SDG 2: Zero hunger, SDG 3: Good health and well-being, SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 15: Life on land, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
Where Change Starts: Volunteers Working with Communities in Türkiye
19 May 2026
Europe and Central Asia
Exposure story
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
Refugee at 15, Community Builder Years Later
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
Connecting Refugees to Jobs and Income
“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 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
Unfiltered from the Field
04 May 2026
Global
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
What endures when bombs fall?
“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
The Paradox of Invisible Contributions
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 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
What’s changing in the Conditions of Service—and Why?
The response is not cosmetic. On 1 April 2026, UNV updates its offer with 39 redesigned volunteer solutions. The new offer is designed to address the complex, urgent, and varied challenges facing the world today. It provides UN entities with increased flexibility and creates more inclusive opportunities for UN Volunteers to get involved.  Who can volunteer—and howAt the heart of the Conditions of Service is a simple principle: experience matters most.
31 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
Why measuring volunteerism is no longer optional—but essential
The response was cautious, as some felt volunteerism was too intangible or rooted in solidarity to be captured by indicators, almost as if measuring it would devalue its contribution to a mere metric. I understood the hesitation, but I also knew that if something is not measured, it is too easily overlooked—and if it is overlooked, it is rarely recognized. After all, as the saying goes: “if you don’t count it, it doesn’t count”.
27 March 2026
Global
Success stories
SDG 1: No poverty, SDG 2: Zero hunger, SDG 3: Good health and well-being, SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation, SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 13: Climate change, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
Myanmar Earthquake: One Year On
26 March 2026
Asia and the Pacific
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
أكبر قوة عاملة في العالم لا يحسبها أحد
في واقع الأمر، تترأس الدول وحكوماتها بالفعل "فيلقاً وطنياً للمتطوعين" دون وجود بند خاص لهم في ميزانياتها. فالمواطنون يشاركون بنشاط في إنتاج سلع عامة —مثل التوعية الصحية، ودعم التعليم، والاستجابة للكوارث، والرعاية الاجتماعية— دون أن يظهروا في البيانات الإدارية. وتستعد المؤسسات الوطنية بشكل متزايد للاعتراف بهذا الجهد والعمل معه بدلاً من اعتباره أمراً غير مرئي أو عرضي.
18 March 2026
Global
Success stories