Volunteers’ much-needed contribution to resilience in Arab states

December 5 marked the International Volunteer Day (IVD), which has been observed by the United Nations General Assembly since 1985. This year, under the theme “Volunteers build Resilient Communities”, the IVD celebrates the special contribution of volunteers in building resilient communities worldwide.

There are currently more than 1 billion volunteers contributing to the efforts made to face natural disasters, economic stresses and political shocks worldwide. They compose an equivalent workforce of 109 million people, of whom 9 million equivalent full-time volunteers are in the Arab states. A region which is not only home to fragile ecosystems, extreme weather and subject to natural disasters, such as catastrophic droughts and floods, but has also been witnessing armed conflicts that increased the pressure on societies and local communities, driving millions into forced displacement and food insecurity.

In such a situation, the role of volunteers in strengthening resilience is emphasised, according to the State of the World’s Volunteerism Report 2018. This is because of the distinctive ability of volunteers to support the integration of refugees and displaced people into communities, building people’s ownership of peace and development processes and strengthening social cohesion within and across groups. In fact, evidence from across the region indicates that volunteers act first.

We can find examples of the contributions volunteers make across the Arab states. In Yemen, which is experiencing the most drastic humanitarian crisis in the world, with as many as 22 million people in need of humanitarian aid, volunteers are conducting food security needs assessments and preparing and distributing food assistance vouchers.

In Jordan and Egypt, volunteers are providing medical and educational support to displaced populations, and in Iraq, they are rebuilding Mosul through reconstruction projects.

Volunteers are also giving a voice to unheard civilians in need of protection in Gaza, providing support for UN agencies relocating back to Tripoli in Libya, promoting women's representation in parliamentary elections in Lebanon and helping to provide clean water for thousands in the desert of Darfur in Sudan, where the lack of water is one of the biggest threats to peace.

More than 7,000 volunteers have served through the United Nations Volunteers programme worldwide this year. Of these, 663 UN volunteers came from Arab states, and, more specifically, 47 from Jordan, with 10 Jordanians serving abroad.

On this occasion, the United Nations Volunteers programme calls on all partners and stakeholders to engage with the efforts being made to ensure that volunteerism is really evolving, in a way that allows all the talents of the region to contribute and to work together on long-term solutions to development challenges.

The writer is the United Nations Volunteers regional manager for Arab States, Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States. He contributed this article to The Jordan Times