Women as UN Volunteers: Building an Equal World
Designing an advocacy campaign to encourage more women across West and Central Africa to volunteer and forge a gender equal world.
CLIENT
United Nations Volunteers West and Central Africa
THE CHALLENGE
Incentivize more women to apply for UN Volunteers positions in West and Central Africa
THE OUTCOME
Showcase the efforts of current UN Volunteers in the region who are contributing to the promotion of gender equality and advocating for equal rights and opportunities for women and girls
Spark curiosity among women around volunteer opportunities, with a final aim of reaching gender parity amongst the UN Volunteers in the region.
Given the leading role that women play in addressing the many development and peace challenges in the region, it is essential to promote their inclusion and provide them with substantial support, ranging from capacity building to access to opportunities.
- Véronique Zidi-Aporeigah, UNV Regional Manager for West and Central Africa
In 2019, around 2,400 volunteers in 24 countries in West and Central Africa supported peace and development efforts. However, only 40% of the volunteers serving were women. To inspire more women to apply for exciting United Nations Volunteers (UNV) positions in the region, UNV launched an advocacy campaign, which follows the 2020 theme for International Women’s Day “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights.”
Women empowerment is a priority that UNV broadly supports through the mobilization and deployment of UN Volunteers in support of the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a focus on SDG 5 “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”. Volunteers work with UN agencies and other organizations to advocate for women’s rights and to reduce inequalities.
To support the International Women’s Day campaign, UNV has started an outreach campaign, especially addressing female candidates for areas where women are underrepresented. Future by Design Studio developed and strategically designed promotional leaflets and social media campaign materials to reach women and encourage them to join the UNV programme. These products were prepared in English and French and disseminated online and offline by the UNV Regional Office in Dakar and UNV Country Offices across the region of West and Central Africa.
To learn more about UN Volunteers opportunities, visit: https://www.unv.org/Region/West-and-Central-Africa
