Volunteerism and Disaster Risk Reduction

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Volunteerism andDisaster Risk Reduction
Management
Oliver Wittershagen Portfolio Manager East
Asia Development Division United Nations
Volunteers May 2011
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Outline

• United Nations Volunteers
• Volunteerism latest trends
• Volunteerism and Disaster Risk Reduction
• Hyogo Framework for Action
• UNVs strategy
• Volunteers in action
• Key recommendations

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United Nations VolunteersOur Goal

• UNV contributes to peace and development through
  volunteerism

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Our Key Results

1. Global recognition of volunteerism for peace and
   development
2. Ensure the integration of volunteerism into
   development programmes
3. Mobilization of increasing numbers of volunteers,
   and increasing diversity of volunteers,
   contributing to peace and development

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Volunteerism for peace and developmentWhat we
believe

• VOLUNTEERSM
• Can transform the pace and nature of development
• Benefits society at large and individual
  volunteers
• Is universal, inclusive, diverse
• Assists social inclusion and promotes access to
  services
• Is a way for communities to understand their
  needs, gain recognition, participate in
  development solutions

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United Nations Volunteers

• Volunteerism for Peace and Development
• 7,545 UN Volunteers (natl and intl) serving full
  time in 128 countries from 158 countries
• Average age 37 years old, with 5-10 years working
  experience and over 100 professional categories
• 42 in crisis prevention and recovery

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Volunteerism latest trends

• A shift away from a giver and receiver model of
  volunteering towards a more reciprocal
  relationship from which all parties benefit
  opening up opportunities for excluded people to
  participate in volunteerism as an approach to
  promoting social inclusion.
• Advances in global electronic volunteer networks
  and online volunteering are redefining the notion
  of community.
• Growing interest among Governments in valuing
  local cultures and traditions of volunteerism and
  adapting them to modern-day circumstances.

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Volunteerism latest trends (cont.)

• Recognition of volunteerism is being accompanied
  by calls for increased professionalism in formal
  volunteering management.
• Growing interest strengthening measures such as
  volunteering-friendly policies and legislation,
  tools for measuring economic contributions,
  service volunteer schemes and volunteer centres.
• Private-sector interest in employee volunteering
  as an expression of corporate social
  responsibility.

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Hyogo Framework for Action (cont.)
Strategic management of volunteer resources
Wider opportunities for engagement and more
support to NGOs, CBOs, and the promotion of
volunteerism to be addressed more systematically
and effectively if enhanced and sustained
capabilities are to be realised within local
communities.

• Promote community participation in DRR

volunteerism was cited as an important
contributor in creating community engagement and
therefore improved resilience
building on spirit of volunteerism
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Volunteerism and DRRUNVs strategy

• At the national level, UNV and volunteers can
• support establishment of common awareness and
  understanding of crises among key stakeholders,
  including local authorities and local
  communities
• support governments in preparing and implementing
  crisis-sensitive development and recovery plans,
  including establishing and/or strengthening
  national volunteer programmes for disaster
  relief
• advocate for recognition of the contribution of
  volunteerism in designing disaster risk reduction
  plans

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UNVs strategy (continued)

• facilitate development of institutional
  capacities of national and/or local authorities
  to strategically manage, support and monitor
  local volunteers and civil society organisations
  and
• provide coordination, operational and technical
  support to district administration and NGOs,
  including volunteer involving organisations in
  the implementation of disaster risk assessment
  and reduction plans.
• At the community level, UNV and volunteerism can
• create space for inclusive dialogue and support
  the capacity development of community-based
  organisations and communities to engage, empower
  and mobilise community members in grassroots
  disaster risk management efforts

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UNVs strategy (cont.)

• raise awareness, promote preparedness, and
  conduct community level hazard, risk,
  vulnerability and capacity assessments as a
  significant step towards development of a local
  disaster plans, feeding into district and
  national disaster plans
• mobilise community contributions (volunteer,
  in-kind and financial resources) for
  implementation of local disaster risk management
  plans
• facilitate the inclusion and participation of
  affected communities, especially women and youth,
  in the planning and implementation of disaster
  risk management plans and tools
• revitalise community members voluntary mutual
  support practices and self-help activities for
  implementation of disaster risk management plans.

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Volunteers in action

• National UN Volunteers facilitate relationship
  between local authorities and communities (India)
• National UN Volunteers support local authorities
  to involve communities in disaster preparedness
  activities (Sri Lanka, Nepal, Ecuador)
• Community-based disaster-preparedness plans
  (India, Sri Lanka) community-based training
  (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka) community-driven
  environment restoration projects (Sri Lanka)

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Volunteers in action (cont.)

• Support to institutional capacity development of
  National Volunteer Movement (Pakistan)
• Organised and long-term involvement of community
  members in disaster risk reduction activities
  (Cuba)
• Support to capacity development of NGOs and CBOs
  in the area of disaster risk reduction (Ecuador)
• Volunteer-based training-of-trainer programmes
  (Ecuador, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia)

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Recommendations

• Ensure inclusion of volunteerism in national
  disaster management programmes with a focus on
  local capacity development
• Establish rosters that allow rapid deployment of
  disaster management specialists that are able to
  support aid coordination efforts and fill
  immediate capacity gaps
• Establish national and/or local volunteer schemes
  that facilitate management of massive influx of
  spontaneous voluntary action
• Mainstream volunteerism and the role of
  volunteers in all sectors of national development
  plans
• Develop enabling environment for volunteer action

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THANK YOU!
Oliver Wittershagen Portfolio Manager Development
Division United Nations Volunteers Oliver.wittersh
agen_at_UNVolunteers.org