UNV Country Profile - Lebanon

(Arabic; French)

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) is the volunteer arm of the UN System, which extends hands-on assistance for sustainable human development in 140 countries. Created by the UN General Assembly in 1970 and administered by UNDP, UNV works through UNDP Country Offices to promote and mobilize the global volunteer reservoir of experience, ideas and support for development.

UNV contributes to volunteerism for development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging the integration of volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing volunteers.  The UNV programme advocates for environments in which volunteerism can flourish and people have the ability and the right to participate in the development process.  We promote the integration of volunteering into the objectives and activities of partners such as governments and development organizations, and we do so to facilitate national ownership of development processes.  UNV also mobilizes, and supports others to mobilize, large numbers of people to volunteer in pursuit of human development.

Through the application of the concept of “Volunteerism  for Development” and by implementing the new UNV Business Model, the program in Lebanon pursues distinctive contributions to development effectiveness and provides valuable complementary interventions to the efforts of the UN system in Lebanon.

UNV Programme in Lebanon

1. ADVOCATING for the concept of Volunteerism for Development and Peace

UNV Programme organizes, and supports volunteering activities involving volunteers from local NGOs, civil society, Academia, private sector, and UN staff.  UNV programme actively participated in the first, second and third editions of Beirut International Marathon held in 2003, 2004 and 2005. It has also partnered with the National Committee for organizing the “VIèmes édition des Jeux de la Francophonie 2009” in Beirut from 27 September till 6 October 2009. The International Year of Volunteers (IYV2001), for which UNV was the UN designated Focal Point, was a unique opportunity for governments to recognize, promote, network for and facilitate voluntary activity. In Lebanon, a major result of the IYV2001 was the establishment of a Permanent National Committee for Volunteering headed by the Minister of Social Affairs. The Committee’s functions include promoting volunteerism, advancing the concept of volunteer action in Lebanon and establishing a Volunteer Center.

2. INTEGRATING “Volunteerism for Development” into development planning and programming

UNV is working with the UN system in Lebanon and other partners to delineate the role of volunteerism in mobilizing local community target groups (youth and adolescence, women and seniors); that contributes to national efforts towards reducing poverty, organizing the young people around development activities, promoting social capital, and assisting civil society, local groups and organizations to participate in their own development.

UNV funded projects:

UNV Support to the Promotion of Local Governance in Lebanon 2004-2006

This project aimed at revitalizing and developing local governance structures in two most disadvantaged regions of Lebanon: North (Akkar) and East (Mount Lebanon). It targeted less developed communities and assisted by mobilizing communities’ groups to become engaged in local development efforts, catching up with other more privileged regions in Lebanon.

Enhancing Business-Community Relations 2001-2002

In May 2001, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) and the New Academy of Business embarked upon an eighteen-month project, entitled ‘Enhancing Business-Community Relations’. Operating across seven countries - Brazil, Ghana, India, Lebanon, Nigeria, Philippines and South Africa - this project has sought both to bridge the gaps between communities and businesses in understanding and to cultivate relationships that are more socially just and ecologically sustainable. The purpose of the initiative was to collect and document information on business-community practices as perceived by all stakeholders, build partnerships with them and promote corporate social responsibility practices.

3. MOBILIZING volunteers (including, but not limited to, UNV Volunteers)

The United Nations Volunteer Programme was initiated in Lebanon in 1993 and has since mobilized more than 100 national and international volunteers working with various UN agencies, government institutions, civil society and the private sector.

For more information about UNV and its programme:

United Nations Development Programme Arab African International Bank Bldg, Riad El Solh Street, Nejmeh, Beirut 2011 5211 Lebanon E-mail: unv@undp.org.lb www.undp.org.lb/unv  www.unvolunteers.org

“It’s only when you give of yourself that you truly give” -- Gibran Khalil Gibran --

Updated in April 2009

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