Working remotely across borders and time zones, Online Volunteers embed global expertise directly into UNDP’s daily work—proving that impact is no longer bound by geography. Like Kobchat, Colman Hands, is also an Online Volunteer. He is an accomplished energy and sustainability professional, with a graduate degree in Sustainability and Environmental Systems and a bachelor's in Project Management.

Too often, however, volunteerism is still framed in narrower terms — as an exchange of time, skills, or resources from those who have to those who do not. This framing aligns neatly with conventional development metrics and reporting systems, but it misses something fundamental. At its core, volunteerism is relational. It reflects how individuals and communities remain connected to one another, particularly in moments of uncertainty and disruption.

Led by UNICEF’s global fundraising teams within the Private Fundraising and Partnerships (PFP), the Fx programme builds long-term fundraising skills across country offices. Its New Talents pathway focuses on digital fundraising, building the practical skills offices need to grow local support sustainably.

I saw this gap up close, when I attended this year's Humanitarian Network and Partnerships Week in March 2026 in Geneva, a global forum for all humanitarian actors, including volunteer-involving organizations. Across discussions, one message came through clearly: business as usual will not work. This year, the focus was on humanitarian reset and what it means for the people affected by the humanitarian crisis. 

UNV has taken a major step forward in strengthening the digital foundations that support its global work. Building on earlier progress in moving systems to the cloud, the organization has now modernized the core network infrastructure that connects staff, offices, and services—often unseen, but essential to daily operations. At the United Nations Campus in Bonn, this meant replacing over 300 network switches, many of which had been in use since 2006. The upgrade has given network speeds up to ten times faster across all UNV-supported offices and workspaces. 

Over the past few years, Kazakhstan has made a deliberate effort to elevate volunteerism—from declaring 2020 the Year of Volunteers, to championing 2024 as the Year of the Volunteer Movement in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and creating momentum toward 2026 as the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development.

В последние годы в стране и, шире, в Центральной Азии волонтерство получило целенаправленное развитие. Сначала был Год волонтеров в Казахстане в 2020-м, затем – Год волонтерского движения в СНГ в 2024-м. Сейчас, во многом благодаря инициативе Казахстана, нарастает импульс 2026 года как Международного года добровольцев под эгидой Организации Объединенных Наций.

The SWVR Global Webinar Series forms part of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) wider dissemination and engagement efforts. The series will unpack the report’s key findings, explore its analytical frameworks and tools, and support regional and country‑level rollout through established UN and partner processes.

Louise Chamberlain, Deputy Executive Coordinator of UNV, opened the session by situating the discussion in today’s global reality: a world where volunteers continue to respond to crises, support communities and drive development, yet remain largely invisible in formal data systems.The paradox of volunteerism: everywhere, yet not always visible

Across communities in the Global South and worldwide, people dedicate their time, skills, and energy to help others—often without expecting recognition or reward. Consider the community-based groups in Kenya that support research and conservation initiatives for animals and wildlife, the volunteer firefighters in Australia who battle devastating bushfires, or the youth groups across Latin America organizing neighbourhood clean-ups and immunization campaigns.