UNDP Syria

Volunteering brings benefits to both society at-large and the individual Volunteer, contributing to a more cohesive society by building trust and reciprocity among citizens. In the words of UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan,

"At the heart of Volunteerism are the ideals of service and solidarity and the belief that together we can make the world a better place. In that sense, we can say that Volunteerism is the ultimate expression of what the United Nations is all about."

UNV is represented worldwide through the offices of the UNDP, and is active in more than 140 countries. It was created by the UN General Assembly in 1971 at the request of UN Member Countries to become the United Nations focal point for promoting and harnessing volunteerism for effective development. UNV is a strategic source of knowledge and advice about the role and contribution of volunteerism and the benefits of civic engagement in development programmes. UNV is dedicated to using Volunteerism for Development (V4D) to make distinctive contributions to the effectiveness of development.
The UNV Programme has been present in Syria since 1979 to contribute to development in Syria through building the capacity of government and non-governmental organizations to better plan, implement and evaluate their projects. Skilled and high-caliber UNV volunteers have given assistance in the various community development activities carried out by the UN system, the Government, NGOs, bilateral donors and the private sector.
At present there are 70 National and International UNV volunteers including statisticians; economists; legal aid experts; registration, eligibility, and resettlement officers; community service officers; Information officers, education officers, and monitoring and evaluation officers, who are working with various UN agencies on several projects throughout Syria.
UNV also support the development of projects and activities promoting volunteerism and mobilizing volunteers.