Becoming a UNV| National UN Volunteers | Conditions of Service |
| National UNV Categories and Profiles | How to Apply ? |
National UN Volunteers have skills appropriate to the local needs and knowledge of the socio-cultural and political conditions prevailing in their country. This facilitates their integration into the programme and local context, and helps the interaction with national and international peers, counterparts and stakeholders. The use of National UN Volunteers also enhances possibilities for national capacity-building and human resource development by strengthening the pool of expertise and knowledge which remains in the country.
The roles played by National UN Volunteers vary from need to need. Listed below are examples of roles - both catalytic and synergetic - undertaken by National UN Volunteers:
- Supporting community-based initiatives; mobilizing and promoting local volunteer efforts to motivate and assist self-help development; strengthening organizational capacities of CBOs and NGOs through needs-analysis, management, and leadership training; and articulating needs of communities with the aim of translating their needs into workable plans and actions.
- Facilitating networking and information exchange; assisting policy dialogue and informing/influencing policy making bodies at local and national levels by creating linkages between and among a variety of actors, including CBOs, NGOs, local authorities and national Governments.
- Providing assistance in violent conflict and humanitarian relief situations; communicating and coordinating information flow of field conditions from local communities to international agencies, such as WFP, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNFPA, WHO and UNDP, to strengthen ongoing activities.
- Enhancing peace-building and promoting human rights; supporting preventive and curative development, including human rights education initiatives, by bringing local knowledge and cultural understanding, coupled with specific experience and qualifications, to ongoing activities.
- Assisting technical support; providing local technical expertise to development projects in a variety of sectors, including micro-credit enterprises, rural infrastructure, health and nutrition, agriculture, population and environmental management.
- Mainstreaming gender; facilitating the mobilization of local women stakeholders toward equal and active participation in project and programme activities.
- Transferring skills; teaching and transferring valuable learning experiences through educational activities and by example.
- This list of National UNV roles in a wide range of services is not exhaustive and potential exists for additional National UNV contributions in other arenas.
National UNV Categories and Profiles
There are two main National UNV categories: National UNV specialists and National UNV field workers.
National UNV specialists usually serve at national or provincial levels with UNDP, other UN organizations, Government, international/national NGOs, CBOs or volunteer-sending organizations. Supervisory and/or managerial responsibilities are normally part of the assignment, and specific attention is paid to the transfer of skills to counterparts.
National UNV field workers, on the other hand, are usually directly attached to NGOs or CBOs and assigned to "hands-on" implementation tasks at district, village or community levels, where they are expected to live and work closely with peers and counterparts.
Requirements
The minimum requirements for the two National UNV categories, which are consistent with those for international UNV specialists and field workers are the following:
National UNV Specialist
- Academic credentials (Bachelor's, Master's, doctorate, or technical award). In certain trades, substantial practical experience may substitute
- Several years of relevant working experience following qualification, preferably five or more
- Minimum 25 years old
- Good communication skills and ability to speak, read and write the national language; knowledge of local languages/dialects an asset
- A good working knowledge of one or more of the UN languages
National UNV Field Worker
- Basic education: secondary school certificate, BAC or equivalent
- Technical skills: professional/trade with related diploma and experience
- Skills in community development
- 2 years of minimum relevant working experience
- Minimum 21 years old
- Good written and spoken command of the working language required for the post; knowledge of national language an asset
General profile for both National UNV categories
In line with the philosophy of the National UNV mechanism and in light of the roles which National UN Volunteers are expected to play, candidates should also, to the extent possible, possess the ability to:
- establish and support partnerships between communities and links with technical and financial support services
- work in a team, i.e. share and interact with others and build on the ideas of local peers or counterparts
- identify sources of funding and mobilize funds for community projects
- network and collaborate with other development partners
- adapt to different social, cultural and political circumstances, including modest living conditions, possibly in remote areas
- promote gender equality in the project and/or community to which assigned
In addition, the National UN Volunteer will preferably:
- have previous volunteer experience
- have previous substantive experience with community-focused initiatives and grassroots work
- be recognized for his/her skills and expertise by the district or local community, (for example as a project initiator, community leader, barefoot doctor, and/or indigenous medicine expert)
- display strong inter-personal, organizational and/or teaching skills
- be familiar with social skills and techniques such as participatory methodologies, understanding of gender, and analysis of poverty
- be recommended strongly by his/her previous supervisor or employer, as being suitable for this particular type of volunteer assignment
National UN Volunteers are unsalaried professionals who in return for their services receive the following entitlements:
- Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) intended to cover basic living expenses
- Life, health and permanent disability insurance
- Annual leave at a rate of two and a half working days a month
- Resettlement allowance is paid upon satisfactory completion of the assignment
National UNV
If you meet all the requirements above and wish to register to become a National UNV in Syria, please fill in the online application form. An acknowledgement will be sent to you and your information will be kept in our in-country database.
When a request for a volunteer position has come in, the database will be screened to find the best matching candidates. You might be requested to provide more information or/and supporting documents for the recruitment process.
Please note that inclusion in the database does not guarantee a UNV assignment with UNV.
You can check out current National UNV vacancies in Syria at http://www.undp.org.sy/vacancies.php
In case you have more questions, do not hesitate to contact us directly: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
International UNV
International UNV specialists serve in a country other than their own and are recruited for specialized inputs to development or humanitarian programmes.
International UNV Specialists bring with them a key commitment to serving and to the cause of volunteerism along with their expertise. Many specialists have international experience and can contribute also with their wide world-view. The contribution of UNV Specialists is especially great when new skills are needed or when training is required. Often UNV Specialists can play an important role when the issues are sensitive or when there is a need for a neutral presence.
If you are interested in becoming an international UNV do not hesitate to contact us directly and sending us your CV at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it