United Nations Volunteers Mongolia

○ Marking the 10th anniversary of International Year of Volunteers (IYV+10)
○ Celebration Week of IYV+10 in Mongolia
○ Press Conference on IYV+10
○ IYV+10 Celebration Day in Mongolia
○ The Best Volunteering Awards Ceremony 2011
○ Key Documents

Marking 10th anniversary of International Year of Volunteers

[08 December 2011]

Beginning with the words “We the people”, the United Nations Charter reminds us the crafting solution to global challenges is a job not only for Governments, but for people, communities and civil society.

Around the world, people are increasingly recognizing that our unsustainable production and consumption patterns need to change. In order to achieve this, political will alone is not sufficient. People need to participate and engage

This week all over the world we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the International Year of Volunteer (IYV+10). The IYV+10 throughout the year aims to improve recognition, facilitation, networking and promotion of the impact of volunteers and volunteer-involving organizations worldwide on peace and development. Volunteering matters because volunteers have the power to change lives. They build social cohesion, enhance civic participation, mitigate conflict and contribute to a society’s well-being. But, for volunteerism’s full potential to be realized, more conducive policies are needed, and organizations need to advocate for the key role volunteer action has in attaining sustainable development. These are some of the major issues that have come out of this, IYV+10.

The Celebrations culminated on the International Volunteer Day (IVD) of the 5th of December 2011, when the UN General Assembly (UNGA) held sessions on volunteerism and launched the first-ever State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (SWVR: Universal Values for Global Well-being), which showcases the positive impact volunteers have made at the global, regional and national levels.

The Network of the Mongolian Volunteer Organizations, representing the Mongolian voluntary sector, in close collaboration with both national and international volunteering organizations and private sectors, is co-organizing the Celebration Week of IYV+10 during 5-9 December, which is supported by the United Nations Mongolia and facilitated by the United Nations Volunteers Programme (UNV). The Celebration Week was officially observed in Mongolia on the 8th of December 2011 as the Celebration Day of IYV+10.

- Download IYV+10 Brochure (English)
- Download IYV+10 Brochure (Mongolian)

State of the World’s Volunteerism Report: Universal Values for Global Well-being:

Download Report

This first State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (SWVR) launched in many countries around the world as part of global and national events being supported by UNV to mark IYV+10. In Mongolia the report was launched on Thursday afternoon, November 8th, during the ceremony of “Celebration Day of IYV+10 and IVD 2010” at the Conference Room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT).

As an expression of its convening role at the global level for IYV+10, UNV has considered this an appropriate moment to commission a global publication entitled State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (SWVR). This report offers both information and advocacy for the role and contribution of volunteerism in peace and development which includes achieving the MDGs. Please visit to get full version of the report: http://www.unv.org/about-us/swvr2011/report.html

The focus of the report is on the universal values that motivate people the world over to volunteer for the common good and on the impact of volunteer action on society and individuals. UNV believe in the power of volunteering to promote cooperation, encourage participation and contribute to the well-being of individuals and of society as a whole.

As we mark the tenth anniversary of International Year of Volunteers, the contribution of volunteerism is still only partially recognized. It is an afterthought rather than an organic component of programmes designed to promote citizen participation and societal well-being.

With this report, UNV hopes to make the case for the recognition of volunteerism as an essential component for the sustainable, equitable progress of communities and nations. In a rapidly changing environment, volunteerism is a constant. Its forms of expression may vary but the central values of solidarity and commitment that lie at its core remain strong and universal. They are found in all cultures and societies and are a true expression of our common humanity.

The report provides numerous examples of the transformational changes that volunteers experience and produce. It is shown why volunteerism is crucial to human development. More importantly, UNV argues that a truly human society needs to be driven by the values of trust, solidarity and mutual respect which inspire all volunteers.

In preparing this first United Nations report on volunteerism, it addresses numerous definitional and methodological issues. UNV is well aware that further study and research are needed to refine our understanding of the nature and extent of this expression of human endeavor. This report represents the starting point for a broader debate, not a definitive answer. In future years, it is intended to deepen our understanding of the motivations, scope, value and impact of volunteerism worldwide.

UNV The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide. Volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development and it benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing volunteers. In addition, the UNV programme in Mongolia is helping to establish a favorable environment for volunteerism in the country, and advocating for volunteerism at the national level. The first national UN Volunteer in Mongolia was recruited in 1995 and 153 national volunteers have served since then.
http://www.un-mongolia.mn/unv

Celebration Week of IYV+10 in Mongolia

The Volunteer Involving Organizations (ViOs) in Mongolia celebrated together IYV+10 during the week of 5-9 December 2011. Activities such as school visit by volunteers were organized by the Network of the Mongolian Volunteer Organizations (NMVO).

The Network of Mongolian Volunteer Organization is independent and non-profit, and as a membership organization for the Mongolian voluntary sector, it consists of over 30 volunteer organizations working in a diverse range of areas, including health, education, environmentalism and human rights. Its goals are to increase recognition of volunteering as a essential mechanism for development and change in Mongolia; to bring together the voluntary sector to share expertise and create a louder, more unified voice for volunteering; to raise awareness and increase participation in volunteering among the general public; and to improve the quality of volunteering and volunteer management. Its major activities range between capacity building, advocacy, partnership building and public information
The major Volunteer Involving Organizations (ViOs) in Mongolia range between Australian Red Cross in Mongolia, Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development (AYAD), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) & Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV), Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) & Korea Overseas Volunteers (KOV), Mongolian Red Cross Society, Network of the Mongolian Volunteer Organizations (NMVO), Peace Corps, Projects Abroad Mongolia, United Nations Youth Advisory Panel (YAP) andVoluntary Service Overseas (VSO) amongst many.

Press Conference on IYV+10

The Press Conference on IYV+10 took place on the 7^th December at the Press Institute in Ulaanbaatar. It was attended by a group of panelists including Ms. Undral Gombodorj, Chair of the Network of Mongolian Volunteer Organizations and Director of the Democracy Education Center (DEMO), Mr. Oliver Wittershagen, Portfolio Manager for East Asia of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme HQ, Ms. Dulamjav Damdindorj from the Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), Ms. Munkhtuul Sodnomtseren, In-Country Manager of the Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development (AYAD) and Ms. Enkhtuya Sukhbaatar, Country Manager of the Australian Red Cross in Mongolia.

IYV+10 Celebration Day in Mongolia

The IYV+10 was officially celebrated in Mongolia on the 8^th of December 2011 at the Conference Room of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT). Having chaired by the Deputy Director of the International Organizations Department of the MOFAT, the opening remarks were made by H.E. Gandi T., Minister of the Social Welfare and Labour(on behalf of the Mongolian Government), Dr. Wiwat Rojanapithayakorn, the WHO Representative(On behalf of the Untied Nations Mongolia) and Ms. G. Undral, Chair of the Network of the Mongolian Volunteer Organizations (On behalf of the Mongolian volunteering sectors). TheState of the World’s Volunteerism Report (SWVR)was officially launched in Mongolia with presentation made byMr. Oliver Wittershagen, Portfolio Manager for East Asiaof the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme. The SWVR promotes a better understanding of volunteerism by demonstrating its universality, scope and reach and by discussing new trends in volunteerism in the twenty-first century.

The Best Volunteering Awards Ceremony 2011

The Best Volunteering Awards Ceremony took place during the official celebration of IYV+10 on the 8^th December 2011. The winners of the awards are in the below table. The Best Supporting Organization for Volunteerism was awarded to the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme.

Selection criteria of the Best Volunteering Awards 2011

Best Volunteer of the Year

An individual person

Judged by the quality of volunteering work carried out in Mongolia and between January-December 2011
Highest level of commitment to volunteering activities
Positive impact on the wider community
Proactive in raising the profile of volunteerism in the given community and society at large
Proactive in encouraging others to volunteer
Innovativeapproaches taken to volunteering, overcoming difficulties and tackling projects in innovative ways
Ability to work with others and build relationships with other volunteers, organisations and beneficiaries

Life-time Achievement in Volunteering

An individual who has been volunteering for more than five years and meets the criteria for the Best Volunteer of the Year

Best Young Volunteer of the Year

An individual who is not older than 25 years in age and meets the criteria for the Best Volunteer of the Year

Volunteering Project of the Year

An individual project implemented either by an organisation, several organisations or a group of volunteers
Judged by the quality of planning and implementation of volunteering project carried out in Mongolia and between January-December 2011
Implemented volunteering projects with a positive impact on the wider community, reaching out a large number of beneficiaries and providing high-quality services to beneficiaries
Created volunteering opportunities at the highest level of quality and quantity
Implementation of volunteering project in cooperation with a wide-range of stakeholders
Proactive in raising the public profile of volunteering
An innovative way of project delivery

Best Volunteer Organisation of the Year

An legal entity in Mongolia
Judged by the quality of volunteering programmes carried out in Mongolia and between January-December 2011
Developed an excellent volunteer management system, covering all aspects including recruitment and training
Developed excellent volunteering programmes based on good research and analysis and monitoring and evaluation
Created volunteering opportunities at the highest level of quality and quantity
Implemented volunteering programmes with a positive impact on the wider community, reaching out a large number of beneficiaries and providing high-quality services to beneficiaries
Proactive in sharing skills and experiences with others to further support the overall development of volunteering sectors
Proactive in raising the public profile of volunteering and social inclusion
Implementation of volunteering programmes in cooperation with a wide-range of stakeholders

Best Supporting Organization for Volunteerism

An legal entity in Mongolia
Judged by the quality of volunteering programmes carried out in Mongolia and between January-December 2011
An organisation who has made a significant difference in improving and promoting volunteerism by initiating and providing for technical and other support (e.g. creating an enabling environment for volunteering work, including legal analysis and study on volunteering sectors and volunteerism and civic engagement etc.)

Key Documents

UNV Key Documents

Media

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