The event, under the title “Volunteers as First Responders in Times of Crisis: Volunteers for resilience and solidarity,” kicked off International Volunteer Day (also called IVD) worldwide. The event aligned with the IVD global campaign to promote volunteers as first responders in times of crisis and instability, helping people to rebuild their lives in the immediate aftershock of tragic events. UNV Executive Coordinator Mr. Olivier Adam acknowledged the efforts of the Nepali people after the devastating 2015 earthquake:

A team of United Nations volunteers have come together to touch the lives of the people they serve in South Sudan by embarking on a special personal donation drive to mark International Volunteer Day in Jonglei.

Since the ambitious group of young women and young men was brought together in June 2016, UNV and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are supporting the network of youth and volunteers by facilitating knowledge-sharing and assisting young leaders to engage in regional and national initiatives. Throughout the initiative, UNDP and UNV have organized capacity-building webinars, arranged opportunities for young leaders to share their opinions in multi-stakeholder conferences at regional and country-level, and collaborated in online and offline activities. 

Since cross-border operations started in July 2014, aid materials sent by UN organizations arrive at UN bases in Turkey, where materials are moved from Turkish international road transports (TIRs) to Syrian TIRs. Later, TIRs cross into Syria as aid convoys under the supervision of the UN. The aid is then distributed by the UN's local partners in Syria. The whole operation is coordinated by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA).

The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) was originally set up to support the Transitional Government in ensuring a secure and stable environment through reform of the Haitian National Police and Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) programmes.

The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) was originally set up to support the Transitional Government in ensuring a secure and stable environment through reform of the Haitian National Police and Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) programmes.

Eastern Ukraine is an area of protracted armed conflict, which refers to conflicts that are marked by longevity, complexity and a high impact on local populations. Kramatorsk, located in the Donbas region, was one of the first cities over which the Ukrainian government lost control during the conflict’s onset in 2014.

These events have multiplied over the last ten years, just when the planet has reached its all-time temperature records, blurring the difference between human-made and purely natural catastrophes.

Waheeb Al–Eryani, UNV Programme Manager in South Sudan talks about role of UN Volunteers in the country.

The purpose of the paper was to: Identify, review and compare existing data on formal and informal voluntary activity at national level, paying specific attention to the results from key international surveys; Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of available data sources on volunteering worldwide; Discuss volunteerism measurements issues and suggest accurate and valid volunteerism indices for