The UN in Myanmar is in the process of formulating its first United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for the period 2018-2021. The Office of the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator is the unit within the UN Development Programme (UNDP) providing support to the Resident Coordinator and the United Nations Country Team to promote and implement the UN coordination/reform agenda and the overall UN strategy. This support is guided by the principles of inclusiveness and sustainability and in the internationally agreed treaties and standards.

The Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) and the National Service Scheme (NSS) are among the world’s largest youth volunteering schemes. They aim to help young people to reach their full social, economic and human potential, while instilling a strong sense of civic engagement facilitating greater youth participation in achieving sustainable development goals collaborated with Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.

The 4th Chinese Youth Volunteer Service Project Competition and Volunteer Service Exchange Expo in 2018 was successfully held during 1-2 December in Sichuan province of China, marking International Volunteer Day under the theme 'Youth Volunteerism for the New Era'. The hosting organizations of this volunteer event included the China Central Youth League (CYL), Central Civilization Office, and Ministry of Civil Affairs, the People’s Government of Sichuan Province and a total of 11 ministerial and provincial governmental entities.

International Volunteers Day is an opportunity for volunteers and organizations to celebrate their efforts and share their work among their communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, government authorities and the private sector. The day focuses on the values of volunteerism through the appreciation of local volunteers. This year we are highlighting the work of UN Volunteers in the Pacific, one of the regions where they are supporting national health responses through the UNDP-Global Fund partnership.

In Asia and the Pacific, there are nearly 29 million full-time equivalent volunteers. Volunteers are answering the call to serve their communities, strengthening local ownership and building their communities resilience against natural disasters, economic stresses and political shocks.

From my younger days, I had three dreams. One of them was to have the opportunity to work as a part of the UN System. Through the Youth Leads programme, I have now been able to achieve this. --UN Volunteer Kasunjith Satanarachchi

In 2018, four candidates have already been selected for assignments with UNDP in Armenia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Ukraine.  

Following Nepal's recent constitutional transition to a federal structure and many new provincial offices being established to foster Nepal’s process to E-Governance and transparency, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme supported the LGCDP II project under the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration by deploying national UN Volunteer ICT Experts to the different provinces. 

The desire to prevent deaths from infectious diseases like TB and HIV/AIDS in vulnerable groups brought Ronald across the world.  Through volunteerism, Dr Achidri has used his knowledge and skills to help people affected by TB in Tuvalu and ensure they have access to care, support and proper treatment. He has helped to scale up HIV testing and counselling among key populations as well as offering preventive treatment and services both at the health facilities and through outreach sessions.  

Volunteer programmes are frequently not well integrated into their own country’s broader overseas national development programming, with potential partnerships with official mechanisms, national strategies and development actors (including the government, the private sector and the third sector) limited by a lack of trust and experience.