Mme. President, Members of the Executive Board,
Mme. Associate Administrator,
I am honoured to present the Strategic Framework of UNV for 2022-2025. In line with UNV tradition at the Executive Board, let me start by inviting you to watch a short video of UN Volunteers in action.
Let me proceed to the presentation [see session recording below]. As per the rules of procedure, I will limit it to 15 minutes. And if there will be any time savings, I will humbly submit them to the Board as an example of UNV’s commitment to efficiency gains.
As Associate Administrator mentioned few minutes ago, UNV prepared the Strategic Framework in consultation with the Board, in collaboration with UN partners, and building on the recommendations of the independent evaluation of the previous Strategic Framework. Hence, I will not take the Board’s time for yet another process review and will proceed directly to the document’s key priorities.
***
The overarching purpose of the Strategic Framework is to contribute to the implementation of QCPR, the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review of the UN system operational activities as laid out in General Assembly resolution 75/233.
Specifically, it seeks to translate into action the Member States’ guidance to facilitate and promote volunteerism as a powerful and cross-cutting means of implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
UNV proposes to achieve this larger goal through three distinct and interrelated objectives.
***
The first objective – presented as Outcome 1 of the Strategic Framework – is to fulfill UNV’s role as a systemwide service that makes the UN more people-centred and grassroots-effective through the engagement of UN Volunteers.
UNV proposes to advocate within the UN system for more opportunities for global citizens to volunteer for peace and development. In so doing, UNV aims to increase the numbers of UN partners and UN Volunteers; to uphold global gender parity and close remaining gender gaps at country level; and to strive that UN Volunteers represent the world that we serve (in terms of nationalities, age groups, disability inclusion and other indicators elaborated in the document).
At the same time, UNV proposes to collaborate with partner UN entities to ensure continuous motivation and capacity growth of UN Volunteers who selflessly contribute to peace, development, and humanitarian efforts. We will hold ourselves to account through relevant performance indicators.
***
To achieve Outcome 1 UNV must remain committed to its role of serving the United Nations system. In this regard, through Outcome 2, UNV will pursue the twin outputs of contributing to the UN system’s efficiency gains (by providing UN partners with more efficient services) and, at the same time, remaining an agile, and fit-for-purpose organization.
As recapped on this slide, UNV proposes to achieve impact through higher quality interaction with partner UN entities and the enhanced agility of our service offer. At the output level, UNV proposes to track its management efficiency ratio and, for institutional effectiveness, to focus on workforce diversity and effective resource mobilization.
***
Finally, responding to the QCPR’s call, UNV proposes to further integrate volunteerism into the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. This work will be informed by and, at the same time, contribute to Member States’ Voluntary National Reviews of the 2030 Agenda, as well as UN country teams’ cooperation frameworks.
Recognizing the need to accelerate sustainable solutions during the Decade of Action, under this Outcome UNV proposes to pursue a two-fold strategy. First, it will play active role in creating and sharing knowledge, data, and research, to provide further evidence of volunteers’ contribution to SDGs.
At the same time, UNV proposes to partner with Member States and UN entities to integrate volunteerism in national policies and in UNSDCFs, with a view to unleashing the power of volunteerism for the achievement of sustainable results, as emphasized in the QCPR.
***
Mme. President, before concluding the presentation, let me offer two additional, broad perspectives on the Strategic Framework as a whole.
First, let’s take a birds-eye view on how this Strategic Framework is different from its predecessor.
The previous Strategic Framework was the first for the 2030 Agenda; it focused on the organizational transformation; and was developed just before the adoption of the General Assembly resolution 72/279 which set in motion comprehensive reforms of the UN Development System.
The document in front of the Board today builds on the results achieved by UNV in recent years and lifts our ambition. It stresses UNV’s role as a systemwide service hosted by UNDP. On top and above of scaled deployment of UN Volunteers, it focuses on strengthening partnerships that make the UN system more diverse and inclusive. It is intentional about achieving efficiency gains, and benefits from a strategically articulated global UNV advocacy role.
***
That said, UNV has evolved not alone but together with UNDP and the rest of the UN development system. Hence the next – and final slide – presents the close interlinkages between UNV and UN Development System.
In the process of developing the Strategic Framework, UNV has ensured its alignment with the QCPR and established substantive linkages with Strategic Plans of UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and UN Women. I am grateful to the UNDP Administrator and the Associate Administrator and to the leadership of sister organizations for their commitment to volunteerism. Thanks to this inter-agency collaboration, UNV is well prepared to support the implementation of UNSDCFs and Country Programme Documents and to embrace other systemwide priorities, such as the Secretary-General’s ‘Our Common Agenda’, subject to review and approval by the Member States. In this respect, UNV will adhere to the General Assembly resolution on ‘Our Common Agenda’ 76/6.
***
This concludes my presentation, Mme. President.
I would like to express appreciation to you as well as to the former President Mme. Stoeva, and to the 47 delegations (Board members and observers) who, during the formal and informal sessions, provided valuable insights and advice on the strategic direction of UNV.
And, finally, my big thanks go to the hardworking UNV staff across the globe who are committed to translating the Strategic Framework into action together with UN partners and UN Volunteers. So that no one is left behind.
Thank you, Mme. President.
***
UN TV recording of UNDP segment at the UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS Executive Board first session
United Nations Volunteers: UNV Strategic Framework, 2022-2025