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:

Statistical Overview 2006 [pdf]
Leadership profiles
Evaluation Reports

At the recent annual session of the UNDP Executive Board in Geneva, UNV presented its report covering the period 2004-2005. The document highlights UNV’s activities during the biennium and presents UNV’s business model and its distinctive contributions to development. The latter elements are outcomes emerging from recommendations made by the UNDP Executive Board to UNV in 2004 to lead to a greater understanding of the activities and impact of UNV.

Read UNV’s Executive Board document for 2006 [pdf]