During my 33 years of service in the UN, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme has never been far from me. Likely because the spirit of UNV – the inspiration that moves people of all ages to act and make a difference in the lives of others – is what the UN itself is all about.

UNV’s first peacekeeping deployment By the time I became Deputy Executive Coordinator in 1987, peacekeeping had become an important part of the UN’s role, with most major operations at the time carried out in Cambodia, between 1992 and 1993.  

Volunteers and Volunteerism

At the end of October 1970, I received a request from the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to advise on the establishment of a United Nations Volunteer Service (UNV). The background to this request was that I had been instrumental in the establishment of the German Voluntary Service in 1962 and later served as one of the directors of the Service from 1966-1969.