Volunteerism engages people from the ground up to make lasting changes. The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) is the UN organization that contributes to peace and development through volunteerism worldwide. It promotes the spirit of volunteerism, which is spreading as a way of life. UNV is the only entity capable of mobilizing large numbers of highly qualified volunteers, who serve the UN system in war-torn communities, classrooms, hospitals and homes.

Volunteers are playing a vital role in making governments worldwide more accountable and responsive to their citizens, but their potential is seriously under-valued, a new report from the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme said today. The State of the World’s Volunteerism Report 2015 is the first global survey of the contribution of volunteers to better governance, a prerequisite for the success of the new Sustainable Development Goals to be agreed at the United Nations in September.

One the occasion of International Women's Day, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme would like to encourage women to apply to international UN Volunteer assignments.  Please visit our website for more information: www.unv.org

Last week, the Volunteerism Caravan in Cambodia rolled into Kratie province, where the UNV Field Unit took part in a community activity at the Kratie Krong High school. The UNV Field Unit in Cambodia launched the Volunteerism Caravan in June 2014 to travel to different provinces in the country, inspired by a similar activity organized in Tunisia as part of the Arab Youth Volunteering for a Better Future project.

How does volunteering make a difference? These days, we are trying to do development differently: to partner with less usual suspects for outside insights, and tap into local energy and initiatives. The ethos of volunteerism is exactly the same – it is not a supplement to the work we do; it is a natural component within it. And with whom do we partner up to do this? The answer, of course, is young people. They are the natural choice.

Volunteering is an effective avenue for creating constructive partnerships between nations, communities and individuals and between governments, civil society and the private sector. The role volunteerism plays in making development genuinely people centered should be properly recognized.

"Volunteering for post-2015" is about how volunteerism contributes to sustainable development and refers to the ongoing post-2015 process for the definition of the new global development framework. Listen to what volunteering means for people from different cultures through interviews made in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Guatemala, Nepal, Peru, and the Philippines, and find out why it is important for all of them. It probably is for you as well!

"Volunteering for post-2015" is about how volunteerism contributes to sustainable development and refers to the ongoing post-2015 process for the definition of the new global development framework. Listen to what volunteering means for people from different cultures through interviews made in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Guatemala, Nepal, Peru, and the Philippines, and find out why it is important for all of them. It probably is for you as well!

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: The International Conference on Youth Volunteering and Dialogue opened on 3 December 2013 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. More than 200 young volunteers from over 33 different countries attended the Conference, along with delegates of UNESCO, the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Education and the King Abdulaziz Center for National Dialogue. The three-day event provided young volunteers, experts and practitioners with the opportunity to discuss, display and evaluate ‘best practices’ in the field of volunteerism.

"Volunteerism is a universal concept - the largest expression of global solidarity you can find," United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme Executive Coordinator (EC) Richard Dictus told a live audience of hundreds gathered in New York City, while countless virtual attendees tuned in around the world. The head of UNV was taking part in UNV's panel "Changing the World in 2.0: Volunteerism" on Sunday, 22 September 2013, the opening day of Social Good Summit, where his words seemed to strike a chord with listeners.