United Nations Volunteers is the United Nations focal point for promoting and harnessing volunteerism for effective development. UNV is a strategic source of knowledge and advice about the role and contribution of volunteerism and the benefits of civic engagement in development programmes. UNV is dedicated to using Volunteerism for Development (V4D) to make distinctive contributions to the effectiveness of development.

UNV was created by the UN General Assembly in 1971 at the request of UN Member Countries in order to be a development partner for the UN system. It is entrusted with raising awareness of volunteerism and its contribution to development, providing technical assistance to develop volunteerism, and mobilizing volunteers nationally and internationally.

UNV is based in Bonn, Germany, and is active in more than 140 countries. It is represented worldwide through the offices of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). UNV reports to the UNDP Executive Board which helps to ensure that UNV remains responsive to the evolving needs of programme countries.

UNV is a trusted development partner because it respects each country’s control over its own future while bringing countries together to work on shared challenges.

See:

Annual Report 2007 [pdf] (1606KB)
UNV Statistical & Financial Information 2007 [pdf] (280KB)
Leadership profiles
Evaluation Reports

2008
This report was provided as advance documentation for the Executive Board annual session 16-27 June 2008 in Geneva, Switzerland.  It provides an overview of the performance of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in 2006-2007, and information on results achieved in areas where UNV is making distinctive contributions to programme countries and United Nations system-wide efforts towards peace and development, including the Millennium Development Goals.
Executive Board Report 2008 [pdf]
Statistical and financial overview 2008 [pdf] 

2006
The 2006 report provides an overview of the performance of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme during the biennium 2004-2005 through the results framework of the organization, which is aligned to the multi-year funding framework (MYFF) of UNDP. At its core are the areas of distinctive contribution that UNV makes to United Nations system-wide efforts towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
Executive Board Report 2006 [pdf]