About United Nations Volunteers (UNV)

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. Volunteerism benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens, and by purposefully creating opportunities for participation. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for recognition of volunteers, working with partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing an increasing number and diversity of volunteers, including experienced UN Volunteers, throughout the world. UNV embraces volunteerism as universal and inclusive, and recognizes volunteerism in its diversity as well as the values that sustain it: free will, commitment, engagement and solidarity. Based in Bonn, Germany, UNV is active in around 130 countries. UNV is administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). 

What They Do

UNV is inspired by the conviction that volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development and by the idea that everyone can contribute their time and energy towards peace and development. With partners, UNV advocates for volunteerism, integrates volunteerism into development planning and mobilizes volunteers. The enormous potential of volunteerism is an inspiration to UNV and to volunteers around the world. UNV pursues global recognition of volunteers as a mechanism to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

UNV helps countries to foster and develop volunteerism as a force for sustainable development. They provide strategic advice on the role and contribution of volunteerism and options for civic engagement in development programmes. They help countries to improve public inclusion and participation in social, economic and political development, and they support the growth of volunteerism within communities as a form of mutual self-help. They partner with governments and with UN, non-profit and private sector organizations in order to support development programmes. UNV delivers a prompt, efficient and value-adding service to identify and engage professionals who can deliver services and fulfill a wide range of specialised tasks. UNV directly mobilizes more than 8,000 UN Volunteers every year nationally and internationally, with 80 per cent coming from developing countries, and 50 percent volunteering within their own countries.