Since 1976, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) has been partnering with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme to encourage the development of human settlements, urbanization, and sustainable communities. Between 2012-2022, 337 UN Volunteers served with UN Habitat, supporting its mission to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities with the goal of providing adequate shelter for all.
How does the recruitment of UN Volunteers add value to UN-Habitat?
As an efficient, speedy and diverse talent solution for UN partners, UN Volunteers serve with UN entities to bring people to the forefront of development, peace and humanitarian issues. UNV manages a pool of over 350,000 talented and qualified UN Volunteers who can be deployed to bolster the delivery of UN-Habitat’s programmes and support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In 2018, UNV and the UN Secretariat signed a new Memorandum of Understanding – which also applies to UN-Habitat – to further strengthen the partnership between the entities.
UN Volunteers work within communities at the grassroots-level, making them well-placed to launch participatory approaches to urban planning and build community resilience to climate change impacts.
UN Volunteers advance UN-Habitat’s efforts to promote community and civil society participation in urban planning, disaster risk reduction and rehabilitation. This includes a focus on advancing gender equality and enhancing youth employability.
Read more about UN Volunteers serving with UN-Habitat.
UN Volunteers are experienced personnel available to support UN-Habitat’s mandate. In 2022, over 83 per cent of UN Volunteers came from the global South, offering an understanding of complex local development challenges and societal norms. UN Volunteers can strengthen the impact, sustainability and inclusivity of development initiatives, fostering participation and generating local ownership.
How can your office recruit UN Volunteers?
UNV offers different categories of UN Volunteers to suit the needs of UN partners, such as international and national specialists, youth or online volunteers. UN Volunteers can serve from two weeks to up to four years, depending on the category of volunteer. UNV manages all contractual, legal and management aspects to help minimize the administrative impacts for the host organization.
To partner with UNV and recruit UN Volunteers to support UN-Habitat’s programmes and operations, contact the UNV Field Representation or Regional Office for guidance and support.
For further information, refer to UNV’s website at: https://toolkit.unv.org.
