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
By focusing on accurate measurement of volunteer work instead of general statements, the report encourages us to reexamine how we view power, participation, and development. For those who support local action, it builds on the African Union (AU) Commission’s first State of Volunteerism in Africa Report. It signals a real shift: volunteerism is moving from being overlooked to becoming a key part of evidence-based planning.
17 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
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
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 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
I was among the very first to open its pages. At the #WEARETOGETHER International Forum in Moscow, our Chief Expert, Vyacheslav Ivanov, and our Director, Irina Mersianova, received a freshly printed copy directly from Dr. Tapiwa Kamuruko, Chief of the Volunteer Advisory Services Section from the United Nations Volunteers (UNV).
26 February 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
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
SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth, SDG 9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, SDG 10: Reduced inequalities, SDG 11: Sustainable cities and communities, SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions, SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals
For Africa, these shifts are not only challenges. They are also opportunities to reposition, to leapfrog, and to show that resilience can be paired with innovation. Across the region, governments, regional institutions, and the African Union are driving initiatives that seek to unify the continent, from the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to cross-border climate adaptation projects.
08 December 2025
East and Southern Africa
Success stories
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