contexts imaginable. At the end of 2014, UN
Volunteers were present in a total of 19 missions (for theUnited Nations Department of Peacekeeping
Operations, the Department of Political Affairs and one

emergency health mission). To date, more than 14,000
UN Volunteers have served in over 40 different
peacekeeping and political and peacebuilding
operations.
UN Volunteers serve in implementation and capacitybuilding roles in areas such as human rights monitoring,
local institutional capacity support, democratic
governance and operational technical support. UN
Volunteers help United Nations entities to expand theirreach by further engaging communities within thecontext of United Nations peacekeeping, peacebuilding
and political missions. This engagement helps build
both local and national capacities and strengthens
mutual trust between citizens and the state.

Dennis Martinez, UNV COE Inspector with MONUSCO in the Democratic Republic of Congo, during a COE inspection of MONUSCO field basein Rutshuru area. (Jonathan Lorillard/MONUSCO/UNV, 2014)23

PEACEBUILDINGMARIMASUOKA
UNV Logistics Officer, WFP
MyanmarIt didn’t take long for Mari Masuoka, who served as a UNV
Logistics Officer for WFP in Myanmar, to clearly see the link
between her technical job and the peacekeeping gains
being made in this rapidly changing country.

Mari in discussions with the procurement team in the WFPCountry Office in Yangon, Myanmar. (WFP/PoeEiZar Kyaw,
2015)

Myanmar is the largest country in Southeast Asia with adiverse population of 57.5 million people. The country is rifewith economic possibilities, and indeed is enjoying rapid
economic growth and political change. Yet it remains one of
the world’s least-developed states, falling near the bottom of
human development rankings. According to the 2012 UNDP
Human Development Index, 26 per cent of the population
live below the poverty line. Accessing enough food is aproblem for the poorest segments of the population,
especially those living in remote, rural border areas. Access tobasic education and health services is also a challenge. Closeto three million people in the country are considered foodpoor, and 35 per cent of children under 5 are stunted, pointing
to a high burden of public health problems. Long-lasting
localized conflicts have displaced nearly 600,000 people ineastern and south-eastern Myanmar, according to UNHCR. In
addition, the country is prone to recurrent natural disasters,
including tropical cyclones, floods and drought.

WFP in Myanmar addresses deep-rooted food security issues
through conducting a variety of food-related activities tosupport the country’s transition. WFP provides food for displaced populations,runs nutrition programmes for malnourished children and pregnant andlactating mothers and for HIV/TB patients, operates school feeding
programmes and supports asset creation. In times of crisis, WFP delivers
emergency food assistance to victims, such as those affected by tropical
cyclone Nargis in 2008 and the Kokang conflict in 2015.
As a UNV Logistics Officer, it was Mari’s job to keep the WFP food pipeline
operational and healthy from the point of receiving contributions fromdonors until the food was delivered to the beneficiaries. To do this, Mari not
only ensured that procurement was completed, stocks were managed andfood was delivered in a timely manner to operational areas, but she also
coordinated with other units and sub-offices to gather the informationneeded to make this all go like clockwork. An interlocutor between units, she
worked with the supply chain management unit, programme unit, donor
relations unit and sub-offices. She shared information on a daily-basis and saw

24

PEACEBUILDING

that her work made inter-organization coordinationsmoother and that stronger bonds were created between
units.
Mari says her UN Volunteer status made her more willing toextend her job responsibilities whenever possible to gain
more experience. She engaged in strategizing andprioritizing, particularly when resources fell short, andmade recommendations to management on the way
forward in tough times. One such time occurred in 2014
when WFP Myanmar had to suspend school feeding
activities due to funding shortages. Mari conducted acost-analysis of modalities. She found that if WFP changed
to using biscuits instead of the usual rice distributions
they could save about 50 per cent on costs. This led to ashift in WFP’s school feeding strategy in the country.
Mari found her learning experience in Myanmar to betremendous. Not only did she become conversant in the
On a field trip, Mari visited rice suppliers in Sittwe, Rakhine State,
Myanmar. (WFP, 2015)
works of WFP and local procurement, but she also
gained a deep understanding of the importance of foodassistance to local populations. Mari saw first-hand howinternational organizations providing life-saving assistance in complicatedpolitical situations could contribute to stabilizing politically-sensitive regionsof a country, as well as those affected by communal violence.
“Through reducing food insecurity, WFP contributes to peacebuilding,” noted
Mari. “And the impact is vital, particularly in emergency operations.” She also
found that when school feeding was expanded and scaled up, it clearly
contributed to improving the nutritional status of children and helped
increase student attendance.
Mari was impressed with the professionalism and leadership of her coworkers, and felt their support pushed her to excel and to improve her
professional skills. She gained institutional knowledge, language skills and an
appreciation of working for change. “They were excellent role models,” said
Mari. “I am proud to have been part of the WFP team.”
Not that all was smooth sailing: the visa process took longer than expected
and housing in the capital city was expensive and not easy to find. The job
being situated in the head office in Yangon also required her to figure out
quickly the complicated and extensive supply chain needs of sub-offices inremote locations. However, the job of monitoring the food pipeline from start
to finish gave Mari the rare opportunity to see WFP’s labours in their entirety.
“I was always impressed how WFP strongly drove the activity, but at the sametime remained flexible in its strategy, according to the situation,” she noted. “Ilearned that having organizational flexibility is a powerful asset for
emergency assistance organizations in order to operate and do the best forthe beneficiaries in a rapidly-changing country.”

VALUE ADDED: According to Mari’s supervisor, UNV offers much needed
human resources for programmes. A strength of the UNV HRD programme isthat it gives young professionals the opportunity to become experienced andskilled humanitarian workers.

I LEARNED THATHAVINGORGANIZATIONAL
FLEXIBILITY IS A
POWERFUL ASSET FOR
EMERGENCYASSISTANCE
ORGANIZATIONS IN
ORDER TO OPERATEAND DO THE BEST FOR
THE BENEFICIARIES INA RAPIDLY-CHANGING
COUNTRY.

?

WHO BENEFITED•

200 COLLEAGUES IN WFPOFFICES THROUGHOUT THE
COUNTRY BENEFITED FROMMARI’S LOGISTICS SUPPORT.

25

PEACEBUILDINGHIROSHIKUWATA

UNV Programme Officer for Decentralization and Peacebuilding,
UNDP
Bangladesh

In southeast Bangladesh, bordering India and
Myanmar, there is a region with rugged terrain known
as the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Comprising three districts,
the area is home to a dozen ethnic groups, each with
their own distinctive language, culture and tradition,
including Bengali, the majority ethnic group in
Bangladesh. With a land area about the size of Puerto
Rico and an estimated population of 1.3 million, the area
has relatively low population density. A combination of
the steep terrain and dense bamboo forests, remotenessof villages and political issues associated with aprotracted conflict have seriously impeded the economic
development of the region.
The majority of people here live in chronic poverty, faceunder-employment and illiteracy and lack proper
functioning social services. While agriculture is the
predominant form of livelihood, cultivation is extremely
difficult, barring the flat valley bottoms. Communities are
Hiroshi with the six national UN Volunteers who helped organize
scattered and road infrastructure is poor or non-existent.
the workshop. (Aye Aye Maung, 2015)
Almost all women living in the Chittagong Hill Tracts live
below the absolute poverty line. Well over half of the
respondents of baseline surveys reported children droppingout of school before completing primary level due to economic, safety andother reasons.
It was in this setting that Hiroshi Kuwata was assigned to UNDP as a UNV
Programme Officer for Decentralization and Peacebuilding. Through its
Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Facility, UNDP was supporting theGovernment of Bangladesh and a variety of local councils, NGOs and otherstakeholders to develop and build confidence in the region. Accelerated,sustainable socio-economic development and regional poverty reduction
were the end goals using principles of self-reliance, local participation anddecentralized development.
Hiroshi served as the monitoring and evaluation focal point for the project’s
Capacity Development and Service Delivery cluster. In this role, Hiroshi
oversaw the monitoring and evaluation, reporting and financial managementof the cluster’s interventions, namely in capacity development of local
government institutions, education and health. Among other tasks, heorganized regular monitoring and evaluation workshops with district teams,
managed and updated comprehensive data on cluster activities, prepared26

PEACEBUILDING

project reports, recruited andsupervised national project
consultants and led the
preparation of an annual
work-plan and monitoring andevaluation plan for the
Capacity Development
Component.
Keeping a constant eye on
fair participation and genderbalance, Hiroshi carefully
monitored the number ofbeneficiaries by gender andused the data to ensure
equal opportunities for all
marginalized groups incapacity building activities,
such as training, and indecision-making andconsultation processes.
Hiroshi was charged withmaking sure the capacity
building elements of the
project were carried out
Crops yields have increased in parts of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, thanks to MDG acceleration activities.
effectively and in a well
(UNV/Hiroshi Kuwata, 2015)
coordination manner. To
achieve this, Hiroshi led
an evaluation of ongoing
Hill Track projects that
supported MDG acceleration. He supported local government institutions todesign and implement a development planning framework and process inline with the post-2015 development agenda.
The project drew heavily on volunteerism for its staffing; Hiroshi was joined by
one other international UN Volunteer and four national UN Volunteers. Hiroshi
likewise mobilized the power of volunteering for his specific tasks: hecontracted online volunteers to improve several knowledge products related
to capacity development and he mobilized six national UN Volunteers to helporganize a well-received national workshop called “Towards Harmonization of
Chittagong Hill Tracts Laws.”?

WHO BENEFITED•

263 STAFF AND•

20,000 HOUSEHOLDS IN THREE

Being stationed in a field office in a relatively unstable area brought alongwith it security issues and restricted staff movement. Nonetheless, Hiroshi
found that the helpfulness of his host agency and the UNV Field Unit allowed
him to complete his assignment without any serious stumbling blocks.
Through his UNV assignment, Hiroshi helped ensure that the rights ofmarginalized communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts were promoted andthat communities could participate fairly in decisions related to government
service delivery. It was clear to Hiroshi that due to the UNDP project,articulation of demands for services were improving among the target
population.

REPRESENTATIVES FROM LOCALDEVELOPMENT COUNCILS AND
GOVERNMENT ASSEMBLIESBENEFITED FROM CAPACITYDEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES.

DISTRICTS (RANGAMATI,KHAGRACHARI AND BANDARBAN)
IN THE CHITTAGONG HILL TRACTS
BENEFITED FROM THE MDG
ACCELERATION INTERVENTION.

27

PEACEBUILDING

MOE

MASHIKOUNV Peacebuilding Officer, UNDP
Zimbabwe

Peace and reconciliation are
indispensable for socio-economic
development. Laying a foundation
for a peaceful future in Zimbabwe,
the government established a
National Peace and Reconciliation
Commission. UNDP in Zimbabwe
has been supporting
operationalization of thiscommission by offering strategic
policy, technical and advisory
support services to partners andstakeholders who are strengthening
the national peace architecture.

UN Volunteer Moe Mashiko participating in a SHIFT event organized by UNDP with national
partners, colleagues and external experts on a variety of topics such as gamification,
crowdfunding, design thinking, hackathons, storytelling and open data, among others.
(UNDP Zimbabwe, 2014)

As a UNV Peacebuilding Officer for
UNDP in Zimbabwe, Moe Mashikoprovided capacity support to this end
goal. Moe and another international
UN Volunteer, working under UNDP’s
governance thematic area, wereassigned to a project called “Support
for Peace Building, Social Cohesion
and Increased Access to Sustainable
Livelihoods in Zimbabwe.”

Under the coordination and oversightof the Office of the President and the Cabinet, the project is a collaborative
initiative with its many components carried out by different parties. The
project strengthens social cohesion and resilience in communities bysensitization and capacity building of peacebuilding and conflict resolution
mechanisms.
Moe and her colleague analysed political, social and economic trends; they
helped formulate programme and project briefs, strategies, concept notes
and other relevant knowledge products. The volunteers assisted local partners
to achieve goals as per their annual work plans, such as establishing conflict
resolution mechanisms (one being Local Peace Committees) and incomegenerating activities in rural communities.
This project was an important part of UNDP’s strategy in Zimbabwe andsupported a range of national and community mechanisms and capacities for28

PEACEBUILDING

peacebuilding, dialogue, and prevention, management and resolution of
conflicts. Project interventions specifically targeted women and youth andhelped communities create the skills needed to prepare for, cope with andrecover from disasters.
“Peacebuilding is not a stand-alone project,” Moe noted, “but rather a complex
interplay of economic development, democratic government architecture,reconciliation of the past and political struggles, and the establishment ofcommunity resilience, among many other factors.”
Moe is satisfied with the experiences she gained, her peacebuilding
assignment and the technical support and mentorship she received from her
team and supervisor. Like other UNV HRD Volunteers, Moe recognizedpersonal growth too. “My communication skills have been enhanced throughbeing exposed to culturally- and politically-sensitive issues and working in avery diverse team,” she said.

UN Volunteer Moe Mashiko, UNV
Peacebuilding Officer with UNDP Zimbabwe,supported capacity building efforts under the
project “Support for Peace Building, Social
Cohesion and Increased Access to Sustainable
Livelihoods in Zimbabwe.” (2015)

PEACEBUILDING IS NOT A STAND-ALONE PROJECT,
BUT RATHER A COMPLEX INTERPLAY OFECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, DEMOCRATIC
GOVERNMENT ARCHITECTURE, RECONCILIATION
OF THE PAST AND POLITICAL STRUGGLES, AND
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMUNITYRESILIENCE, AMONG MANY OTHER FACTORS.

29

PEACEBUILDINGHIROTAKAKAWAKAMIUNV Peacebuilding Officer, UNDP
Philippines

Hirotaka (Hiro) Kawakami
arrived in the Philippines for his
UNV assignment at a historically
pivotal time. After seventeen
years of negotiations, theGovernment of the Philippines
and the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front finally reached acomprehensive peace agreementin March 2014 for conflictaffected areas in Mindanao, thecountry’s southernmost large
island region.
Nevertheless, the region’s security
situation remained fragile and its
economic status lagged behind
the rest of the country. To tackle
security concerns and bolster
recovery and economic progress in
Hiro Kawakami (left) with the UN Resident Coordinator’s (Dr. Luiza Carvalho; pictured middle).
the region, a comprehensive
On the far right is Hiro’s colleague Laura Arana, a Spanish Youth Volunteer. The Hon. Arsenio M.
development blueprint was being
Balisacan, Secretary of Economic Planning and the Director-General of the National
crafted,the Bangsamoro
Development Economic Authority (pictured second from the right)
Development Plan (2014-2019).
Bangsamoro leaders called on
development partners, including theUnited Nations, to assist them to formulate this expert-driven roadmap for theway forward in the short and medium term. The leaders also drew wisdomfrom their own people by reaching out to local communities to hear theirperspectives on development challenges and aspirations.
The United Nations Coordination Office, under the supervision of the United
Nations Resident Coordinator, facilitated and coordinated communication
among the various stakeholders to enhance the quality of this development
plan. As direct inputs, the United Nations prepared thematic reports andUNDP drafted the plan’s chapter on Environment and Natural Resources.
Hiro – as a UNV Peacebuilding Officer for the United Nations Coordination
Office – was tasked to help coordinate inputs to the plan and to interface
between United Nations agencies, the government and development
partners, particularly the World Bank and the Japan International Cooperation
Agency. This was a hands-on daily task, which meant communicating with30

PEACEBUILDING

over 30 focal points and consultantsfrom seven different United Nationsorganizations and externallycommunicating with development
partners and government agencies.
In a liaison role, Hiro attended
meetings with partners and thegovernment as a United Nations
representative and informed partnersof the status of United Nations
contributions and possible
interventions. He relayed meetingoutcomes and discussions back to
the United Nations Resident
Coordinator and Country Team.
Toward completion of the plan
formulation process, Hiro worked
UN Volunteer Hirotaka Kawakami, with UNDP Philippines, seen here with colleagues at the UN
Coordination Office that provides coordination and advisory support services to the UN Resident
with the United Nations focal points
Coordinator and the UNCT.
and consultants to review andrefine the draft and consolidate
their inputs. Hiro also helped withrecruitment of technical experts for the Bangsamoro Development Plan
formulation process, including the peer reviewer, and drafted their Terms ofReference.
The Bangsamoro Development Plan tackles drivers of injustice and insecurity
deeply-rooted in the region and promotes development in different sectors topromote smooth political and security transitions in the coming years. In the
short run, the plan focuses on stabilization and strengthening the legitimacyof the new autonomous government. The medium term goal is to build
stronger institutions that can deliver better services, more effective justiceand generate jobs. The institutional transition will take place in 2016.
“I was truly fortunate to serve the Bangsamoro and its people during thetransition period soon after the comprehensive peace agreement,” said Hiro.
“Without a doubt, I have been privileged to have a chance to contribute to theformulation of the Bangsamoro Development Plan and the opportunity todevelop myself as well.”Hiro believes that honing his communication and coordination skills,
representing United Nations agencies and learning in-depth about a wide
range of peacebuilding and development issues is a sure asset for working on
peacebuilding assignments in the future.

?

WHO BENEFITEDWITHOUT A DOUBT, I HAVE BEEN PRIVILEGED TO
HAVE A CHANCE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE
FORMULATION OF THE BANGSAMORODEVELOPMENT PLAN AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO
DEVELOP MYSELF AS WELL

•	THE DEVELOPMENT BLUEPRINT ON
WHICH HIRO WORKED AIMED TO
BETTER THE LIVES OF THREEMILLION PEOPLE IN THE
BANGASAMORO REGION.

31

32

COMMUNITY RESILIENCE FORENVIRONMENT AND DISASTERRISK REDUCTION
UNV’s experience shows that community resilience forenvironment and disaster risk reduction can be greatly
enhanced through volunteerism. The 2005 Hyogo
Framework for Action explicitly recognized the added
value and contribution of volunteerism to disaster risk
management, community resilience and environmental
protection.

with its partners, innovative disaster risk reduction
strategies that harness the power of volunteerism. UN
Volunteers are well placed to strengthen capacities forinclusive and coherent natural disaster prevention,
preparedness and risk reduction. This includes ensuring
support to those rebuilding productive lives within theircommunities and addressing chronic vulnerabilities.

UNV assists community adaptation to climate change
through people-centred approaches and by developing,

UN Volunteers María Celia Sahuanay Calsin and Roberto Carlos Loaiza Dueñas talk with a beneficiary of the solid waste management
project, part of the Poverty Environment Initiative in Arequipa, Peru. (Red Circle Films, 2014)33

COMMUNITY RESILIENCE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTIONNAOAKINAKANISHIUNV Programme Officer, Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping, WFP
Sudan

Naoaki Nakanishi arrived in Khartoum, Sudan, just as a new food assistanceproject of the World Food Programme was gathering steam. The project was
titled “Food Assistance to Vulnerable Populations Affected by Conflict andNatural Disasters” and from the time of the project’s approval at the end of
2013, the operating environment within Sudan had become increasingly
volatile. Streams of refugees were arriving from neighbouring South Sudan
fleeing violence between the South Sudanese government and rebels. At thesame time, a much higher number of people than originally anticipated werebeing displaced from their homes by inter-tribal conflicts and fighting in
Darfur, a vast region in the west of Sudan.

Naoaki was stationed in the WFP country
office in Khartoum, Sudan. (WFP, 2015)

The heady combination of insecurity due to these conflicts, restricted accessto affected areas, large-scale and long-term population displacements andchronic poverty makes Sudan one of the most complex countries in which
WFP operates. Skilled in the use of analytical tools and statisticalmethodology, Naoaki contributed to WFP operations in Sudan by providing
research and analysis on food security and introducing new technologies formonitoring and analysis. As a Vulnerability and Assessment Mapping (VAM)
Officer, he collected, analysed and justified the results of technical surveys
needed by WFP and its partners for evidence-based programming. These
outputs were not only used to inform current projects, but were important
contributions to policymaking, strategizing and planning.
Naoaki collaborated with WFP’s Rome Headquarters and a Darfur field office
to brainstorm about food insecurity and the lack of access problem in Darfur
and a solution took shape. He and his colleagues figured: cell phone access is
widespread in Sudan, why not collect data from displaced persons using cell
phones? That way statistical data could be collected not only from the usual
sentinel sites, but from insecure locales as well where peoples’ voices are
seldom heard. The use of mobile phones would let organizations gather
real-time data that would help immensely in understanding the needs ofmarginalized groups so that WFP and partners could improve services. The
project team envisioned mobile phone surveys used throughout the country
to reach as many vulnerable people as possible, and eventually being run
under the stewardship of the government.
Naoaki and his colleagues wrote a concept note on this idea and ran the pilot
project. The use of mobile phones for food consumption surveys was a first for
WFP in Sudan, and plans were underway for both a mobile phone survey andface to face survey to take place during the year.
The team realized there needed to be a gender balance in beneficiaries
surveyed, but preliminary questionnaires found that women – especially incamp settings – were considerably less likely to participate than men. Another34

COMMUNITY RESILIENCE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

limiting factor they encountered in the camp settings was the use of a variety of
local languages that demanded hiring translators for each enumerator. Facedwith these stumbling blocks, the team moved forward by finding alternative
ways to widen and deepen the methodology so that the use of mobile
technology could fetch timely and effective results.
After a pilot survey, the team concluded there was enough justification tocontinue the project, especially in places where insecurity hinders access fordata collection. The widespread use of mobile phone technology in Sudan
meant the possibilities for replication and scaling up the method within the
country were high.
During his assignment, Naoaki made a point of drawing on the expertise ofother international and national staff. “When gender issues were raised,”
explained Naoaki, “I collaborated with a gender consultant and when we
needed to talk about humanitarian aspects, we talked with a humanitarianspecialist. What is more, when we needed to discuss local settings, we
collaborated with national staff to understand the real condition of area offices.”

A highlight of Naoaki’s UNV experience wasconducting a training mission in Zalingei incentral Darfur. Here he shares a meal withcolleagues in the Zalingei field office. (WFP, 2015)

While much of Naoaki’s work was done independently, he also collaborated withcolleagues and partners – the Ministry of Agriculture, non-profit organizations
and other United Nations agencies – who supplied enumerators for datacollection, technical resources and helped implement projects. He regularly
represented WFP in government meetings on a planned national survey forhousehold food consumption and nutrition intake. Naoaki coordinated andcollaborated between WFP and the Ministry of Agriculture as a prelude to thecountry’s first national agricultural season survey and gave technical advice andsuggestions for planning the survey and provided baseline data.
In addition, Naoaki was instrumental in improving planning and analysis
through his involvement in a number of WFP activities. Among them, Naoaki
collaborated on a Comprehensive Food Security Assessment by providing
statistical methodologies, creating a database and helping train enumerators tocollect data in the field and data entry clerks to input the data. To help WFP
conduct better market analysis, he re-organized a network of WFP staff tocollect market price data in Sudan and guided WFP staff on how to estimate
market drivers. Once data was collected, he did market price research andreported on price trends and market drivers of the price of sorghum, goats andgroundnuts.
A highlight of his UN Volunteer experience was being selected to represent WFP
in Sudan at a Cost of Diet workshop in Rome. At this workshop participants
were introduced to theoretical concepts related to a minimum diet and trainedon how to use Cost of Diet software. Naoaki brought back what he learned to
the WFP Country Office in Sudan, sharing the innovative materials and concepts
with colleagues in the nutrition and VAM units.
“Naoaki’s contribution to the mobile phone survey project was very important,”
said Eric Kenefick, head of programme at WFP Sudan. “I think he learned a lot
about himself, and developed more skills in working with people from different
backgrounds. Of course, he also learned about WFP as an agency and inparticular about WFP Sudan operations.”
Naoki found his assignment in Sudan to be a fruitful year and he expects to parlay
his expanded knowledge and skills on statistics and his experiences adapting inchallenging environments to new assignments in other parts of the world.

?

WHO BENEFITED•	OVER FOUR MILLION DISPLACEDPERSONS IN SUDAN IN 2014
RECEIVED FOOD ASSISTANCEFROM WFP UNDER THE PROJECTON WHICH NAOAKI WORKED.
•	NAOAKI TRAINED THREE
NATIONAL FIELD STAFF ONDATABASE USE FOR A MOBILE
PHONE SURVEY PROJECT AND
RELAYED ‘COST OF DIET’CONCEPTS TO VAM AND
NUTRITION STAFF IN THE
KHARTOUM OFFICE.
•	HE TRAINED 15 WFP DATA ENTRY
CLERKS WORKING ON FOOD
SECURITY ASSESSMENTS AND
VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTMONITORING.

35

COMMUNITY RESILIENCE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTIONMICHIHIROTANABEUNV Disaster Risk Management Specialist, UNDP
Timor-Leste

Sharing the large island of Timor in the Indonesian archipelago, Timor-Leste is
exposed to a variety of natural hazards. The island has steep slopes and suffers
widespread deforestation and land degradation, meaning that when heavy
monsoonal rains arrive, the result can be devastating. Flash flooding andlandslides have destroyed buildings and infrastructures, disrupted livelihoods,
caused erosion and left people without homes.
Thus, the UNDP project that Michihiro Tanabe was assigned to as a UNV
Disaster Risk Management Specialist was of utmost importance to thecountry. The project worked with the Ministry of Social Solidarity’s National
Disaster Management Directorate to build their internal capacities to prepare
for, respond to and manage disasters and to bolster sub-national capacities
down to the community level.
The national staff of UNDP organized a field trip for 30 international and national staff to
Mount Ramelau, at 2,986 metres the highest mountain on Timor Island. Tree harvesting,animal grazing and unsustainable agricultural practices have changed the mountain coverfrom predominantly old growth montane forest in the early 1980s to mostly new growth
eucalyptus on the upper slopes today. (UNDP, 2015)

UNDP project staff worked withgovernment counterparts to support
the establishment of institutional andlegal instruments for disaster risk
management. They also worked with
communities to reduce theirvulnerability to disasters, to prepare
effective response mechanisms and to
make sure individual families are
likewise prepared and resilient.
One of Michihiro’s tasks under the
project was to select community
leaders from each district to serve as
disaster risk management focal points.
In line with the project’s gendermainstreaming goals, he made sure that
50 per cent of these focal points were
women. The project designers firmly
entrenched gender into the project by
putting gender considerations inbaselines, targets, indicator and activities,
as well as setting aside 15 per cent of thebudget specifically for gendermainstreaming.
Michihiro contracted an international
finance consultant to work with the36

COMMUNITY RESILIENCE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

government to gain a better understanding of the real costs for responding toand managing natural disasters. He helped coordinate with the Ministry ofSocial Solidarity, the National Police, the Secretary of State for Security and theFire Department to form a committee to draft a new Disaster Law. He set up
an information portal to disseminate news and information related todisasters. And to introduce the project to a Japanese-language audience,
Michihiro penned an article for the UNDP Tokyo website.
Understaffing of UNDP at times, while creating challenges, at the same timepresented opportunities for Michihiro as he took on greater responsibilities
and wore two hats (he served as a UNV Programme Officer too), which meant
he was able to work directly with the Ministry of Social Solidarity and theCountry Director for UNDP in Timor-Leste. In collaboration with UNDP’s
Regional Advisor in Bangkok, Michihiro supported the design and writing of adisaster risk management project for the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction
and Recovery.

Michihiro and colleagues at UNDP.
(UNV-UNDP/JunHong Lee, 2015)“Disaster Risk Management is a relatively new area in the field of international
development,” explained Michihiro, “so methods and approaches are stilldeveloping and leave room for discussion, which is quite exciting.”
While Michihiro helped the staff of the National Disaster Management
Directorate bolster their disaster management skills, Michihiro was all thewhile improving his own. He gained a greater understanding of United
Nations approaches to disaster risk management, learned to operate theorganization’s internal financial system (ATLAS) and boosted his abilities tocoordinate projects with donors and counterparts.
In a separate action, Michihiro wrote a proposal for a new UNV scheme forTimor-Leste, prior to a project launch in 2015. The proposed project planned
to emulate ICRC’s volunteer scheme in the country, using 12 national
volunteers to disseminate knowledge on disaster risk management.
“Timor-Leste faces a huge gap between the capital city and smaller cities,”
observed Michihiro. “That makes the capacity building of local people andimprovement of communication systems to reach smaller communities anindispensable part of disaster risk management in this country.”?

WHO BENEFITEDTIMOR-LESTE FACES A HUGE GAP BETWEEN THE
CAPITAL CITY AND SMALLER CITIES, THAT MAKES
THE CAPACITY BUILDING OF LOCAL PEOPLE AND
IMPROVEMENT OF COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS TO
REACH SMALLER COMMUNITIES AN
INDISPENSABLE PART OF DISASTER RISKMANAGEMENT IN THIS COUNTRY.

•	THE PROJECT DIRECTLY REACHED
20 STAFF OF THE NATIONALDISASTER MANAGEMENTDIRECTORATE WITH CAPACITYBUILDING. BETTER DISASTER RISKMANAGEMENT AND
PREPAREDNESS AT THE NATIONALAND SUB-NATIONAL SCALE
INDIRECTLY BENEFITS ALL PEOPLE
OF TIMOR-LESTE.

37

38

YOUTHThe UN Youth Volunteer Programme, established by UNV
in 2013, was designed to engage youth in global
advocacy and partnerships for youth volunteering andto develop the capacity of national and regional youth
schemes. May 2014 saw the launch of the UN YouthVolunteer modality.

In 2014, UNV deployed 249 UN Youth Volunteers, 65 percent of them female. In the same year, UNV mobilized atotal of 1,170 UN Volunteers aged 29 years or younger,
successfully tapping into the boundless energy andenthusiasm of youth.

Volunteering is a two-way street that enriches learning,skills development and personal growth in youth
volunteers, and demonstrates the power of individuals
to change the world.

Dominican UN Youth Volunteers and other volunteers from Dominican non-governmental organizations met with United Nations
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to talk about engaging people in the post-2015 agenda. (Michelle Rivas/UNDP, 2014)

39

YOUTHCHIZURUIWATA

UNV Adolescent Participation Officer, UNICEF
State of Palestine

Chizuru Iwata bore witness to a deadly period for State ofPalestine during her UN Volunteer assignment. A 51-day
Israeli military operation in July and August 2014,
according to United Nations reports, left several thousandpeople dead, many of whom were children, and over
10,000 injured. It destroyed and damaged homes, leaving
tens of thousands homeless.

Chizuru worked with teenage girls on a media initiative in East
Jerusalem. (UNICEF, 2015)

UNICEF TRAINING
PROJECTS OFFER
ADOLESCENTS SKILLSAND OPPORTUNITIESNEEDED TO SOLVESOME OF THEIR OWN
PROBLEMS. THE
PROJECTS HELPADOLESCENTS GAIN AFEELING OF SELFWORTH AND AN
UNDERSTANDING THEYHAVE THE POWER TO
TRANSFORM SOCIETY
USING POSITIVE
MEANS.

40

Prior to this, State of Palestine was already in a severe
humanitarian crisis due to a long-standing siege andembargo imposed on the Gaza Strip and a fragile economic
situation, with an unemployment rate of 40 per cent at theend of 2013. Well over half the population had become
dependent on food aid from international agencies.
Electricity outages lasted up to 18 hours a day across Gazaand few localities were receiving adequate water. United
Nations agencies estimated the reconstruction of Gaza would
take over a decade. This most recent conflict deepened gaps
and discrepancies among Palestinians.

It was within this context that Chizuru embarked on her
assignment as a UNV Adolescent Participation Officer for
UNICEF, supporting projects targeting adolescents in the Stateof Palestine (West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza). These projects aimed to build
the resilience of young people and cultivate positive outlooks.
Targeting the youth of the State of Palestine is indispensable forreconstruction and a peaceful future: nearly half of the country’s 4.4 million
people are below the age of 18. These children have lived their whole lives
under a chronic emergency situation and occupation. Adolescents in theState of Palestine (10-18 years) are considered among the most vulnerable
groups of children as they are exposed to violence, child labour, substanceabuse, high dropout rates from school and early marriage. Adolescents live inan environment marked by poverty, violence, conflict and a lack of safe playareas, significant particularly for girls.
Working in UNICEF’s Adolescent Development and Participation section,
Chizuru supported implementation and monitoring and a variety of thesection’s activities that were building the capacities of national partners andcommunity-based organizations to promote civic engagement, participation,knowledge sharing and skills acquisition among adolescents. These projects
were helping Palestinian adolescents make a positive transition from

YOUTHchildhood to adulthood and fostering greater social cohesion and a culture ofnon-violence through peacebuilding education.
The UNICEF projects which Chizuru supported included skills training, media
and community initiatives, job preparedness and volunteer work. To
strengthen UNICEF and partners’ knowledge management in the area ofadolescents, Chizuru collected and analysed background information on thesituation of adolescents in the State of Palestine and prepared documentation
on good practices in programming. Chizuru also outlined a framework formonitoring youth activities and assisted with the drafting of a youth volunteer
framework.
While working and living under the conditions of occupation were restrictive
and Chizuru found project implementation sometimes difficult, she
nonetheless contributed successfully to project monitoring and helped withthe effective implementation of the section’s Adolescent Development andParticipation programme.

Chizuru – pictured here with participants at aschool in Gaza – supported adolescenttraining projects in schools. (UNICEF, 2015)“Adolescents can be powerful agents of change in communities,” said Chizuru.
“UNICEF training projects offer adolescents skills and opportunities needed tosolve some of their own problems. The projects help adolescents gain afeeling of self-worth and an understanding they have the power to transformsociety using positive means.”
Palestinian girls often face barriers to taking part in afterschool activities andskills training. The UNICEF adolescent project took special care to create
opportunities so that teenage girls could freely participate in community
activities. For example, both male and female volunteers were recruited, assome parents would not allow their daughters to attend project sessions
facilitated by male volunteers.
“Through my assignment, I got to know Palestinian society and its people.
Living in the State of Palestine, I learned about both the difficulties
surrounding peacebuilding and the importance of it,” said Chizuru. “I also
experienced the flow of emergency response activities and UNICEF project
cycles.”“As our section is trying to establish a volunteer network and create a cultureof volunteerism in the State of Palestine,” explained Chizuru, “my presence as a
UN volunteer added value in this respect.”

VALUE ADDED: Aware that the financial sustainability of theiradolescent-targeting projects was a concern, UNICEF specifically worked withnational volunteers and communities and collaborated with the Ministry of
Education and Higher Education and teachers to push for incorporating the
projects into school curricula.
Many of the projects Chizuru supported were facilitated by youth volunteers.
For instance, the social cohesion project and entrepreneurship project trained
around 80 youth, mainly university students, as youth facilitators and provided
skills training to adolescents. Many youth volunteers were needed in each
community, as the communities are separated by walls and access to them
was limited.

?

WHO BENEFITED•	CHIZURU WORKED WITH UNICEF
ON PROJECTS THAT TARGETED
101,000 ADOLESCENTS AND
CHILDREN FOR RECREATIONAL
AND PSYCHOSOCIAL ACTIVITIESAS PART OF UNICEF’S
EMERGENCY RESPONSE IN GAZA.
•	
19,390 ADOLESCENTS WERE
DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN UNICEFSUPPORTED SKILLSDEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN 2014
THROUGH 500 ADOLESCENT-LED
INITIATIVES THAT ADDRESSEDWORK PREPAREDNESS AND
SOCIAL COHESION.

41

YOUTHHARUKA

NAKAYAMAUNV Specialist in Youth, Governance and Citizen Participation, UNDP
RwandaHaruka Nakayama’s primary role during her assignment as a UNV Specialist
in Youth, Governance and Citizen Participation in Rwanda was to support a
joint government and United Nations five-year project called “Strengthening
Civil Society Organizations for Responsive and Accountable Governance inRwanda.” The project boosts the capabilities of local civil society organizations
so that more citizens can participate in their own governance, safeguard theirrights and demand greater accountability from both the private and public
sectors in the country.

Haruka during a site visit to one of theorganizations supported under UNDP’s
civil society strengthening programme.
(UNDP Rwanda/Ryohei Ogawa, 2015)

Many civil society groups in Rwanda – particularly those in rural areas – facechallenges, such as capacity shortages, limited diversity of membership andlow numbers of citizens engaging in volunteer and charity work. This prevents
the groups from being effective agents of socio-economic growth and change
and a real voice for the people, and makes it difficult for the groups to accessresources. As the role of civil society is not always clearly understood at the
local level, effective engagement with local government is at times also
problematic.
Placed within UNDP, Haruka supported the main government implementing
partner for this project, the Rwanda Governance Board. She helped the board
implement the project by doing analysis, research and financial andprogramme management. Haruka coordinated meetings with partners andcivil society organizations and undertook project monitoring, including site
visits. She was in charge of financial reporting on the programme. She also
trained civil society partners on financial reporting and how to improve theway they communicate their activities and achievements.
Despite her formal training, Haruka had to learn how to use UNDP’s financial
system, ATLAS, in order to manage the programme’s finances. “I quickly
gained a better understanding of how UNDP works,” said Haruka, “and theissues related to civil society in Rwanda, as well as governance issues.”I QUICKLY GAINED A
BETTERUNDERSTANDING OF
HOW UNDP WORKS,
AND THE ISSUESRELATED TO CIVIL
SOCIETY IN RWANDA,AS WELL AS
GOVERNANCE ISSUES.

42

During Haruka’s tenure, 26 local civil society organizations received grants
under the programme, following a highly competitive application process.
The organizations that were selected address human rights, gender, advocacy,social protection, citizen engagement, cultural promotion and youth
employment, among other issues. The end beneficiaries are those who receive
services from these organizations, and society in general, with a move toward
more responsive governance and the enhancement of human rights, genderequality and social justice. As an example of the services offered, one of thecivil society organizations teaches sign language to deaf people to help
improve their access to public services and help uphold their human rights.

YOUTHHaruka was the inspiration behind a short video of the programme and thecreation of an infographic, completed in February 2015, to raise visibility, notonly of the programme and its achievements but also of those civil society
organizations being supported. Haruka wrote articles covering programme
events and shared them via social media.
The joint nature of the programme, with the United Nations and government
working closely together and the government being the main implementing
partner, inherently puts it on track for national ownership. The built-in
capacity building elements likewise make it a good bet for lasting beyond thefive-year programme span. In fact, DFID is starting a similar project in 2015,
and information is being exchanged with them to ensure effective
collaboration and to prevent overlap.
Haruka’s volunteer experience was broadened well beyond the primary
project assignment by her involvement in a number of innovative and exciting
events. As a One UN pilot country, programmatic harmonization is organizedunder thematic results groups; Haruka provided secretariat services to the
One UN Rwanda Development Results Group 2: Accountable Governance,with a membership of five United Nations agencies. She organized the group’s
meetings and helped with coordination among the agencies. Haruka wasimpressed with the group’s strategizing and the exchanges of information
between United Nations agencies that prevented overlaps and madecollaboration more effective.
Haruka also played a key role in a successful Mobile App Competition for
Public Service Delivery. Funded by the UNDP Innovation Facility, andconducted in collaboration with the Rwanda Governance Board, the Ministryof Youth and ICT and a mobile telecommunication company called TIGO, thisad-hoc competition challenged young, tech-savvy Rwandans to create anapplication for mobile phones that would give citizens easier access to public
information and could help improve access to public services. Haruka drafted
the concept note and TORs, organized events, processed procurement andfinancial reports, communicated with partners (including government
agencies and private companies), and prepared related communicationmaterials.
Another ad-hoc project realised with Haruka’s help was the Rwanda
foresightXchange workshop, also funded by the UNDP Innovation Facility andorganized in collaboration with the UNDP Global Centre for Public Service
Excellence in Singapore and the Rwanda Governance Board. The workshop
was attended by over 50 Rwandan senior government officials from national
to district level to explore the use of strategic foresight techniques andpractices. Haruka again drafted a concept note, communicated with thegovernment counterpart, helped with procurement and preparation ofcommunication materials (including the speech for the event, an article, ablog and social media postings).

VALUE ADDED: “There is definitely a lot of added value when a
UN Volunteer comes in with a strong sense of dedication to work andbrilliant initiatives,” said Haruka’s supervisor. “This helped the institution tomove beyond business as usual and embrace innovation. Apart from theprogrammatic approach, Haruka improved our way of doing things, especiallyin terms of communication and event planning.”

Haruka was instrumental in the organizationof meetings and workshops, such as theforesightXchange workshop attended by
Rwanda government officials. (UNDP
Rwanda/Ryohei Ogawa, 2015)?

WHO BENEFITED
52•	
STAFF OF CIVIL SOCIETY
ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVED
TRAINING IN REPORTING AND
COMMUNICATIONS.
•	STAFF OF THE RWANDA
GOVERNANCE BOARD WEREASSISTED TO PREPARE TERMS OF
REFERENCE AND GRANTPROPOSAL EVALUATION FORMS

43

44

NATIONAL CAPACITYDEVELOPMENT THROUGHVOLUNTEER INFRASTRUCTURES
UNV has been, and continues to be, a catalyst andmultiplier for volunteerism and sees national capacity
development through volunteer schemes as a clear pathforward. Through UNV efforts, UNV-assisted
volunteerism schemes and networks – in collaboration
with governments, civil society and the corporate
private sector - hundreds of thousands of volunteers
have engaged meaningfully with communities, whether
at home or abroad, and brought about realdevelopment progress.

UNV strives to support the development of new nationaland subnational volunteer schemes and to enhance thecapacity of local partners to deploy and manage
volunteers more effectively. In 2014, more United
Nations Member States requested UNV support for theestablishment of national volunteer schemes.

In 2013, The National Volunteer Corps assisted in the creation of three Volunteer Groups in Praia aimed at supporting the activities of local
nursing homes. The Volunteers trained by the CNV and the Red Cross assessed the needs of three local nursing homes and now develop
recreational and social activities, organize family visits, help with administrative work, provide psychological support and custodial care of
the senior citizens. In the picture, Debora Oliveira da Costa, Volunteer at the Red Cross nursing home in Praia develops occupational
therapy activities. (UNV, Cape Verde, 2013)45

NATIONAL CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT THROUGH VOLUNTEER INFRASTRUCTURESMICHELLE TEVITASINGHUNV Public Information Officer, OHCHR
Kyrgyzstan

Michelle Agnes Tevita-Singh approached her job as the first dedicated UNV
Public Information Officer in the OHCHR Regional Office for Central Asia witha winning combination of enthusiasm and determination. According to hersupervisor, when Michelle arrived in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to begin her work
“the challenge was enormous.”As the UNV Public Information Officer, Michelle created an impressive slew of
guidance materials and public information documents. She developed thefirst communications strategy for the regional office. Laying a solid foundation
for public information officers to follow, she prepared lists of journalists,
printing companies, photographers and available materials and madechecklists to help the administration of public information activities.
Michelle drafted public statements, wrote three web stories and a press
release, prepared flyers and helped complete the mid-year review of theoffice. She represented the organization to the United Nations Central Asia
Communications Group. Having a public information officer made it possible
for the office to take part in the Human
Rights Festival in Kyrgyzstan and United
Nations Day, raising OHCHR’s visibility
locally and increasing awareness onhuman rights issues.
Even though her assignment was only
six-months, in addition to the products andguidance Michelle created, she also built
her own skills. She attended training
sessions in economic, social and culturalrights, took an online gender course andparticipated in a UNV workshop. She foundthat her work was made smoother by the
support received from public information
officers of other United Nations agencies in
Kyrgyzstan and from her organization’scommunications team in Geneva.

Michelle built her professional skills while serving as a UN Volunteer, including
attending a training course on economic, social and cultural rights. (OHCHR
Kyrgyzstan, 2014)

46

Michelle’s attention to detail and planningand meticulous documenting of the tasks
done was greatly appreciated by her
supervisor. “I have rarely seen someone adapt
so quickly and contribute so significantly insuch a short time,” her supervisor said.

NATIONAL CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT THROUGH VOLUNTEER INFRASTRUCTURES

Michelle (third from left) represented OHCHR on the United Nations Central Asia Communications Group. (OHCHR Kyrgyzstan, 2014)?

WHO BENEFITED•	PUBLIC INFORMATION MATERIALSWERE SHARED WITH OHCHR
OFFICES IN KYRGYZSTAN,KAZAKHSTAN AND TAJIKISTANWITH A GOAL OF REACHING MORE
THAN 5,000 PEOPLE IN PERSONAND REACHING ADDITIONAL
AUDIENCES THROUGH THE
WEBSITE.

47

VOLUNTEERING GLOBALLYDEPLOYMENT OF UNV’S HRD VOLUNTEERS 2007-2015

2

Haiti
Cape Verde1

1 Senegal

1 Guinea-Bissau
2 Cote d’Ivoire
Sierra Leone 2
2
1

48

EcuadorLiberia1 Ukraine
1

9

Uzbekistan

Kosovo2

Republic of Montenegro

1 Azerbaijan
Cyprus

3 Lebanon

1
3

Egypt

2

Sudan

Kyrgyzstan

2 Tajikistan

2 Jordan
7 NepalState of Palestine

1 Bangladesh

513South Sudan

2 Ethiopia

Dem. Rep.
of the Congo

Uganda2

1
Rwanda4

India 1Thailand1 Somalia

Lao PDR

6

Myanmar 2

3

1 Viet Nam
3 Cambodia
3

Sri Lanka

Philippines

6

8 Kenya3
1 United Republic of Tanzania

Indonesia

4
Timor-Leste

14

1
Solomon Islands

1 Zimbabwe

49

DEPLOYMENT BY UNITED NATIONS AGENCY 2014-2015

UNICEF 3
UNICEF 3
UNDP 5
UNDP 5

UN WOMEN 2
UN WOMEN 2

WFP 3
WFP 3
UNHCR 2
UNHCR 2OHCHR 1OHCHR 1GENDER OF HDR VOLUNTEERS 2007-2015

58%
58%
50

42%
42%

UNV’S HRD VOLUNTEERS
IN 2014-2015

2014-2015 UNV HRD Volunteers (Opening Ceremony, 2014)

United Nations Volunteers
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is theUnited Nations organization that contributes to peace anddevelopment through volunteerism worldwide. Volunteerism
is a powerful means of engaging people in tacklingdevelopment challenges, and it can transform the pace andnature of development. Volunteerism benefits both society atlarge and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust,solidarity and reciprocity among citizens, and by purposefully
creating opportunities for participation. UNV contributes topeace and development by advocating for recognition ofvolunteers, 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.

Cover photo:
Chizuru Iwata, UNV Adolescent Participation Officer with
UNICEF in the State of Palestine, worked with teenage girls
on a media initiative in East Jerusalem. (UNICEF, 2015)
Back cover photo:
UN Volunteer Leika Aruga (2nd bottom right), along withfellow volunteers and national counterparts, participatedin an event to raise awareness against dating violence as it
was recognized to be a major issue affecting the lives ofyoung gender advocates. The group thereafter raised theissue to the CEDAW Committee who called upon the
Vietnamese government to criminalize dating violence
among other forms of violence. (Hoang Thao, UN Women,
Vietnam, 2014)
Content development:
Julia Stewart
Design:Phoenix Design Aid, Denmark

UNV embraces volunteerism as universal and inclusive, andrecognizes volunteerism in its diversity, as well as the values
that sustain it: free will, commitment, engagement andsolidarity.

http://www.unv.org United Nations Volunteers,
UN Campus, PO Box 260 111, 53153 Bonn, Germany

Hiroshima Peacebuilders Center
The HPC logo symbolizes a Phoenix of Hiroshima, which
underwent a miraculous post-war reconstruction after WWII.
This represents the spirit of HPC to train professional
peacebuilders to assist war-torn societies in the world today.

51