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UNV mission
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. Volunteerism is a powerful means of engaging people in tackling development challenges, and it can transform the pace and nature of development. 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.
UNV worldwide
History of UNV assignments
Number of UNV assignments and volunteers (in 2009)
- Number of UNV assignments: 7,716
- Number of individual volunteers: 7,545
Types of assignment (in 2009)
- International UNV assignments: 5,160 (67%)
- National UNV assignments: 2,556 (33%)
Countries (in 2009)
- Countries of assignment: 128
- Countries of origin: 158
UNV assignments by region (in 2009)
UNV assignments by theme (in 2009)
Host organizations for UNV assignments (in 2009)
Volunteer profiles (in 2009)
- Average age: 37
- Female: 2,777 (37%)
- Male: 4,768 (63%)
- From developing countries: 6,018 (80%)
- From other countries*: 1,527 (20%)
* Other countries: High-income OECD, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)