On Monday 29 April, UNV Executive Coordinator Richard Dictus briefed Member States and Permanent Observers to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Richard joined the Secretary-Generals Envoy on Youth, Ahmad Alhendawi, and the Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs for the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs, Thomas Seltzer, in updating ECOSOC on the progress made on the Secretary-Generals Five-Year Action Agenda as it relates to youth.
On Monday 29 April, UNV Executive Coordinator Richard Dictus briefed Member States and Permanent Observers to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Richard joined the Secretary-Generals Envoy on Youth, Ahmad Alhendawi, and the Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs for the UN Department for Economic and Social Affairs, Thomas Stelzer, in updating ECOSOC on the progress made on the Secretary-Generals Five-Year Action Agenda as it relates to youth.
During the briefing Richard described UNVs progress on the development of the Youth Volunteers Programme. The programme aims to facilitate youth participation and voice in peace and sustainable development programmes through volunteering, towards realization of their full social, economic and human potential.
The UNV Executive Coordinator highlighted the following:
- Based on discussions with stakeholders, including young people themselves, UNV sees a clear demand for increased volunteering opportunities for young people globally. Through the Youth Volunteers Programme UNV wants to increase the numbers of youth volunteers mobilized through UNV, while adding a new emphasis on their learning and development.
- UNV will expand and scale-up existing co-operation with various universities, in order to provide increased opportunities for young people to engage in development and peace.
- UNV will explore the establishment of UNV Young Professionals a new opportunity for young people, especially from the South, to volunteer at UN headquarters.
- More than sixty percent of UNVs existing online volunteers are young people. Under the Youth Volunteers Programme UNV will provide a broader set of opportunities for young people to volunteer online.
- UNV wants to enter into a dialogue with new government partners to support youth volunteerism in their countries and provide capacity strengthening for existing institutions, civil society organisations, and other entities.
- Through ongoing partnerships with the governments of Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, Japan, and with new partners, UNV wants to continue to send young volunteers to contribute to development and peace in various countries.
- UNV will work closely with ILO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, UNWOMEN and other agencies in order to develop youth programming that meets their needs.
- UNV is seeking additional funding for its Youth Volunteers Programme and would like to encourage all partners to join the Youth Volunteering Trust Fund.
View the video of the ECOSOC briefing.