About UNV in BiH

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme was established in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) in 1996. Since 1996, the UNV programme in BiH has hosted over 970 international and 570 national volunteers. From 1997 to 1999, this was among the largest UNV programmes in the world. Past projects and initiatives include: ‘Multisectoral Assistance to War-affected Populations in Bosnia and Herzegovina’, ‘Community Confidence and Capacity Building’ and ‘Riversee: Regional Integration through Volunteer Exchange for Reconciliation in South Eastern Europe’. UN Volunteers have been placed in various international and national organizations, institutions and CSOs.


UNV in Bosnia and Herzegovina seeks to promote the beneficial effects of volunteerism - increased trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens – to stimulate positive social change within the framework of the country’s EU agenda and the current UN development framework.


Current UNV Activities in BiH:


ADVOCATING FOR VOLUNTEERISM




  • International Volunteer Day in Bosnia and Herzegovina



  • Marking of the 10th anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers




  • Volunteer Legislation in Bosnia and Herzegovina


INTEGRATING VOLUNTEERS in DEVELOPMENT




  • MDG Achievement Fund Youth Employability and Retention Programme



  • MDG Achievement Fund Environment and Climate Change Programme


MOBILIZING VOLUNTEERS

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Current UNV Activities in BiH:


ADVOCATING FOR VOLUNTEERISM


International Volunteer Day in Bosnia and Herzegovina


Marked annually on December 5th, International Volunteer Day (IVD) is the day designated by the United Nations to recognize, celebrate and promote volunteers and the contributions they make locally, nationally and internationally. IVD was established by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 40/212 on 17 December 1985.


International Year of Volunteers + 10


In 2010, IVD served as the launch date for the 10th anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers marked in 2001. The objective of IYV+10 is to recognize and reflect on the important contributions made by volunteers, and the progress and future actions to recognize, celebrate and promote the voluntary contributions of citizens. International Year of Volunteers, celebrated globally in 2001, emerged from the recognition by the United Nations of the value and necessity of volunteer efforts in achieving and safeguarding a more equitable, prosperous and stable global community.


The United Nations Volunteers programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina will utilize 2011 to recognize, celebrate and promote the voluntary contributions of citizens to inclusive, equitable and environmentally sustainable human development, and progress toward the MDGs, in Bosnia and Herzegovina.


Volunteer Legislation in Bosnia and Herzegovina


UNV is actively collaborating with a number of national and international organizations and government actions to support the development, adoption and implementation of legislation protecting and promoting the rights of volunteers at the state and entities level.


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INTEGRATING VOLUNTEERS in DEVELOPMENT


MDG Achievement Fund Youth Employability and Retention Programme




  • Involvement of 19 national UN Volunteers as Youth Employment Counselor-Advisors in the newly created Youth Employment Centers, and implementing volunteerism community outreach


UNV is one of five UN implementing agencies (UNDP, UNV, UNICEF, UNFPA, IOM) of the 3 year joint MDG Achievement Fund Youth Employability and Retention (MDG-F YERP) programme which commenced on 1 January 2010. The MDG-F Youth Employability and Retention programme seeks to enhance the capacities of the public employment services and civil society to develop and deliver an integrated package of youth employability measures; increase the capacity of the education system to improve youth employability; and minimize the negative impacts of youth out migration.


More information on this project is available at www.un.ba or look for YERP on Facebook.


MDG Achievement Fund Environment and Climate Change Programme




  • Involvement of 1 international UNV LEAP Development Coordinator and 5 national UN Volunteers as LEAP Municipal Coordinators facilitating participatory development of local environmental action plans (LEAPs)


UNV is one of five UN implementing agencies (UNDP, UNV, UNESCO, UNEP, FAO) of the 3 year joint MDG Achievement Fund Environment and Climate Change programme which commenced on 1 January 2010. The MDG-F Environment programme aims to improve local level environmental management through developing effective local participatory environmental planning and service delivery and raising awareness and local actions in support of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) goals.


More information on this project is available at www.un.ba


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MOBILIZING VOLUNTEERS


Recruitment and support to individual national and international UN Volunteers serving with UN agencies and projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition, the UNV Country Office in Sarajevo provides pre-departure support to Bosnians serving abroad as international UN Volunteers.


Currently, there are over 30 national and international UN Volunteers serving in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as 4 BiH citizens serving in Afghanistan, the DRC, Kosovo and Liberia.