SDG 1: No poverty, SDG 2: Zero hunger, SDG 4: Quality education, SDG 5: Gender equality, SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
Years later, she did something few people do. She returned—not to her own safety, but to instability. This time, not as someone needing help, but as someone ready to carry weight.
11 May 2026
East and Southern Africa
Success stories
SDG 1: No poverty, SDG 2: Zero hunger, SDG 5: Gender equality, SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
“I proactively engaged external stakeholders, including the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and private sector partners, to explore collaboration,”
11 May 2026
East and Southern Africa
Success stories
SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
05 May 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, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
04 May 2026
Global
Exposure story
SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
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.
23 April 2026
Global
Success stories
SDG 5: Gender equality, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
10 April 2026
West and Central Africa
Exposure story
SDG 1: No poverty, SDG 2: Zero hunger, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
“Volunteering in Lebanon during conflictVolunteering in Lebanon right now is not about signing up, wearing a badge, or ticking a box. It is about grabbing a bag at 3 a.m. and running. It is about cooking food for strangers during Ramadan while your own home may no longer exist. It is about opening public schools as shelters, entertaining displaced children in classrooms that no longer function as schools and finding ways to keep people human when everything else is falling apart.
08 April 2026
Arab States
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
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.
08 April 2026
Global
Success stories
SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
Across the Central African Republic, 34 UN Volunteers worked side by side with national counterparts to support elections in all 20 prefectures, including remote areas facing significant logistical challenges. The volunteers supported logistics, ran civic education efforts, and supported electoral operations, making sure ballots arrived, voters were informed, and polling could take place on time.
02 April 2026
West and Central Africa
Success stories
SDG 3: Good health and well-being, SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation, SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 15: Life on land, SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
01 April 2026
West and Central Africa
Exposure story