Volunteering for peace

A joint programme of the United Nations Volunteers
programme and the Hiroshima Peacebuilders Centre.
Funded by the Government of Japan

The world needs more peacebuilders“Japan will develop capable and active civilian experts in the ﬁeld of peacebuilding through the Programme for Human Resource Development in Asia for Peacebuilding.”-Seiji Maehara, Minister for Foreign Aﬀairs, Japan.
In order to consolidate peace in post-conﬂict states, the international community as a whole needs toprovide seamless and comprehensive support from emergency humanitarian relief, promotion of the political process, maintenance of public safety to reconstruction and development.
Capacity building of civilian experts who actually engage in such peacebuilding activities is one of the key
issues the international community faces.
This program is signiﬁcant as it contributes to the international community through human resource development in the area of peacebuilding. I strongly hope that the Programme produces, from among theparticipants from Japan and other Asian countries, as many high-spirited civilian experts as possible.
Since 2007, the Hiroshima Peacebuilders Centre (HPC) has run the Programmeme, with the United Nations
Volunteers (UNV) as the implementing partner. UNV is responsible for the recruitment and ﬁelding of participants as volunteers for peacebuilding assignments. During the assignments, they are able to enhancetheir skills while responding to a country’s related needs.
Before they are deployed, participants complete six weeks of training in Japan. The Hiroshima Peacebuilders Centre (HPC) delivers the training in collaboration with Canadian, Swedish and other international
institutes. The focus is on learning by doing, and participants work through problem-solving exercises,
discussions and lectures. The course enables them to build knowledge, but also networks.
From 2009 onwards, the course has oﬀered two streams – one for entry-level participants and one for midcareer professionals. The additional stream enables more people with diverse backgrounds to develop theskills needed for fostering peace.

For more information, please visit: www.peacebuilderscenter.jp

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Table of Contents
Introduction2

Map of countries of origin of HPC/UNV Programme
Associates and of their deployments

4

A chance to learn, but also to give back5

Consolidating peace

6

Peacebuilding and humanitarian assistance10

Peace missions

14

Volunteers take home personal and professional gains

18

Summary of key results and recommendations fromvolunteers

20

Programme statistics at a glance22

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���������� �A chance to learn, but also to give back“Work in the ﬁeld is crucial. It gives us a chance to understandthe issues. But we can also contribute towards building peaceby leveraging our respective personal strengths and knowledge- Ms. Aida Safura Niza Othman (Malaysia), Communications Oﬃcer with
the United Nations Children’s Fund in Uganda.

Taking peace building out of the classroom and into the real world is a unique aspect of the Programmeon Human Resource Development in Asia for Peacebuilding. Under this Programme, the participants arecalled HPC/UNV Programme Associates. A six-week training course in Japan is followed by an assignment
as a UNV volunteer. The volunteers are assigned with UN agencies and are typically on the frontline—
working directly with vulnerable groups, such as refugees or marginalized people, including former combatants. Their focus is on bringing excluded groups into peace processes, protecting and supporting thoseat risk, and developing capacities so that people’s basic needs are met.
HPC/UNV Programme Associates often ﬁnd themselves living and working under challenging conditions—they deal with long hours, limited infrastructure and volatile security situations. Despite these challenges,
volunteers generally say they get more from the experience than they give. They develop new skills andgain conﬁdence in their abilities. At the same time, they are able to make signiﬁcant contributions towards
peacebuilding eﬀorts. As volunteers they often inspire others to get involved.
By the end of 2010, 67 HPC/UNV Programme Associates from various Asian nations will have completed
their ﬁeld assignments.

5Consolidating peace

1
Consolidating peace
Helping communities to prevent and recover from crisis“Peacebuilding requires the intervention of not only the actors in
the conﬂict, but also those who are
directly and indirectly aﬀected.”- Antonio Viegas, Monitoring and Reporting Oﬃcer with WFP in the Philippines.

Just over 60 per cent of the HPC/UNV Programme Associates deployed under the Programme since 2007
have worked in countries where stability is steadily taking hold.
As part of UN teams, they worked alongside national counterparts to improve services for marginalized
people. They helped refugees, young people and women to articulate their needs and to get involved in
improving their situation. They helped build trust among ordinary people involved in some of the world’s
most fragile peace processes.
They also worked at regional and national levels to help improve UN coordination, as well as programmes,in the areas of nutrition and health. HPC/UNV Programme Associates brought new skills to their host organizations, which enabled peacebuilding eﬀorts to expand.

HPC/UNV Programme Associates make a diﬀerence- 81 percent of volunteers felt they used their expertise to make a vital diﬀerence.

6

1

Supporting counterparts todevelop skills, conﬁdence, andstart life changing activities
This is Atsuko Watanabe’s (Japan) experience. She works with
the United Nations Children’s
Fund (UNICEF) in Karamoja,
Uganda. Decades of conﬂict andregular droughts have led towidespread hunger and poverty.
People depend on their children
to shepherd vast sheep and cattle herds—and only 10 percent
of children complete their primary education, continuing thecycle of illiteracy and marginalization.

education oﬃcer. Her assignment involves helping administrators, teachers and volunteers
to improve education opportunities in the region. “That’s why
it’s important to plan activities
together,” she said. One activity they are doing together issetting-up open-air classrooms
near communities, where teachers deliver lessons early in themorning, before children go totend the herds.

Consolidating peace

Peacebuilders up-close“We are creating a change
throughsensitization,
mobilization and training ... but it takes time,”
she said. “In situations
like these, small but practical actions can make
“40 years of aid has left capacity life-changing diﬀerences,”
low here,” said Atsuko, who is an she said

Supporting governments to better include the marginalized:
Many HPC/UNV Programme Associates work with national counterparts to develop the skills and systems
needed to reach people who might be marginalized through their geographic location, their place in society, or their role in a conﬂict. For example, working with the International Organization for Migration(IOM) in Sri Lanka, Sachiko Furuya (Japan) supervises a service for ex-combatants that links them with
job or training opportunities. Around one thousand ex-combatants have found a new beginning throughthis service. “The knowledge and experience in management that I bring is not easily available in the Sri
Lankan market. So, I add value,” she said.

HPC/UNV Programme Associates make a diﬀerence- Volunteers brought new skills that improved or expanded peacebuilding eﬀorts.

7

Consolidating peace

1
Reaching out to people on the margins often requires innovation. Where humanitarian aid has continued
for decades, volunteers found it challenging to mobilize counterparts because they often lacked the incentives or conﬁdence to use new skills or systems.
“The knowledge and experience inmanagement and improving work
For some HPC/UNV Programme Associates this challenge demsystems that I bring is not easily
onstrated the importance of working side-by-side with national
available in the Sri Lankan market.
counterparts—and steadily increasing their skills and conﬁdence.
So, I add value,”
It also re-enforced the need for recovery and peacebuilding eﬀorts - Sachiko Furuya DDR Planning oﬃcer
to start early, even alongside humanitarian work. Starting early with IOM in Sri Lanka
enables national actors to take ownership more quickly at all levelsof government, and to drive the transformation from crisis to stability.
Engaging young people:
HPC/UNV Programme Associates helped groups on the margins to articulate and voice their concerns,
bringing them into recovery processes. Young people are often among the overlooked.
Volunteers like Aida Safura Niza Othman (Malaysia)
helped bring young people’s concerns to light. In
the lead-up to the 2010 African Youth Forum (AYF),
she worked with UNICEF to engage young people
across the continent in online discussions about maternal and child health. Using Facebook, twitter andYouTube, she helped expand the discussion.
“The online youth engagement was an importantcomponent of the AYF 2010 process. The online sites
widened the opportunity for engagement. Without
theses, young people’s participation would havebeen on a much smaller scale,”- Aida Safura Niza Othman Communications oﬃcer with
UNICEF in Uganda

HPC/UNV Programme Associates make a diﬀerence- They empowered women, collected data speciﬁc to their needs, and encouraged them to lead.

81

The ‘safe spaces’ allow people to discuss their concerns
openly and identify common ground. Using Facebook, hetook the concept into the virtual world. This allowed more
people to join the discussion. Going online also helped
the project team to gain insights into trends and issues

Consolidating peace

Building trust:Working with projects that foster understanding, tolerance and reconciliation between conﬂicting groups,
HPC/UNV Programme Associates also helped build trust between communities in countries such as Cyprus and Lebanon. For example, in Lebanon, where decades of tensions have eroded space for dialogue
between groups, volunteer Mangkorn Warinthrasak (Laos) worked with UNDP to expand ‘safe spaces’ platforms.

Working on the big picture:
While most HPC/UNV Programme Associates dealt directly with communities, a small number worked at nationalor regional levels. They strengthened monitoring andcoordination processes, conducted research, and developed communication strategies and tools. Arika
Nagata (Japan), for example, worked with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) covering 25 Asian
countries. Her work is now helping to shape policies. Governments seeking to improve food security canuse her research to add nutrition-related indicators and data into development planning. She said, “Because I am in a regional oﬃce, I can easily access useful tools...Although I am far from the ﬁeld, the knowledge I
have gained here can be used in future ﬁeld assignments”.
HPC/UNV Programme Associates serving in these types of assignments report that they appreciate the big-picture view. Yet,with few chances to see activities on the ground, they foundunderstanding ground realities challenging. They recommend
simple suggestions, such as a travel budgets.

“Because I am in a regional oﬃce, I caneasily access useful tools...Although I am
far from the ﬁeld, the knowledge I havegained here can be used in future ﬁeld assignments”.
- Arika Nagata Nutrition Oﬃcer for FAO in Thailand

9Humanitarian Assistance2
Peacebuilding and humanitarian assistancePreventing conﬂict, protecting, and helping to meet basic needs in times of crisis“Peacebuilding is relationship building... A Sudanese colleague said tome that my presence as a volunteer gives a morale boost, encouragement and hope for people in Southern Sudan.”- Tomohiro Yamanaka (Japan), Humanitarian Aﬀairs Oﬃcer with the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) in Southern Sudan.

In response to humanitarian crises around the world, UNV volunteers support the UN to deliver lifesaving aid and pave the way for recovery. Since 2007, HPC/UNV Programme Associates deployed under
the Programme have also supported the UN’s humanitarian eﬀorts.

HPC/UNV Programme Associates make a diﬀerence- They are eﬀective links between vulnerable groups and the UN.

10

2

By volunteering, young Somali
refugees gain conﬁdence andhope.
“The refugee camp had never seen
anything like it,” HPC/UNV Program Associate Yoko Kuroiwa(Japan) said. Working with UNHCR, Yoko spends most of his time
among the 280,000 Somali exiles
living in camps in Kenya. “There
are few opportunities for young
people here, which is deeply
frustrating for them,” Yoko said.
The refugees are restricted to thecamps.
“The camps are almost 20 years
old and many of the young people
have lived here most of their lives,
relying on assistance from UN
agencies and NGOs,” he said. With
scarce education or employment options in the settlements,
young people are susceptible tojoining militant groups as a way
out, or succumbing to apathy.
Yoko is helping to foster a positive role for young people bydeveloping the skills and conﬁ-

dence within youth groups. He
supports groups in writing proposals and managing projects
aimed at involving more young
people to express their concernsand get involved with making
decisions that aﬀect their community.

were responsible for raising theneeded resources and managing
the event. It was a huge success,costing less than a few hundred
dollars —thanks to all the volunteer performers, marshals andothers supporters. Thousandsof people came to watch. “Most

Most recently, youth groups demonstrated what they could do byorganizing an event like no otherever seen in the camps. It was a
festival, involving more than 200
young people, with drama anddance, as well as speaking contests. The contests gave young
people the opportunity to air
their concerns about issues ranging from HIV/AIDS to corruption.
UNHCR provided no funding forthe festival, as the youth groups

importantly,” Yoko said, “their success built their conﬁdence and thecredibility of their organizations.”
Afterwards, people were so energized that event organizers
decided to run a similar festival
next year.

Humanitarian Assistance

Peacebuilders up-close

HPC/UNV Programme Associates make a diﬀerence- 46 percent of volunteers felt they promoted volunteerism for development.

11

Humanitarian Assistance2
The face of the UN:
HPC/UNV Programme Associates deployed under the Programme served as the link between vulnerable
groups and the UN – often deployed to refugee camps, isolated villages or small towns.
They assisted the UN to coordinate emergency responses, making these eﬀorts more eﬀective. They also
monitored and evaluated programmes to make sure aid reached people in need; and that assistance wasgeared towards helping communities stand on their own feet again.
Many served as protection or humanitarian aﬀairs oﬃcers, monitoring situations and advocating for therespect of human rights. Others
were involved with peacebuilding
initiatives, such as conferences toﬁnd common ground between conﬂicting groups, or festivals to inspire
hope.
Reaching out to women:
Women’s needs are often overlooked during or in the wake of acrisis. Gender is a cross-cutting issue
in the UNV programme strategy andUNV aims at mainstreaming genderissues into all aspects of peacebuilding. HPC/UNV Programme Associates contributed to this key priority by focusing on women as beneﬁciaries (46 percent); collecting data
speciﬁc to their needs (39 percent); or encouraging women to lead within their communities.
Tomoko Yasunaga (Japan), working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
in Kenya, is helping refugees to ease tensions in camps by setting-up forums called peace committees forresolving disputes. “The project encourages refugee communities to involve as many women as possible oneach committee. We are also providing leadership training and around 20-30 percent of trainees are women.”

HPC/UNV Programme Associates make a diﬀerence- They improve coordination processes, enabling the UN to respond more eﬀectively to evolving crises.

122Tomohiro Yamanaka (Japan) was one of them.
As the Humanitarian Focal Point in Southern
Sudan, he was responsible for coordinating theactivities of partners. By facilitating debrieﬁngs
and formulating action plans immediately after
assessment missions, Tomohiro helped reduce
the time it takes for aid workers to reach newly
displaced people in his area.

Humanitarian Assistance

Volunteers contribute to better coordination, helping to save lives:
Despite signiﬁcant challenges, HPC/UNV Programme Associates are able to make critical diﬀerences. In
the Sudan, for example, several HPC/UNV Programme Associates joined the hundreds of UNV volunteers
serving to advance peace through peacekeeping and development activities.

Promoting volunteerism helps communities
to help themselves:
Overall, 46 percent of HPC/UNV Programme Associates felt they promoted volunteerism fordevelopment. This was particularly true in humanitarian response situations. They helped mobilize vulnerable people to address their needs through voluntary action; they also promoted volunteerism among
partners.
For example, in Sri Lanka’s north, internally displaced people are now returning home. Working with theWorld Food Programme (WFP), Kazuyuki Tateno (Japan) is managing a School Meal Programme that involves community volunteers cooking lunch for pupils. Normally, they are mothers and fathers of pupils.
Encouraged by their neighbours, other members of the communities bring additional vegetables or othercommodities to enhance the school meals.
“Peacebuilding is relationship building... A Sudanese colleague said to me
that my presence, as a volunteer, gives a morale boost, encouragement andhope for people in Southern Sudan.”- Tomohiro Yamanaka, Humanitarian Aﬀairs Oﬃcer with UNDP in Southern Sudan.

13

Peace Missions

3
Peace missions

Peacebuilding with UN Missions and special political operations“It is important for people to see that things are getting better, that they can rely on their local representatives,
which is why it is so important to develop their skills to identify and meet people’s needs.”- Goo Soon Kwon (South Korea), Civil Aﬀairs Expert with the UN Mission in Liberia.

Since 1992, UNV has collaborated with the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations(DPKO). UNV volunteers assist in supporting the smooth operation of DPKO uniformed peacekeepers, andserve as civilian experts in the areas of crisis and humanitarian assistance, conﬂict prevention, peacebuilding and support to post-conﬂict electoral processes.
Six HPC/UNV Programme Associates joined the thousands of UNV volunteers supporting UN peacekeeping missions and special political operations.

HPC/UNV Programme Associates make a diﬀerence- 37 percent felt they mainly enhanced capacities to deliver public services.

14

3

In this speciﬁc ﬁeld, HPC/UNV Programme Associates often worked directly with national counterparts todevelop their management skills. They are usually deployed to the local-level of government, where thepeople they work with – civil society representatives, government oﬃcials – play a pivotal role in consolidating peace and development.

Peace Missions

Developing national capacities to consolidate peace:
A top priority for most UN missions is to develop the capacity of national counterparts at all levels: government, local authorities, and civil society. The focus is on ensuring a smooth transition of responsibility, andleaving behind a competent cadre of national oﬃcials who will take recovery and development eﬀorts
forward.

In Liberia, Goo Soon Kwon (South Korea) is on assignment as a Civil Aﬀairs Expert. Through seminars,
workshops and day-to-day support, he develops the project monitoring skills of the local administrationand line ministries in Sinoe County. “People here often raise the concern that Liberia will relapse once the mission pulls out,” he said. “It is important for people to see that things are getting better, that they can rely on theirlocal representatives, which is why it is so important to develop their skills to identify and meet people’s needs,”
he said.
“Due to the poor infrastructure in Jonglei, during
the rainy season, most of the areas that need assistance are out of reach by car. The weather is unpredictable and capable implementing partners
are few. These are major challenges for project
implementation.”– Akino Kowashi (Japan), Associate Protection Oﬃcer(Peacebuilding) with UNHCR in the Sudan.

HPC/UNV Programme Associates make a diﬀerence- 43 percent mainly provided management support during their assignments.

15

Peace Missions

3
HPC/UNV Programme Associates adapted to challenging assign- HPC/UNV Programme Associates
ments: Overall, 44 percent of them felt limited by security consid- have served in the following UN
erations. They also found themselves adapting to diﬃcult living missions:and working conditions. This was especially true for those working in the area of humanitarian assistance and with peacekeeping UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)
missions.
UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS)UN Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT)
UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK)
UN missions are, in most cases, located incountries deemed ‘non-family duty stations’. Being away from their families for extended periods of time proved challenging
for HPC/UNV Programme Associates. Other
challenges included poor infrastructure,especially roads, which made it diﬃcult forthem to monitor programme activities inremote areas. In some cases, they worked ingovernment oﬃces, where electricity andwater were often unavailable.

They adapted to these circumstances and successfully reached out to isolated and vulnerable communities, representing the UN in some of the mostchallenging crisis-aﬀected places in the world.

HPC/UNV Programme Associates make a diﬀerence- 37 percent felt they mainly enhanced capacities to deliver public services.

16

3
portunities, as key challenges.
Ramesh and his colleagues are
now looking to link the village
with organizations that can assist
them to overcome these challenges. The lessons that Ramesh
and the people from Lontas learn
will inform government policies

Peace Missions

sary to provide for themselves
and their families.
Supporting remote villages to Ramesh Dhakal (Nepal) is a Hureduce their vulnerability to man Rights Oﬃcer with the UN
poverty and instability
Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste(UNMIT). His assignment involves
Timor-Leste remains one of the working with the 144 families livworld’s poorest countries. Most ing in Lontas, one of the most repeople live in isolated villages. mote communities in
Their only way of reaching health Timor-Leste.
clinics, schools or markets is usually along dirt tracks that stretch Through focus groups
for kilometres through moun- discussions and containous terrain. Because of lim- sultations, he is raisited infrastructure, people still ing villagers’ awarerely on what they can produce ness about their rightat home, which leaves many vul- to food security. He
nerable to food shortages and is also working withpoor nutrition.
them to identify theirneeds, priorities andInequalities, lack of opportuni- the actions they canties and poverty have fuelled take to improve their
violent conﬂicts in the country situation. So far, the discussions
for decades. The UN Integrated have involved women, young
Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) people, children, traditional
believes that fulﬁlling the right leaders, church leaders and party
to food is key to creating stabil- members. The community has
ity in the country. In practice, identiﬁed the lack of sanitation
this means every person should facilities, as well as limited roadhave access to the means neces- access to markets and other op-

Peacebuilders up-close

related to economic, social andcultural rights. It will also bringto light practical ways in whichpeople in other villages can gain
food security or overcome otherobstacles to a better life.

HPC/UNV Programme Associates make a diﬀerence- 43 percent mainly provided management support during their assignments.

17

Volunteers take home personal and professional gains“This Program is not a simple “training” program. This is a “human resource
development” program for “peacebuilders”. Our aim is to “develop” future
professional who will contribute to peacebuilding throughout the world.
We would like to create a community of determined young peacebuilders
to that they can continue to help and encourage one another, and increase
their presence in Asia and other parts of the world. It is our hope that inso doing, they will solidly develop their careers as professional “peacebuilders.”- Kenji Isezaki, Chair, Board of Directors, Peacebuilders/ Professor, Graduate School of
Global Studies, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.

HPC/UNV Programme Associates cited both professional andpersonal gains from their experiences in the ﬁeld. In the professional sphere, many reported that they now have a better understanding of peacebuilding processes and related issues. Whileothers said they learnt practical skills related to protection work,
conducting a humanitarian assessment, and programme management.

On a personal level, they also beneﬁted from their experiences. Many reported that they had the opportunity to work with people from various cultural and religious backgrounds, allowing them to learn
and build skills in cross-cultural communication. “The experience broadened my understanding of various
cultural contexts in Africa,” said Goo Soon Kwon (South Korea), a Civil Aﬀairs Expert working with the UN
Mission in Liberia.
Working as volunteers, HPC/UNV Programme Associates were also able to inspire others to become in-

The volunteer experience: more than just an assignment- 100% of HPC/UNV Programme Associates felt they had the opportunity to learn from the people they worked with.

18

volved with peace processes. Michieru Sakai(Japan), who served as a Peacebuilding Oﬃcerwith UNDP in Cyprus, reported, “For peacebuilding, it is crucial to have civil society’s positive involvement. When my civil society partners learn
that I am a volunteer, like so many of them, they
are pleasantly surprised...it reminds me that volunteer action can be a signiﬁcant force for achieving peace and development.”
During their assignments, a number of HPC/UNV Programme Associates felt isolated by theirunique situation. Their assignments were often
shorter and in non-permanent roles. Because ofthis, some felt their colleagues perceived themas outside the UN system or relevant project. In addition, challenging working and living conditions,alongside long working hours, often in crisis situations, left many HPC/UNV Programme Associates to theirown devises. A way to assist future participants to the programme in overcoming this sense of isolation
is to implement a ‘buddy system’—where a more experienced Associate could assist a new participant inﬁnding their feet.
HPC/UNV Programme Associates also suggested that oﬃces that agree to host them should receive moredetailed information about the Programme. This would enable colleagues to understand the role of the
Associates better.
“It has been a great personal and professional journey. Every experience, eventhe diﬃcult ones, have been enriching.”- Tomohiro Yamanaka (Japan), Humanitarian Aﬀairs Oﬃcer with UNDP in Southern Sudan.

- 87% felt they had the opportunity to do meaningful work.
- 95% felt they had the opportunity to participate in another culture.

19

Summary of key results and recommendations from volunteers
One of the key aims of the Programme is that HPC/UNV Associates strengthen the peacebuilding activitiesof their host agencies and partners. By the end of 2010, it is it expected that 69 will have been ﬁelded. These
volunteers have and are strengthening the peacebuilding activities of their host agencies in a number ofways:

They bring new skills: Many brought new skills, such as social media networking expertise, to their
host agencies. This improved or expanded the reach of peacebuilding eﬀorts. For example in both
Africa and the Middle East, young people who were not involved before have been able to participate
in discussions about issues that aﬀect them as a result of social media outreach eﬀorts initiated andmanaged by HPC/UNV Associates.
They bring expertise unavailable locally: In some cases, Associates provided expertise that was unavailable locally and again strengthened peacebuilding activities.
They empower women: As part of their work, HPC/UNV Programme Associates empower women as
beneﬁciaries (46% of volunteers focused on this); collect data speciﬁc to their needs (39% focused onthis); or encourage them to lead. In several places, this has led to the greater involvement of womenin decision-making. For example, in Kenya, women living in refugee camps are encouraged, throughtraining and in other ways, to become involved with peace committees and are now playing a more
active role in resolving disputes.
They boost UN outreach: Associates are often deployed outside capital cities and work directly withisolated communities or vulnerable groups, such as refugees. In these roles, HPC/UNV Programme Associate are eﬀective links between vulnerable groups and the UN.
They are boosting management processes: 43% of HPC/UNV Programme Associates reported that
their main task was to provide management support during their assignments. In these roles, they often improved coordination processes, enabling the UN to respond more eﬀectively to evolving crises.

20

Another key aim of the Programme is to increase the visibility of volunteerism. Overall, 46 percent felt they
promoted volunteerism for development, either through their assigned work or by undertaking additional
voluntary action, including advocacy work or additional technical tasks.
Overall HPC/UNV Programme Associates felt they gained a great deal from the experience. For many being
challenged by diﬃcult circumstances helped them to build their personal and professional conﬁdence,
while they also contributed towards the successful delivery of UN assistance in some of the world’s mosttroubled places. Their challenges included:
HPC/UNV Programme Associates working across all sections reported that precarious security situations or poor infrastructure sometimes hindered their work.
Language barriers made it diﬃcult for several of them to transfer skills when working with nationalcounterparts.

HPC/UNV Programme Associates also made a number of recommendations for improving ﬁeld assignments for future participants. These included:
Eﬀorts should be made to better inform receiving oﬃces about the HPC Program, so that hosting agencies can better understand the volunteer’s role.
HPC/UNV Programme Associates on shorter missions (six months) reported that a minimum of one
year would be required to make any real impact.
In the wake of a crisis, human resources are often stretched to the limit and HPC/UNV Programme Associates reported that they were often required to work beyond the scope of their assignments. Whilesome felt overwhelmed, others saw these situations as an opportunity to learn new skills and contribute more broadly to response eﬀorts. Nevertheless, most expressed a desire for greater guidance fromtheir senior management, especially those working in crisis situations.

21��������������������������������
Peacekeeping
13%���������������������������

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Humanitarianassistance and disastermanagement
26%

UNDP
34%

Crisis prevention andrecovery61%�������������������������������

UNMIS
3%

UNESCO
3%
FAO
1%

UNMIL
1%
WFP
7%

IOM
10%

UNODC
1%

PKO
3%

UNOFP
1%

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��������������������������������������������������
����������������������������������DSRSG/RCO
1%
UNHCR
19%

UNMIT
1%

UNMAS
1%

UNICEF14%�������������

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Timor Leste 1
Thailand 1
Afghanistan 1

Sri Lanka 2South Korea 3
Philippines 2
Nepal 2

Cambodia 1
China 1
India 1

Malaysia 3
Laos 2

Japan 4622�������������������������

Helped with the use ofInformation andCommunication
Technologies
3%

Helped to formulate theinterests ofstakeholders
3%

Provided management
support43%

Sensitized people orcreated awareness3%
Helped in mobilizing
people to participate
and contribute as
volunteers
5%
Provided operational
support10%

Provided direct services
5%

Encouraged/supported
dialogue or coordination
13%

Produced, developed, ordisseminatedinformation material
10%

Provided training
5%����������������������������������������������
Establishment/ strengthening of dialogue between interest/
advocacy groups and communities
Enhanced capacity of communities to identify local
development priorities and ways to address them
Reintegration of displaced/ uprooted groups or communities
Increased involvement/ participation of specific groups inconsultation processes at community level
Improved articulation of demands for services by
marginalized groups
Enhanced capacity of host institutions/ organizations tobuild (physical) infrastructure
Enhanced capacity of groups/ communities to provide
services/alternative livelihoods/ income generation
Increased awareness about rights and participation ofcommunity stakeholders
Improved availability of information on public services oraccess to services
Improved inter-institutional coordination in delivery ofservices
Enhanced capacity of host institutions/ organizations todeliver public services
0

5

10

15

20
Percentage

25

30

35

40

23

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that contributes to peace anddevelopment through volunteerism worldwide. Volunteerism is a powerful means of engaging people
in tackling development challenges, and it can transform the pace and nature of development. Volunteerism beneﬁts both society at large and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity andreciprocity among citizens, and by purposefully creating opportunities for participation. UNV contributes
to peace and development by advocating for recognition of volunteers, working with partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing an increasing number and diversityof volunteers, including experienced UNV volunteers, throughout the world. UNV embraces volunteerism
as universal and inclusive, and recognizes volunteerism in its diversity, as well as the values that sustain it:
free will, commitment, engagement and solidarity.
Photographs are illustrative only and do not necessarily depict the exact activities and organizations described in the text.
http://www.unvolunteers.org
United Nations Volunteers,
UN Campus, PO Box 260 111,
53153 Bonn, Germany

24

The 2009/10 volunteers
The senior programme associates,

Mari Kinoshita (Japan), Wakako Kobayashi (Japan), Akiko Goto (Japan),Kazuyuki Tateno (Japan), Yuichi Tanada (Japan), Miyuki Tsujii (Japan),Michio Yasuda (Japan).

and programme associates.
Fujiko Amano (Japan), Kazuo Fukuda (Japan), Sachiko Furuya (Japan),
Takashi Kamishiro (Japan), Akino Kowashi (Japan), Yoko Kuroiwa (Japan), Minako Manome (Japan), Sachiko Matsuoka (Japan), Jade Mali
Mizutani (Japan), Arika Nagata (Japan), Michieru Sakai (Japan), Masakazu Shibata (Japan), Tomoko Yasunaga (Japan), Tomohiro Yamanaka(Japan), Atsuko Watanabe (Japan), Magodalle Mudiyanselage Kumudunie Pushpakanthi (Sri Lanka), Antonio Viegas (Timor Leste), Hossai
Wardak (Afghanistan), Mangkorn Warinthrasak (Laos). Amarendra
Bhuyan (India), Ramesh Dhakal (Nepal), Goo Soon Kwon (South Korea), Aida Safura Niza Othman (Malaysia)

25