UNV and the State of Palestine Partner to Enhance Volunteering for the 2030 Agenda

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Palestinian International Cooperation Agency (PICA) on 26 August 2019. The Memorandum of Understanding sets the ground for cooperation between the two parties for delivery on the 2030 Agenda through volunteerism. Through this agreement, both sides aim to expand opportunities for Palestinians to contribute to their own development and to the global development agenda, peace and humanitarian efforts.

As per the agreement, UNV and PICA will cooperate to increase the presence of Palestine nationals serving the United Nations System as UN Volunteers globally, jointly develop a UNV Full Funding programme for Palestinian nationals to be deployed as UN Volunteers, and customize an online volunteering platform to engage Palestinians as online volunteers in support of the 2030 Agenda.

The agreement was signed in Ramallah, State of Palestine, in presence of H.E Dr Riad Malki, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. It was signed by Imad Zuhairi, PICA Director General and Mr Roberto Valent, Special Representative of the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, on behalf of UNV Executive Coordinator, Mr Olivier Adam.

A few days after signing the agreement, UNV's Executive Coordinator Olivier Adam met with H.E. Dr. Riyad Mansour, Ambassador and Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, which is currently chairing the Group of 77 and China at the UN. The meeting came as a follow-up to facilitate the implementation of agreed action points. Mr Adam also updated Ambassador Mansour, as chair of the G77, on preparations for the Global Technical Meeting in 2020, which will be organized as a special event during the 2020 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, with a focus on ‘reimagining volunteering for the 2030 Agenda’.

During their meeting, Executive Coordinator Adam presented Ambassador Mansour with a copy of the Memorandum of Understanding, stressing that the agreement will allow partners to benefit from the skills and expertise of Palestinians. He also said that up to ten Palestinians are expected to be deployed as fully-funded UN Volunteers with UN partners across the world next year.

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