Since 2003, more than 160 people have volunteered through the programme, which places them for one or two years in countries across Asia and Africa, where they use their expertise to contribute to Thailand’s development cooperation projects.

The UN Partner Toolkit is designed to guide you through the UN Volunteer journey and the various stages you and the volunteer will experience together during the assignment, from the beginning, until the end. This toolkit will become your central reference point, where you can get the relevant information you need on-demand, at any time and from anywhere: policy, processes, checklists, templates, tools, guidance and resources.

From the onset, the pandemic disrupted how we bring volunteers to the UN. Travel lockdowns made international recruitments almost impossible. At the same time, the need for volunteers in the UN system increased. In a matter of a few weeks, UNV’s job changed and we had to brainstorm:

This Memorandum of Understanding is a stepping stone for more fortified and promising collaboration between the two organizations for the benefit of future generations. UNV has long been a proponent of WFP, and UN Volunteers have steadfastly supported its delivery over the years. Notably, UNV and WFP have been working together in the Sahel region, where it is estimated that over 20 million people are affected by conflict and 2.4 million people are mired in poverty, hunger and in need of food assistance.

Some volunteers load trucks with medical masks and hygiene items. Others rush to distribute printed handouts which outline basic hygiene principles to use in the face of COVID-19. Many more sit in front of their laptops and phones at home, reaching out to households in remote and affected areas, and assisting health and social workers who disseminate handouts.

This Memorandum of Understanding marks a significant milestone for the partnership between the two organizations, as it sets the legal and operational framework for future collaboration. UNV will continue to support UN Women in achieving its strategic priorities through the deployment of volunteer talent and by utilizing volunteerism. This will enable UN Women to build local capacities, engage with grassroots communities and civil society, and involve women and youth in its development interventions. 

Year 2020. After this one-year life-changing journey, I got my certificate and shared it on my LinkedIn profile, tagging the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme. With that another exciting journey began: people from all over the world started liking, sharing and asking me to talk through my experience with them. From Africa to Asia, more than 2,000 people felt inspired by two simple sentences I wrote when sharing my UN Volunteer Certificate of Service.

Transcript: Happy UN Day!   This United Nations Day, 2020, marks the 75th Anniversary of our organization, the United Nations.

So, what does “move towards more people-centered solutions” mean in practice? The answer is surprisingly straightforward. It resides in the opportunities created for citizens to meaningfully engage in the issues affecting them. The more engagement is secured, the more impactful will development initiatives be. From this perspective, volunteering is perhaps the greatest and most underutilized asset in development assistance today.