Eritrea

United Nations Volunteers

UN Volunteers in Brief:
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, created in 1970 by the UN General Assembly, is the UN organization that supports human development globally by promoting volunteerism and by mobilizing volunteers. It is administered by UNDP and operates amidst growing recognition that volunteerism makes important contributions, economically and socially, to creating more cohesive societies by building trust and reciprocity among citizens. As former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated at the opening ceremony of the 2001 International Year of Volunteers, “At the heart of volunteerism are the ideals of service and solidarity and the belief that together we can make the world a better place. In that sense, we can say that volunteerism is the ultimate expression of what the United Nations is all about".

In 2006, more than 8,000 UN Volunteers from more than 150 different nationalities were deployed around the world to support the programmes of the United Nations itself and almost all UN funds, programmes and specialized agencies.

UN Volunteers in Eritrea:
During 2005 and into 2006, the UNV Programme in Eritrea went through significant decline. This occurred primarily due to the shift in the requirements of UN Agencies given the sensitive political context in the country. However, it is envisaged that the UNV Programme will pick up significantly during the first half of 2007, with UNV Volunteers being deployed to provide support in the following areas.

Four UNV Volunteers working with UNFPA will assist the Ministry of Health in the provision of high quality gynecological and obstetric care to rural communities.

UNICEF will engage the services of UNVs in two areas. First, to advise the Ministry of Health on the development and implementation of a nutrition programme within the Young Child Survival and Development Programme sector. Secondly, one UNV water engineer will be engaged in supporting UNICEF’s rural water and sanitation programme.

UNAIDS will use one UNV Monitoring and Evaluation Officer to assist in the development of the national Eritrean HIV/AIDS M&E system.

At UNDP, UNVs will work with programme staff to improve co-ordination, management and delivery of projects. This will be part of an ongoing programme to build capacity in the Ministry for National Development, and the level of UNV input is currently being determined.

The IDP/Recovery Programme will avail of UNV input in training people in construction and community organization.

It is expected that by mid-2007, at least ten UNV Volunteers will be working with Government and UN Agencies in the above areas, and there are ongoing plans for further expansion of UNV inputs.