The United Nations has launched the State of the World’s Volunteerism Report in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
The report entitled “Building Equal and Inclusive Societies” highlights the importance of reinforcing the collaboration between volunteers and state authorities to enhance collaborative decision-making, create equal societies and support the inclusive implementation of national, regional and global development strategies.
The report also called for closer partnerships with state authorities to address urgent development challenges, from climate change, to ecosystem and biodiversity loss, to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking at the launch, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Mr. Matthias Schmale, said that Volunteerism plays a central role in strengthening people to state relationships, therefore, there was a need to create an enabling environment for more people to get involved in volunteer services.
“The UN firmly believes that volunteerism is an important factor in changing the pace and nature of development, strengthening people to state relationships, promotes better governance, helps build more equal and inclusive societies, and fosters stability. We need to strengthen the existing structures and enhance what has been done. Well, within our volunteer organization in Nigeria, we must support the volunteer actors in their initiatives and their positioning, we must create more opportunities for great number of men and women to become involved and thus become the agents of their future”.
Mr. Matthias Schmale, noted that the UN has mobilized a significant number of volunteers for the UN system and the government.
“Around the globe and not just Nigeria, volunteerism has played an important role in realizing and achieving the SDGs in contributing to ten community volunteers. Within the UN system we have mobiles significant number of more than a hundred last year for the UN system and also for the government. We also have a collaboration with the Benue State government that is contributing ten community volunteers”.
The UN Volunteers Chief of External Relations and communication, Ema Webb, commended Nigeria’s volunteer services.
“Volunteerism is service without benefit to one self but others, and Nigeria has been in the forefront of volunteer services, volunteerism is incredibly vibrant in Nigeria, we looking at the statistics of global report, almost one hundred billion volunteer every month, and one million volunteer in Africa, volunteerism is very much alive in Nigeria it has help support especially over the last two years during the pandemic”.
According to Nigeria’s Vice president who was represented by the FCT Minister for State, Ramatu Tijani, with the spirit of togetherness, volunteerism will achieve its desired goal.
“It is important that we continue to encourage and build the spirit of togetherness volunteerism across the world, we should also encourage the coordination of volunteerism efforts between government, civil society organization, development partners and private sector to ensure that we achieve maximum efforts. And as a Government we are committed to working with all stakeholders to put Nigeria as a leading voice to achieve this laudable vision”
The Special Assistance to the Governor of Benue state, on Development Cooperation, SDGs and NEPAD, Professor Magdalene Dura said that Nigeria’s national policy on inclusive shows readiness to harness all skills in volunteerism.
“The gap has been the lack of organization and coordination, whereby we are able to pull both sectors together and work together seamlessly to achieve development. Thankfully the federal government of Nigeria has put in place a national policy plan on national policy on inclusive volunteerism. The beauty of the policy plan is the use of the word inclusivity, and by the use of the word inclusivity, it means government is now ready to take on board both the formal and informal sector and all people who are ready to give their services on daily basis. With that in place, we believe that Nigeria is now ready to harness all expertise and skills, formal and informal in a coordinated manner so that we work together to ensure that we take care of development issues”.
As countries start to work towards a post pandemic society, governments and other stakeholders need to work more closely with volunteers, engaging with them as key partners and opening up the space for them to collaborate on vital development solutions.
