As a part of its activities, UNV opens up opportunities for professional women and men to serve as UNV volunteers and contribute to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – a set of time-bound targets to combat poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women.  

The UNV programme recruit a great diversity of talents and offer these opportunities to:

• Professionals from various sectors and from any country who want to share their expertise with counterparts in developing countries. Apply here.
• Humanitarian aid specialists from all walks of life and from any country to provide humanitarian assistance and support relief and peace efforts. Apply here.
• Senior business leaders and retired executives from any country in the world who wish to support private sector development in developing countries.
• Expatriate professionals from the developing world who would like to return and share their expertise with national counterparts in their home country.
• Experts who wish to volunteer in their own countries and share local knowledge and culture.

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Notice

UNDP and UNV, as a matter of practice, do not charge any application, processing or training fee at any stage of the recruitment process. If you have any questions as to vacancy announcements you may have received, please refer to this website.

UNDP and UNV are currently aware of fictitious vacancy announcements that are being circulated through the internet which ask you to remit a fee before you can be given a UNV position or  before you can register for training. If you believe that you have received such a notice, please forward it, and any other related information you have received, to scamalert@undp.org.

Since logos, emblems, names and addresses can be easily copied or reproduced, you are advised to take particular care in applying for vacancies, including undertaking all appropriate measures to protect against the unauthorised use of any personal information you may have provided as a result of the scam.

Basic requirements

Since 1971, more than 30,000 UNV volunteers have worked in over 160 countries. UNV volunteers are professionals that play key roles in delivering development efforts. To become a UNV volunteer one should fulfill the following minimum requirements:

• A university degree or higher technical diplomas;
• Several years of relevant working experience;
• At least age 25 (no maximum age limit);
• Good working knowledge in at least one of the three working UN languages: English, French and Spanish;
• Strong commitment to values and principles of volunteerism;
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment;
• Ability to adjust in difficult living conditions;
• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills;
• Prior volunteering and/or working experience in a developing country is an asset.

Benefits

Benefits are, in principle, not measured in monetary terms determined by the labour market. Foremost is the personal and professional satisfaction the assignment should bring to you, the UNV volunteer.

In return for your service, you will receive the following benefits:

• Settling-in-Grant calculated on the duration of assignment which is paid at the beginning of the assignment;
• Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) intended to cover basic living expenses, which is paid each month;
• Travel on appointment and at the end of assignment, if different than home location;
• Life, health and permanent disability insurance;
  annual leave; and
• Resettlement allowance calculated based on the duration of assignment which is paid upon satisfactory completion of the assignment.

Note: The above general provisions are summarized from the Conditions of Service for UNV volunteers.