We had a GLOWing time!

Dear Colleagues,

Some of you will recall that in May 1999, UNV held its first Global Workshop, bringing together UNV colleagues and partners from the field (UNV Programme Managers, Programme Officers and Country Office Assistants) and headquarters to collectively  look ahead and to plan for the opportunities that the International Year of Volunteers (IYV2001) would bring in particular.  That Workshop was a watershed event, not in the least because of the particular participatory approach that was applied in organizing it.

Since then much has happened.  IYV2001 was a success, creating global awareness about the massive contribution individuals make to development through voluntary action, whether expressed as volunteer service, mutual aid and self-help, or campaigning and other forms of social activism. The willingness and ability of citizens to give freely of their time out of a sense of solidarity if properly recognized and supported, can have a major influence on the extent to which the MDGs are attained and sustained. UNV therefore used that year to reposition itself as a programme that now actively promotes the whole concept of volunteerism for development, including the mobilization of volunteers, whether UN Volunteers or people volunteering in their own communities. 

UNV has been pursuing this new mission ever since and, amidst recognition and encouragement from governing bodies, stakeholders and partners, has seen major growth in all its activities.

But for us in UNV this is only the beginning.  It is at this moment of relative strength that we are now organizing another UNV Global Workshop (GLOW2005) that will be held from 14-20 May in Bonn.  Our aim is to further reflect on what we stand for, to further develop a common understanding of our mission and vision for the future, and to further secure collective ownership in achieving agreed goals. Based on the principles of  inclusion, participation, equality, opportunity and respect, we aim at :

-   having an open dialogue about issues affecting UNV as a partner in peace and development;

-   exchanging ideas on opportunities and challenges for the future;

-   clarifying the diversity of roles and expectations throughout UNV;

-         developing commitment across all parts of the organization; and

-         learning, while celebrating and appreciating our significant experiences.

I wanted to personally inform you about the event so that on a more practical level, you could plan for the release of  UNV colleagues serving in your office. 

More importantly, though, I would very much welcome your views and advice on issues – be they strategic, substantive or operational – that we could or should consider during our discussions at the GLOW (our UNV teams in your Office have already shared their own ideas through an online Needs Assessment questionnaire).

For this purpose, we have developed a separate site for the event - the GLOWeb. A personal username and a password have been established for you, in case you wish to share your comments with participants and other readers. However, please feel free to also contact me directly should this be more convenient.

GLOW2005 promises to be a great opportunity to move forward, collectively, and to achieve results – again, collectively.  I look forward to your ideas, not only on how we can make this a truly outstanding event, but also on how we can all further build UNV into a relevant and value adding organization and programme.

Thanks in advance for your support and I very much look forward to receiving your thoughts and contributions.

Very best personal regards.

Ad