Background: The Plan of Action for Integrating Volunteerism into the 2030 Agenda is a framework established by General Assembly Resolution A/RES/70/129 through which governments, civil society, the UN and other stakeholders come together to strengthen people’s ownership of the 2030 Agenda; systematically integrate volunteering in national strategies and policies; and measure the impact of volunteering.
The Plan of Action Secretariat was established in early 2018 and provides secretariat services to the Plan of Action Reference Group and Technical Working Group to coordinate and facilitate the planning and organizing of a Global Technical Meeting in 2020 (GTM 2020).
The GTM 2020 will be co-chaired by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the United Nations Volunteers programme (UNV) and will discuss “Reimagining volunteerism for the 2030 Agenda” at the 2020 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.
The GTM 2020 will be informed by a Global Synthesis Report that will analyze evidence gathered by the Plan of Action Secretariat in 2018 and 2019. More information about the Plan of Action.
Rationale and objectives: Following a joint discussion between IFRC and UNV as co-chairs of the GTM2020, the Plan of Action Secretariat will establish an Expert Group to provide a challenge function to the framing of the Global Synthesis Report and the GTM 2020.
The Expert Group will be composed of thought-leaders in the fields of volunteerism, civic engagement and sustainable development drawn from academia, civil society, government and international organizations with regional and gender representation. The Group will be co-chaired by IFRC and UNV.
The key functions of the Expert Group will be:
- To review and comment on the framing, design, analysis and recommendations of the Global Synthesis Report, to help ensure methodological rigour, consultation of a broad evidence base, and synergies with broader trends and current challenges being addressed by the 2030 Agenda.
- To give expert feedback to the framing of the 2020 Global Technical Meeting, ensuring validation of main findings in alignment with the evidence base (including the Global Synthesis Report) and to input into the influencing strategy, including policy messaging and post-GTM 2020 roadmap.
Expert Group meetings will take place as required, with an estimated 2-4 online meetings and the possibility of at least one face-to-face meeting in 2019. Meeting minutes will be kept by the Plan of Action Secretariat and shared with members.
The working language of the Expert Group will be English and positions will be voluntary, in a personal capacity and non-remunerated. If required, travel costs may be partially covered by the Plan of Action Secretariat, particularly for members from the Global South, provided that such resources are available at the time of planning for physical meetings.
If you are interested in becoming a member of the Expert Group, please send your bio and an expression of interest to the Plan of Action Secretariat at unv.poa@unv.org by Friday 21st June, 2019.