UNV Web Privacy Policy

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II. What Information does UNV collect?
 

Anonymous Site Usage
In general, you can browse the UNV sites without telling us who you are or revealing any personal information about yourself. We gather general browsing data from standard server logs. These include your IP (Internet Protocol) address, domain name, browser type, operating system and information such as the website that referred you to us, the files you downloaded, the pages you visit and the dates/times of those visits, as well as anonymized demographic data.

In Memoriam: Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney

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The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) marks with sadness the passing of Dr. Brenda Gael McSweeney, former Executive Coordinator of UNV, who died in her hometown of Needham, Massachusetts, on 11 March 2026 at the age of 82.

The Paradox of Invisible Contributions

Professor Samuel Manda, University of Pretoria
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Some of the most important contributions people make to society, especially volunteering and other community‑sustaining actions, remain largely invisible in our statistics and data systems. Since I have been working with data, I have noticed a persistent paradox: society's most important contributions remain the least visible in our statistics. This insight has markedly influenced my thinking as a statistician and researcher, especially in how we gauge social progress and development.

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. 

誰も数えていない、世界最大の“労働力”

トイリー・クルバノフ　国連ボランティア計画（UNV）事務局長
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いかなる合理的基準から見ても、ボランティア活動は世界の安定を支える最大規模でありながら、最も理解されていない仕組みです。国連ボランティア計画（UNV）が最近発表した『世界ボランティア活動状況報告書』によると、年間を通じて約21億人、すなわち世界の労働年齢人口のおよそ3分の1が何らかの形でボランティア活動に参加していると推計されています。つまり、ボランティアは経済的余裕のある人々の余暇的な趣味ではなく、社会全体に広がる大規模な市民活動なのです。そこには、よく知られた国連やNGOのボランティアだけでなく、炊き出しを運営する地域住民、互助活動に取り組む若者、国の支援が届きにくい地域で非公式のセーフティネットを維持する女性たち、遠隔地のコミュニティと知識を共有するためオンラインで活動する企業ボランティアなども含まれます。

つまり、各国政府は、予算項目に記載されることのない“事実上の国家ボランティア隊”をすでに抱えていると言えます。市民は保健福祉、教育支援、災害対応、社会的ケアなどの公共財を、行政データには現れない形で共に生み出しています。近年多くの国の制度は、この市民の努力を見えない偶発的なものとして扱うのではなく、積極的に認識し連携しようとする方向へと変化しつつあります。2025年には23か国がボランティアが持続可能な開発目標（SDGs）に与える前向きな影響を、国連に提出した「2030アジェンダ」に関する自発的国家レビュー（VNR）の中で認めました。

しかし、その規模と重要性にもかかわらず、ボランティア活動に関する質の高い比較可能なデータは依然として不足しています。各国のデータは断続的であり、定義も大きく異なり、非公式なボランティア活動は体系的に過小評価されているのです。

What’s changing in the Conditions of Service—and Why?

Rodrigo Villagran, Policy Specialist, Volunteer Solutions Section at UNV
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The way people work has changed—and so has the way the United Nations mobilizes volunteer talent. 

In 2024, an external evaluation of the UN Volunteer categories, grounded in extensive consultations with UN partners and UNV regional offices, brought into sharp focus the fact that the model was no longer fit for how the UN actually works. Two blind spots stood out. First, age limits made little sense in a world that increasingly values intergenerational teams. Second, current working arrangements failed to acknowledge the significant evolution that professional life has undergone since the onset of the COVID‑19 pandemic.

The response is not cosmetic. On 1 April 2026, UNV updates its offer with 39 redesigned volunteer solutions. The new offer is designed to address the complex, urgent, and varied challenges facing the world today. It provides UN entities with increased flexibility and creates more inclusive opportunities for UN Volunteers to get involved.  

Who can volunteer—and how

At the heart of the Conditions of Service is a simple principle: experience matters most.

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