SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
Every month, 2.1 billion working-age people volunteer their time and skills—fuelling real change in communities worldwide. Yet, outdated measurement methods have long overlooked much of this contribution, leaving volunteerism undervalued in policy and investment decisions.
05 December 2025
Global
Article
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
This first-of-its-kind tool is designed to systematically measure and spotlight the contributions of volunteers to sustainable development worldwide.The Global Volunteer Index is set to become a game-changer—giving governments and development partners insights to tap into the full potential of volunteerism in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
02 June 2025
Global, East and Southern Africa
Article
SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
The event brings together 19 international delegations to exchange ideas and best practices in volunteerism across the region.
01 October 2024
Europe and Central Asia
Article
SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
The 2022 SWVR reveals that cooperation between volunteers and governments helps build collaborative decision-making. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative research with case studies from around the world, it also highlights the role of local volunteers as brokers between their communities and state authorities and underlines the diverse paths volunteering offers to civic participation.
21 September 2022
Arab States
Article
SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
The event was held during the Ninth Asia-Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development, arranged by UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in late March 2022. Dignitaries from UN entities, government officials, diplomatic corps, development partners and volunteers from Europe and the CIS and Asia and the Pacific attended the event live. More than 1,500 participants joined virtually.
18 May 2022
Global
Article
SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
In Luwuk, about 12 hours drive away from Palu when the earthquake hit, Tofan, then 24, feared the worst from a disaster that eventually killed more than 4,300 people. “We were very panicked for our loved ones. We could not contact them because there was no phone connection and electricity,” he says.
25 April 2022
Asia and the Pacific
Success stories
SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
The report reveals that cooperation between volunteers and governments helps build collaborative decision-making. Despite the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic, global interest in volunteering has not waned, and volunteering in communities has endured, notwithstanding limited mobility and resources. While restrictions have prevented many people from volunteering in person, many have switched to volunteering online.
01 April 2022
East and Southern Africa
Article
SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
The 2022 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report, Building Equal and Inclusive Societies, presents new evidence on the relationship between volunteers and the state. It shows that the ways in which volunteers and state authorities interact, collaborate and partner are vital for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.
02 December 2021
Global
Article
Meeting the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda requires the efforts of all of society. Everywhere, every day, ordinary people are acting on the issues that they care about. Over one billion active volunteers are carrying out a wide range of roles, from providing care and support to neighbours, extending basic services to under-served areas, campaigning for policy change, or building new relationships across polarized communities.
04 December 2019
News
SDG 10: Reduced inequalities
Why volunteering and inequality?
07 October 2019
News