On 28 August, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme will host a side event highlighting innovative youth volunteering for socioeconomic and political transformation in Africa. This event is part of the 7th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), set to be held from 28-30 August 2019 in Yokohama, Japan.
Speakers featuring at the event include Ms Aya Yoshida, Director of the Global Issues Cooperation Division, International Cooperation Bureau, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Mr Toily Kurbanov, Deputy Executive Coordinator of UNV, and Mr Lamine Manneh, Director of the Regional Service Center for Africa, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
A panel discussion will follow, showcasing the power of volunteering in engaging people at the grassroots and seeking to unlock barriers to enhanced volunteer engagement for sustainable development.
The panellists are Professor Sarah Anyang Agbor, Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology at the African Union Commission, Ms Kasapo Manda, innovative youth volunteer from Zambia, and Ms Reina Otsuka Iseda, UN Volunteer Environment Specialist with UNDP and Innovation Lead for Africa, currently serving in Rwanda, and Ms Yoko Reikan, a UN Volunteer serving with UNDP Ghana with the Access and Delivery Partnership as a Global Health Volunteer (under UNV’s Global Volunteer Health Initiative).
The panel discussion will bring together experiences in mobilizing youth as volunteers and entrepreneurs, engaging the private sector engagement and fostering community ownership. For further details, kindly refer to the programme of the side event, which will take place from 18:00-19:30 in Annex Hall F204, Pacifico Yokohama.
Former UN Youth University Volunteers who served as part of UNV’s partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (under the Kwansei Gakuin University (KGU) Programme) welcome you to the UNV booth on the third floor of Conference Center, where they will highlight youth volunteers and youth-led initiatives.
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For interviews and media inquiries, kindly contact:
UNV Tokyo Liaison Office
TEL: +81- (0)3-5467-7815
unv.tokyo@unv.org
EDITORS’ NOTES:
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide. UNV contributes to peace and development by mobilizing volunteers, advocating for volunteerism globally and encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming.
UNV’s vision is a world where volunteerism is recognized, within societies, as a way for all people and countries to achieve peace and development through the simultaneous eradication of poverty and significant reduction of inequalities and exclusion.
Cooperation between UNV and the Government of Japan dates back to 1971, which makes it one of the most long standing and strategic partnerships for fully funded UN Volunteers. UNV offers an excellent vehicle for Japanese citizens to gain experience in the UN system. Since 2008, 942 UN Volunteers from Japan have served all around the world. In 2018, UNV deployed 116 UN Volunteers from Japan; 45 of them in Africa.
The Global Human Resource Development Programme for Peacebuilding and Development (HRD Programme) is a joint partnership between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the Hiroshima Peacebuilders Center and UNV. It was established in 2007, is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
TICAD is a summit-level initiated by the Japanese government since 1993 and co-hosted by the United Nations office of the Special Adviser on Africa (UNOSAA), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), World Bank, and the African Union Commission.
This year, TICAD7 will focus on three themes of African development; economic transformation and improvements in business environment and institutions through private sector development and innovation, the promotion of resilient and sustainable society for human security, and peace and stability.