What measuring volunteerism really tells us about progress

Emiliya Asadova, UNV Policy Specialist
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For more than two decades, development policy and practitioners have returned to the same unresolved question: how do we measure volunteering in ways that make it visible without losing sight of what it truly is? 

Working together with the team of researchers on the 2026 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (SWVR) “Volunteerism and its measurements”, as well as listening to governments, practitioners and volunteers around the world did not resolve that question for me. Instead, it sharpened my understanding of why it sits at the heart of broader debates on how we define progress. What is the value people create for each other and for society every day?

In line with the UN Secretary-General’s Our Common Agenda, the discussion reflects growing efforts to complement Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with measures that better capture wellbeing, social cohesion, and sustainable development. Volunteerism sits squarely within that gap between what matters and what is measured. However, volunteering, mutual aid, and civic participation are largely absent from traditional economic metrics.

What happens when no one is out of reach?

United Nations Volunteers
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Physical and social isolation remain some of the toughest barriers to development. Whether caused by rugged terrain, digital divides, fragile infrastructure, or persistent violence, these separations cut people off from the opportunities they need to shape their futures. Yet every day, volunteers step into these gaps. They connect people through simple, human‑centered relationships that rebuild trust, spark collaboration, and help communities chart their own path forward.

In Zambia, the digital divide tells a broader story of exclusion. National networks continue to grow, but communities outside urban centers are often left at the margins of digital society and the modern economy. Women, young people, and older generations frequently feel this disconnect most acutely.

Built to sail: Four years of the Unified Volunteering Platform

Shalmoli Das, UNV Information and Communication Technology
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“A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for,” wrote John A. Shedd. Like any well-built ship, the true measure of a digital platform emerges only once it has navigated demanding conditions. The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) marks four years since the launch of its digital hub, known as the Unified Volunteering Platform (UVP) in October 2021. Designed as a reliable vessel for volunteering, the platform has proven its real value by successfully steering through choppy waters.

Over the past four years, the United Volunteering Platform has operated at a global scale, responding to continuous demand, evolving requirements, and operational challenges. Through it all, the platform has remained steady—adapting, improving, and growing stronger with every upgrade and every piece of feedback. 

Multiplying hope on the frontlines

United Nations Volunteers
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When crises hit—whether through war, disaster, or displacement—it’s not just infrastructure that collapses. Systems fracture. Communities scatter. The sense of safety disappears. In those moments, what holds the response together isn’t perfection, it’s presence. Across some of the world’s hardest hit places, from Sudan to Afghanistan to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, UN Volunteers have shown that effective emergency response begins with people on the ground: people who understand local realities, who act quickly, and who help communities move from shock toward stability. Under the UNV Strategic Framework 2026–2029, this frontline presence is not only preserved but strengthened. 

A safety net and network multiplier

In a world where robots are learning faster than humans, I choose UNV

Fatma Aksoy, UNV Operations Associate
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That choice is not accidental. It reflects the vision set out in the new UNV Strategic Framework 2026–2029, which places volunteerism as a people-centered force at the heart of the United Nations’ future. The framework affirms something I see every day in my work: sustainable development, peace, and human rights are advanced not by systems alone, but by empowered people working with and for their communities. I am an Operations Associate for the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) in the Europe and Central Asia region and based in Istanbul. 

I work at the intersection of systems, people, and uncertainty. In a nutshell, that means working behind the scenes to support the recruitment of UN Volunteers across more than 30 countries, including in emergency contexts such as Ukraine. 

I see firsthand how automation is reshaping the way we work and how quietly many of us wonder: What will my role be when machines can do what humans once did?

Introducing the UNV Strategic Framework 2026–2029

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This framework arrives at exactly the right time. The year 2026 has been declared the International Volunteer Year, a rare global spotlight on volunteerism. The strategy also spans the final stretch toward 2030—a period defined by the need to turn commitments into measurable results. UN Volunteers are uniquely placed to scale what works and help bridge what remains unfinished.

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