Olivier Adam, Executive Coordinator, UNV, delivered the keynote speech to the Special Session of the Management Council meeting of the Viva Voluntario Programme in Brazil on March 6th, 2018. The Executive Coordinator spoke about the power of volunteerism and the importance of providing volunteer opportunities for citizens to engage and be part of the solution to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

The full speech is below - to be checked upon delivery (note: speech was delivered in Portuguese version)

Peace can only be achieved by working face-to-face with communities and ensuring equal opportunities for them to thrive, no matter where they come from and how long they have been in conflicts. Contributing to opening new paths of dialogue, understanding and reconciliation are also essential, along with the willingness to transform realities for the better. This is something I have reaffirmed as a UN Volunteer in Colombia: people are desperately looking for change. A change that allows them to overcome years of war, and enhance their wellbeing.

On December 5th 2017, the UNV Field Unit in Liberia, in collaboration with Volunteers Involving Organizations (VIOs), Liberia NGOs, Network, National Volunteer Movements and other partners jointly organized a series of activities and events across the country.

Climate change is one of the most crucial concerns for the Pacific region. The year 2017 was an especially important year for the Pacific, as Fiji was the host of the Climate Change conference, COP23. This was a great opportunity to promote the urgency of climate change that the Pacific faces. As Pacific Island Countries and Territories engage with key partners to tackle the Sustainable Development Goals, UN Volunteers with UNDP are providing critical contributions to tackle climate change adaptation and disaster risk management.

They came from ten countries around Africa and as far away as Guatemala, representing thirteen nationalities. Twenty-five UN Volunteers gathered in Nairobi from 7-9 November 2017 for the second Learning and Strategy Workshop on Gender-Responsive Peacebuilding (#GRPB) organized by UN Volunteers, UN Women and the UN Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO). The UN Volunteers are making a unique contribution to increasing women’s participation in peacebuilding and utilizing gender-responsive approaches to improve peacebuilding outcomes.

A total of 486,460 refugees and asylum seekers are in Kenya today, 86 per cent of whom live in the Dadaab Refugee Complex and in Kakuma Refugee Camp. Most of the refugees come from Somalia and South Sudan, where humanitarian conditions have deteriorated and millions are in need of assistance. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) leads the Kenya operation, with outstanding support from UN Volunteers serving in those camps.