‘Egypt unique model for voluntary work’

By Yasser Abdullh

The United Nations Volunteers Programme and the League of Arab States (LAS) launched the Global   Volunteering Status Report 2022 and the Arab Strategy for Strengthening Volunteer- ism, themed ‘Building Equal and Inclusive Societies’.

Egypt’s Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine el-Qabbaj participated in the event, together with Ambassador Haifa Abu- Ghazala, Assistant Secretary-General and chairman of the LAS Social Affairs Sector, Elena Panova, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Egypt, and Christian Heinzel, Regional Director of the United Nations Volunteer Programme.

El-Qabbaj, who is also a permanent member of the Executive Office of the Council of Arab Ministers for Social Affairs, said Egypt is a pioneer in volunteer work and community service.

Egypt is a unique model in volunteering and charitable work through investing in people, developing human resources and upholding social participation, el-Qabbaj said.

The political leadership attaches great importance to promoting the skills of young people, notably those with special needs, el-Qabbaj added.

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has declared 2022 the year of civil society to promote voluntary work, el-Qabbaj told the event, adding that Egypt has more than 230,000 youth volunteers in non-governmental organisations
(NGOs), the Anti-Addiction Fund and the Egyptian Red Crescent Society.

The country also boasts half a mil- lion volunteers on the boards of directors of civil society, in addition to volunteers in the private sector and local communities.

The Ministry of Social Solidarity is working hard to establish an independent database for volunteers, through which the door to volunteering will be opened to all age groups, el-Qabbaj said.

The State of World’s Volunteerism Report is a UN flagship publication issued every three years since 2011 explaining the role of volunteerism in peace and development.

The fourth edition of the report, ‘Building Equal and Inclusive Societies’ presents new evidence of the role of volunteerism in promoting sustainable development and the relationship between volunteers and governments.
El-Qabbaj said the UN in Egypt is currently working with the government on the new cycle of our strategic programme partnership — the United Nations Sustainable Development Co-operation Framework for the period 2023-2027.

The framework reaffirms the shared vision between Egypt and the UN sys-tem, as a means to implement the national priorities of Egypt and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

“I am proud that volunteerism is clearly integrated in our five-year co-operation framework on the basis of the government’s commitment to engage volunteers in the implementation of its national programmes,” the minister said.