As requested in decision 81/1 adopted by the Governing Council at its twenty-eighth session in June 1981 this report contains a short analytical review of the use of volunteers in the development process.

The Report provides an account of the continued progress of the United Nations Volunteer programme during 1981, leading to the achievement of a record level of 1,000 serving volunteers by the middle of the year, and highlights the major events affecting UNV development during the year.

The Governing Council takes note of the successful completion of the United Nations Volunteer programme's first decade of services with the expectation that the programme's role and potential will be increasingly utilized in the coming years in accordance with the needs of developing countries, in particular the least developed and newly independent countries.

Coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the UNV programme, this report looks back briefly to some of the key elements that characterize the evolution and development of the UNV concept and programme. In terms of the future, the report identifies the second decade as one of consolidation and innovative application of the UNV concept and programme.

The Governing Council takes into account the expectation that the United Nations Volunteers programme will play a significant role in the preparation of projects and programmes related to the International Youth Year, 1985, and requests the United Nations Volunteers in so doing to take fully into account the techincal competence of the relevant specialized agencies and the need for full co-operation and consultation with such agencies which operate core activities directly related to youth.

The Report highlights the activities of the UNV programme, which attained a record increase of close to 60 percent for 1979 in the programming and delivery of middle and upper level operational expertise by UNV’s for some 300 projects in 75 developing countries. It also discusses the programme’s activities in the field of Domestic Development Service and youth, the role UNV could play in terms of operational activities in the context of the International Youth Year.

The Governing Council, takes note with appreciation of the Administrator’s report on the progress of the United Nations Volunteers programme and of the statement by the Co-ordinator that the number of volunteers in the field now exceeds the initial target of 500 as established by the General Assembly.

At the end of 1978, the total number of United Nations Volunteers serving in the field reached 406, the highest level reached since the inception of the programme in 1971. Also, the number of countries receiving volunteers increased considerably from 54 at the end of 1977 to 64 in December 1978. The year also marked the beginning of more active UNV co-operation with Domestic Development Service (DDS), and youth organisations in pursuance of the role assigned to UNV by the GA in its resolutions 31/131 and 31/166 of Dec 1976.

The Governing Council considers that UNV has an important role in providing assistance particulary to least developed and newly independent countries. In addition, the Governing Council appeals to all countries to assist the UNV to the maximum extent possible in the identification and recruitment of qualified candidates.

Much progress has been made as regards to acceptability of the UNV programme by host governments and UN system Agencies. The Administrator urges Resident Representatives to give fuller consideration to utilizing the services of UNVs, whenever appropriate, during the country programming and project formulation stages. At the same time the Co-ordinator and his staff are paying extensive visits to the field in order to assist in programming and programme formulation stages.