Since 1973, the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) has been partnering with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme to mobilize trained health, gender and youth specialists within its programmes. UN Volunteers support UNFPA's mission of delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.
How does the recruitment of UN Volunteers add value to UNFPA?
As an efficient, speedy and diverse talent solution for UN partners, UN Volunteers serve with UN entities to bring people to the forefront of development, peace and humanitarian issues. UNV manages a pool of over 350,000 talented and qualified UN Volunteers who can be deployed to bolster the delivery of UNFPA’s programmes and support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
At UNFPA, we see a very important role for UN Volunteers in delivering the programme in South Sudan, in both the humanitarian context and peace work that we have been doing. We are increasingly institutionalizing our engagement of UN Volunteers in our structure, because of the value add that we have seen from their work. --Dr Wilfred Ochan, UNFPA Deputy Country Representative, South Sudan
Working within communities, UN Volunteers are impactful players in advancing UNFPA’s efforts to mainstream gender equality at the community level and including youth into development in the most remote, and often dangerous, regions of the world. UN Volunteers are also well-placed to support household surveys and data analysis to use in policy development, advocacy and in monitoring progress towards development goals.
With the support of UNV, UNFPA has mobilized local volunteers to work as peer educators in many countries, improving health care service delivery both in the context of development assistance and humanitarian assistance caused by natural disasters, political crises and health emergencies.
Read more about UN Volunteers serving with UNFPA in the articles below.
How can your office recruit UN Volunteers?
To partner with UNV and recruit UN Volunteers to support UNFPA’s programmes and operations, contact the UNV Field Unit or Regional Office for guidance and support.
Additionally, the UN Partners Toolkit serves as a valuable resource for UN entities looking to host UN Volunteers. It provides essential information and resources that facilitate the effective engagement and management of UN Volunteers. By utilizing the toolkit, UN entities can expedite the recruitment of dedicated and talented UN Volunteers to support delivery on their mandates and goals. To gain a deeper understanding of our partnerships and access the 2024 data on UN partners hosting UN Volunteers, please click here.