The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide.

Volunteerism is a powerful means of engaging people in tackling development challenges, and it can transform the pace and nature of development. Volunteerism benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer by strengthening trust, solidarity and reciprocity among citizens, and by purposefully creating opportunities for participation.

UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for recognition of volunteers, working with partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing an increasing number and diversity of volunteers, including experienced UNV volunteers, throughout the world.

UNV embraces volunteerism as universal and inclusive, and recognizes volunteerism in its diversity as well as the values that sustain it: free will, commitment, engagement and solidarity.

UNV helps countries to foster and develops volunteerism as a force for sustainable development. UNV provides strategic advice on the role and contribution of volunteerism in development programmes. UNV also helps countries to improve public inclusion and participation in social, economic and political development, and supports the growth of volunteerism within communities as a form of mutual self-help. UNV also partners with non-profit and private sector organizations worldwide.

Volunteerism is a powerful means of engaging people in tackling development challenges worldwide. Everyone can contribute their time, skills and knowledge through volunteer action, and their combined efforts can be a significant force for achieving peace and development.

To optimize the impact of volunteerism on peace and development, UNV works with the public sector, civil society and the private sector, with support from the United Nations system and the world community. Individual citizens also have an important role to play through volunteering.

Volunteerism enhances the capacity of people to exercise choices to set and achieve their own development objectives, which can result in real improvements that benefit others as well as themselves.

Every day, individuals around the world are engaged in development initiatives through volunteer actions both large and small in an effort to improve conditions for others and themselves. Volunteerism by many millions of people is critical to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Every year, UNV directly mobilizes more than 7,500 UNV volunteers, at home and abroad. More than 75% of UNV volunteers come from developing countries and more than 40% volunteer within their own countries. UNV volunteers help to organize and run local and national elections and support a large number of peacekeeping and humanitarian projects in post-conflict and disasterprone areas. UNV volunteers comprise almost one third of all international civilians working in UN peacekeeping operations.