SDG 1: No poverty, SDG 2: Zero hunger, SDG 3: Good health and well-being, SDG 4: Quality education, SDG 5: Gender equality, SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation, SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy, SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities, SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production, SDG 13: Climate change, SDG 14: Life below water, SDG 15: Life on land, SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
In effect, countries and their governments already preside over a de facto national “volunteer corps” without a line in their budgets. Citizens are actively co-producing public goods—health outreach, education support, disaster response and social care—without appearing in administrative data. Increasingly, national institutions are prepared to recognize and work with this effort rather than treating it as invisible and incidental.
11 March 2026
Global
Success stories
SDG 1: No poverty, SDG 2: Zero hunger, SDG 3: Good health and well-being, SDG 4: Quality education, SDG 5: Gender equality, SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation, SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy, SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities, SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production, SDG 13: Climate change, SDG 14: Life below water, SDG 15: Life on land, SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
From automotive and technology to pharmaceuticals, and from finance to energy, companies see IVY 2026 as an opportunity to champion volunteer action at scale. They are exploring ways to leverage their platforms, communications channels and employee engagement programmes to make the Year visible and inspire action worldwide, further highlighting the importance of corporate social responsibility.When companies empower their employees to serve, societies grow stronger – everywhere.” Toily Kurbanov, UNV Executive Coordinator.
11 March 2026
Global
Article
SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities, SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
South Sudan is still learning how to live after years of conflict. UNMISS supports that fragile process—protecting civilians, enabling humanitarian access, advancing human rights, supporting political dialogue, and helping prepare the ground for elections. My work lives inside that reality, not outside it.
05 March 2026
East and Southern Africa
Success stories
SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities, SDG 13: Climate change, SDG 15: Life on land, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
04 March 2026
East and Southern Africa
Exposure story
SDG 1: No poverty, SDG 2: Zero hunger, SDG 3: Good health and well-being, SDG 4: Quality education, SDG 5: Gender equality, SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation, SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy, SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities, SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production, SDG 13: Climate change, SDG 14: Life below water, SDG 15: Life on land, SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
Of the conversations that have unfolded, I have heard voices of wonder and hesitation alike: How can volunteerism be measured when its very essence is fluid and human? Why quantify something so deeply intrinsic, so rooted in the quiet generosity of the heart? And who, after all, seeks such data?Yet even amidst the questions, praise has echoed from every corner, carried by relief that at last, it is here.
04 March 2026
Global
Success stories
SDG 1: No poverty, SDG 2: Zero hunger, SDG 3: Good health and well-being, SDG 4: Quality education, SDG 5: Gender equality, SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation, SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy, SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities, SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production, SDG 13: Climate change, SDG 14: Life below water, SDG 15: Life on land, SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
Volunteers are already at the heart of what the UN does. They show up in emergencies. They help build peace. They support climate action and strengthen communities every day. IVY 2026 is the moment to put that work in the spotlight—to recognize volunteers not as a side story, but as a driving force behind the UN’s impact worldwide. Opening the webinar, Toily Kurbanov, UNV Executive Coordinator, set the tone: one voice, strong partnerships, and no mixed messages. If the UN wants the world to value volunteerism, it has to lead by example.
02 March 2026
Global
Article
SDG 1: No poverty, SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities, SDG 13: Climate change, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
With both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree, alongside more than three years of field experience, I brought more than formal qualifications—I brought context. The role required strong local knowledge, and that is where I stood out.
27 February 2026
East and Southern Africa
Success stories
SDG 1: No poverty, SDG 2: Zero hunger, SDG 3: Good health and well-being, SDG 4: Quality education, SDG 5: Gender equality, SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation, SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy, SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities, SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production, SDG 13: Climate change, SDG 14: Life below water, SDG 15: Life on land, SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
23 February 2026
Global
Exposure story
SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
09 February 2026
Europe and Central Asia
Exposure story
SDG 1: No poverty, SDG 2: Zero hunger, SDG 3: Good health and well-being, SDG 4: Quality education, SDG 5: Gender equality, SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation, SDG 7: Affordable and clean energy, SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities, SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production, SDG 13: Climate change, SDG 14: Life below water, SDG 15: Life on land, SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
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.
06 February 2026
Global
Success stories