Angola

About UNV Programme in Angola

Facts and figures

Background:

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.

Present:

· 9 Angolans, out of which one woman, are serving abroad as International UN Volunteers mainly in peacekeeping missions and assistance to refugees in African countries such as Liberia, Burundi, Haiti, Eritrea, and DRC.

· A total number of 22 international UN Volunteers, out of which 8 women, are currently serving in Angola with UNHCR, UNDP, UNICEF, and WFP.

· 3 International UN Volunteers under the Corporate Private Sector Programme are realizing, in collaboration with the Angolan cooperative Sociedade Cooperativa Mbembwa Paz e Alegria, training courses for disabled people to help them find a job in the following three areas: building, hydric and electric sector in the province of Kuando Kubango.

· To-date, UNV’s financial contribution to Angola totals US$ 273,132 mobilized as follows:

. US$ 204,849 (FF by Italian Trust Fund);

. US$ 68,283 (FF by Czech Republic).

Contribution to UNDP MYFF Goals

· Responding to HIV/AIDS:

- Three IUNVs are serving as Assistant Resident Project Officers for UNICEF in the provinces of Lubango, Luena and Uige. They support the revitalization of the most essential health services at community level by facilitating community-based management of these services as well as increased partnership between government and civil society in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

- Two UNVs under the ARMADA Initiative are serving with UNDP Angola supporting the implementation of the Global Fund Project to fight AIDS, Tuberculoses and Malaria. They work in the area of procurement and manage significant part of the GF budget in Angola. All activities are conducted in a spirit of strong partnership with the Government of Angola to enable them to take over the role as Principal Recipient of the Fund after two years.

· Fostering democratic governance:

- One International UNV is working as Financial Assistant for the Decentralization and Local Governance Programme (DLG), collaborating directly with the Technical Advisory for Decentralization. In the particular case of Angola, good governance is a priority area in which UNDP is investing a significant percentage of its core resources, especially as it is perceived as one of the critical elements to support the national strategy to fight poverty.

- UNDP requested the recruitment of four international UN Volunteers as Field Programme Officers in the Municipalities to support its Decentralization and Local Governance Programme. The UN Volunteers should assist the Angolan Government in implementing decentralization and local governance in Angola, by establishing a legal and institutional framework clarifying the functional and fiscal relations between the different tiers of Local Government; improving local authorities’ capacity to plan and manage resources; promoting a participatory democracy and in implementing fiscal decentralization thought the pilot experience of a Municipal Development Fund.

· Poverty Reduction:

In line with the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (2004-2006) of the Angolan Government, 14 UN Volunteers are working for UNHCR and WFP to promote Sustainable Reintegration Program in areas of concentration of Returnees and Internally Displaced people. The International UNVs act as a link between UNHCR and the communities, supporting in the rehabilitation of the productive and social infrastructures in areas of return (road, bridge etc.). UN Volunteers also assist UNHCR in implementing income generation programmes and job creation.

Project in pipeline

· MDG initiatives:

- Together with the organization Muari Nda, UNV Angola is planning to support with POEM funds an alphabetisation project for ex-sex workers in marginalized areas of Luanda, contributing to the achievement of two MDGs “achieve primary education” and “promote gender equality and empower of women”.

- UNV CO Angola is interested in supporting a joint proposal with the NGOs and the UNAIDS to strengthen HIV-AIDS on going volunteers initiatives in Angola. The main goal is to link volunteerism to health care development, as a channel to develop local capacity to improve health situation, and to foster local initiatives to strengthen HIV-AIDS prevention policies, contributing to the achievement of MDGs in the Country.

· Recruitment:

- UNFPA showed interest in getting two international UNVs to work in office in Luanda.

- Global fund showed interest in having two National UNVs working as monitor and evaluation officer for their programmes in HIV-AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

UNV and UNDP web-site:

UNV and UNDP Angola jointly developped a space dedicated to the UNV programme within the UNDP web-site. The UNV web-pages provide updated information on UN Volunteers working in Angola and on UNV’s activities in the country. It also includes a direct link to the global website of the UNV Programme.

Celebrating Volunteerism in Angola

In 2005, for the first time on 5th of December Angolan NGOs celebrated the International Volunteers’ Day under the coordination of the UNV CO. A range of NGOs and CBOs were so interested in the IVD that they are planning to repeat the celebration, acting as local promoters. The idea is to profit of this IVD to discuss new ways of enhancing local expertise and of mobilizing the necessary volunteer human resources for Angolan development. More on Volunteerism in Angola

Several spontaneous initiatives are taking place in Angola for enhancing volunteers’ networking, particularly in the context of the fight against HIV/AIDS. Angola authorities and CSOs are focusing more and more on the role of volunteerism in the education for HIV-AIDS prevention. A good example is the NGOs Cruz Vermelha Angola, which has volunteers-actors to educate and inform young of Universities and schools about HIV-AIDS. The Cruz Vermelha Angola is one of the main partners of UNV Angola.

The UNV programme Angola collaborates also with the organization AMEGA, which is working on the rehabilitation and empowerment of people leaving with handicaps. AMEGA give training in arts (music, play, painting etc.) to people leaving with handicaps making of them estimated traditional artists.

UNV Country Office Team in Angola

The UNV Unit in Angola is located within the UN house in Luanda and is operating as an integral part of the UNDP country office. Since October 2006, Ms. Sara Formisano (FF by Italy) is the UNV Programme Officer. Ms. Marcelina Amaro is working as UNV Country Operational Assistant since November 2003. 

Back to UNV Angola Home