The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, represented by the Ministry of Economy and Planning, and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme have signed an agreement to offer 30 young Saudis international volunteer assignments for a duration of six months.
The fully funded opportunities primarily focus on economic development and other priority areas as identified by the Ministry, with deployments to take place in jointly agreed countries. Recruitment for these opportunities is currently ongoing via UNV’s Unified Volunteering Platform (UVP).
The agreement was signed on 14 June 2023, following discussions between the Ministry of Economy and Planning, UNV and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It will establish closer cooperation between UNV and the Government of Saudi Arabia that boosts the country’s participation across various UN activities by deploying young Saudis as international UN Youth Volunteers.
As part of the programme, Saudi volunteers will participate in Assignment Preparatory Training and onboarding, including capacity-building designed to enhance skills relevant to their specific assignments.
The new agreement will be implemented through UNV's Full Funding programme, which enhances exposure to critical areas of international cooperation and development while promoting the values and contributions of international volunteerism to achieve sustainable economic development around the world.
The agreement with the Ministry of Economy and Planning to deploy young Saudis as fully funded UN Youth Volunteers is an important milestone in the partnership between UNV and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We look forward to a successful collaboration, through which the value of volunteerism is further emphasized as an accelerator of sustainable development. --Olga Zubritskaya-Devyatkina, UNV Regional Manager for the Arab States
According to the Ministry of Economy and Planning, "Saudi Vision 2030 targets to create a million volunteers by 2030. The national transformation program also aims to produce a new generation of professionals who can help lead the country’s future across key areas such as its economy and long-term development."
UNV’s Full Funding programme enables partner governments to fund assignments with different UN agencies and programs worldwide, to build their national capacities, equip volunteers with the needed experience, and participate in advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while also contributing to increasing their representation in the UN system.