Forty-five UN Volunteers who work in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, including international UN Volunteers from South Korea, Japan and Finland, gathered together for capacity building and exchange of experience at the first United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Central Asia Regional Training ‘Leveraging Volunteerism in Sustainable Development’, held in Almaty, Kazakhstan. This event was arranged by the UNV Kazakhstan within the UNV Capacity Development and Learning Facility (CDLF).
The training, which occurred between 31 October and 3 November, included interactive sessions, group work, case studies, role modelling and competency design to better understand the complexity of sustainable development and to identify comparative advantages of volunteerism in implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Our regional training is very relevant both for raising awareness and piloting sustainable development initiatives as well as for further professional development in the new UN system. —Ms. Munkhtuya Altangerel, Deputy Resident Representative, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Kazakhstan
The participants of the training improved their knowledge and skills on building and development of strategic partnerships, effective communications, while familiarising themselves with the main approaches to analysis, monitoring and evaluation of the SDGs. They were also equipped with modern techniques for volunteer mobilization and promotion of volunteerism in the context of sustainable development.
“The UNV Regional Training provided us with a unique opportunity to interact with each other and to learn best practices of how UN Volunteers can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. It would be great if such regional training events became a good tradition for many years,” shared UN Volunteers from Uzbekistan, Ms. Okhista Esanova, Editor/Dubbing Specialist, UN Information Center (UNIC) and Ms. Maksuda Muhsinbaeva, Monitoring and Innovation Specialist, UNDP Project Aid for Trade in Uzbekistan.
The UNV programme in Kazakhstan has been operating since 1993, with more than 180 UN Volunteers deployed across the country over the years. Today, 90 UN Volunteers are serving UN agencies in Central Asia, while four international UN Volunteers from Kazakhstan are serving in Malawi, Mozambique, Laos and Ukraine. UNV Field Units in Central Asia work with dedication to further enhance partnerships with UN Agencies and to support civic participation, particularly of young people, in implementation of the SDGs through volunteerism.