United Nations Volunteers over the years

Ayesha Khan, Communications Specialist
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The history of United Nations Volunteers (UNV) starts from 1968 with its first mention, to present day in 2025 where it deploys thousands of UN Volunteers and Online Volunteers to support the United Nations system in peace and development worldwide. From one volunteer to thousands, here is how UNV evolved to the changing global landscape and expanded its scope of work.

In 1968, the Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, made a visionary call for the establishment of a formal United Nations Volunteers programme. During an honorary speech at Harvard University, he emphasized the need for an international legion dedicated to combating the true enemies of humanity: poverty, hunger, and social injustice. His words resonated deeply, planting the seeds for a global volunteer movement.

UNV: Ensuring inclusion and growth—UN Today interviews Toily Kurbanov

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UN Today in conversation with the Executive Coordinator of United Nations Volunteers, Toily Kurbanov, on the future of volunteerism.

My career led me to UNV in twists and turns,” begins Toily Kurbanov, UNV Executive Coordinator. Reflecting on his journey, he explains how he transitioned from financial services to national government before joining the UN, gaining over a decade of leadership experience at a national level before moving into the international sphere. “I started with UNV first as the Deputy Executive Coordinator, where there seemed to be some interest in having someone with broad field experience. Eventually, I took over as the Executive Coordinator in January 2021.”

Myanmar, one month on

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At the time of the earthquake, more than 70 UN Volunteers were serving with 10 UN partners in some 19 duty stations across Myanmar. About one-third of these volunteers are now part of the recovery efforts on the ground with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the World Health Organization (WHO). The guiding principle here was to recruit local volunteers who knew their communities and were from within the system. 

UNV releases new research on volunteer work among older persons

United Nations Volunteers
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Research shows that the world population has been growing older for decades and today is more aged than ever. By 2070, it's expected that 20 percent of people will be aged 65 or older. However, this increase won't be the same everywhere. In regions like Eastern Asia, the share of older people will rise to over 40 percent, while in sub-Saharan Africa, it will stay below 20 percent.

Don't simply count women, make women count

United Nations Volunteers
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A native of Libya, Amera Markous is a UN Volunteer serving with UN Women. Seeing how disproportionately crises and displacement affect women more than men, Amera took it upon herself to do something for women, and she chose to do so through volunteering. She is a lead researcher on migration issues. But it's her trainer role that gives her that leeway to interact with women who are facing challenges in Libya.

Following the 2011 revolution in Libya, Amera got an opportunity to coordinate educational programmes for underprivileged children in Tripoli. She then took up a UN Volunteer assignment with UN Women.

"Reflections on my volunteer path from Germany to Kenya"

Alexandra Rank, UN Volunteer Digital Monitoring and Reporting Officer with UNEP
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Alexandra Rank is a German UN Volunteer currently serving as a Digital Monitoring and Reporting Officer with the Communications Division at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi. Her journey with the United Nations began in 2021 through the Carlo Schmid Programme. This followed UN Volunteer assignments in 2022 as a Youth Volunteer and then in a Specialist role in 2024. With a background in journalism and a deep commitment to environmental communication, Alexandra reflects on the path that brought her to Nairobi and the insights gained along the way.

"I have always been drawn to investigative research—understanding what’s happening in the world and exploring the political landscape. I feel most connected at the intersection of communication, journalism, and environmental issues. My awareness of the environmental injustices began after high school, when I volunteered with a local NGO in Uganda through Weltwärts, a programme supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)," shares Alexandra.

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