The development of volunteer schemes to promote the contribution of volunteerism constitutes an important element of nationally-led and owned multi-sectoral peace and development programmatic interventions.
UNV and its network of volunteers have created a robust global infrastructure for volunteer efforts, and boosted local capacity to support these initiatives. As a result, several hundreds of thousands or volunteers have engaged meaningfully with communities, whether at home or abroad, and brought about real development progress. In 2015, UN Member States requested that UNV support the establishment of national volunteer schemes. UNV’s goal is to support the development of new national and subnational volunteer schemes, and to enhance the capacity of local partners to deploy and manage volunteers more effectively. UNV also helps promote the establishment of volunteer schemes that address national development challenges through national approaches.