Angola

UN Volunteers in Angola

The United Nations Volunteers programme supports sustainable human development globally through the promotion of volunteerism, including the mobilization of volunteers. It was created by the UN General Assembly in 1970 to serve as an operational partner in development cooperation. It reports to the United Nations Development Programme ( UNDP ) and works through UNDP's country offices around the world.

Since the implementation of the UNV Programme in 1984, more than 350 UN Volunteers have been fielded in Angola, mainly in the fields of humanitarian assistance, peace-keeping, and demobilization. The civil war in Angola lasted for three decades. So volunteerism is a relatively young sector in the country.

Angola Steering Committee for UNDAF was established in July 2003 and terminated in 2005. According to the UNDAF 2005-2008, the UN System in Angola is supporting the following national priorities responding to the post-war situation:

1. Greater promotion of pro-poor growth, human rights, good governance, and decentralization in accordance with international norms

2. To contribute to the development of sustainable livelihoods for the majority of the population through the increase of household incomes and sustainable food security and environment

3. To strengthen the national capacity for development and delivery of services to sustain processes of social empowerment aimed at reducing child mortality, contributing to universal primary education, and controlling the spread of HIV/AIDS.

First Study on Volunteerism in Angola (Portuguese version)

Luanda, 30 March 2007 - The UNV Programme in Angola published the first Study on Volunteerism on December 2006. The Study reflects how important is the participation and involvement of volunteerism in national development.

Based on the results from a national survey carried on during the past year, this Study reflects that actually the 83% of the national NGOs in Angola work mainly with volunteers. The Study also analyzes the most common definition about the concept “volunteer” in Angola and shows the main areas of development in which the volunteers are actually working and their professional profiles.

This report was launched during the celebration of the International Volunteers Day (IVD) with the participation of volunteers from 20 national NGOs.