Leaving no one behind (LNOB) is a commitment at the core of the United Nations system's efforts to assist Member States in successfully implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It represents the unequivocal commitment of Member States to eradicate poverty in all its forms, end discrimination and exclusion, and reduce inequalities so that all people may benefit from sustainable development. To further this commitment, United Nations Volunteers (UNV) has released a new research paper that underscores the significance of volunteerism in leaving no one behind.
The research paper titled The role of volunteers in leaving no one behind: Supporting United Nations entities and national governments towards realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development demonstrates a wealth of data detailing the expansive efforts of volunteers.
The research paper explains how volunteers address the factors that cause some people to be left behind, as identified by the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG).
Several volunteering activities align with the pathways recommended by the UNSDG to ensure that no one is left behind. Some of these pathways include collecting disaggregated data, implementing policy and legislative reforms, and improving the quality and accessibility of services, among others.
The research paper includes data from Voluntary National Reviews and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks for 2021–2023. It details the efforts of volunteers in reaching the people who are furthest behind in both formal and informal settings.
The research paper draws on evidence from the Global South, with a focus on national and community-based volunteers.
Overall, the research paper has multi-faceted aims – to provide an overview of available evidence regarding the opportunities and challenges for volunteering to support LNOB, to amplify best practices in how national governments and United Nations institutions include volunteers in their LNOB strategies and to advocate the policy recommendations that are being developed on how to further embrace the integration of volunteer mechanisms to serve this agenda to the fullest.
This research paper can be found by accessing the link here.
More data, evidence and knowledge products on volunteerism can be found on the UNV Knowledge Portal on Volunteerism.