Volunteers are the first to respond when crisis strikes, effectively responding to humanitarian emergencies everywhere. Often members of affected communities themselves, they help people to rebuild their lives in the immediate aftershock of a tragic event, and be better prepared to face uncertainty in the future.

The Young Person’s Guide: Changing the World Edition combines inputs from youth leaders and young people worldwide with expertise coming from 13 partner organizations in the private sector, civil society and international financial institutions.

The Young Person’s Guide: Changing the World Edition combines inputs from youth leaders and young people worldwide with expertise coming from 13 partner organizations in the private sector, civil society and international financial institutions.

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

UNV commissioned this global research study to provide a picture of trends and lessons in the development of supportive volunteerism policies and legislation in the decade of volunteering from 2001. A review was conducted in seven regions, complemented by country-specific case studies in each region. The study analyses considerations in drafting and implementing volunteerism laws and policies, and highlights the need to tailor them to specific local, national and regional contexts.  This paper is currently being updated for the 2018 State of the World's Volunteerism Report.

Having had the opportunity this past year to live in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I saw first-hand the positive influence of the UN; and this influence greatly resonated with me. Now, I welcome the opportunity to be actively involved in helping this global organization achieve its goals. 

In May this year, the UN General Assembly officially declared 30 September, International Translation Day.

UN Climate Change, in collaboration with United Nations Volunteers (UNV), is conducting an ambitious and innovative campaign to mobilize over 650 volunteers to assist in the delivery of this year’s conference. The call for volunteers has attracted a flood of interest. Since registration opened on Monday 18 September, over 6,000 applications have been submitted. This is the first time that volunteerism has been integrated into the planning and delivery of UN climate conferences on such a large scale.

Interested in helping to save the planet?  United Nations Volunteers (UNV), in collaboration with the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement (UNFCCC), is accepting applications for volunteers to play a key role in the organisation and facilitation of the 2017 UN Climate Change Conference, COP 23, which will take place 6-17 November in Bonn, Germany.

More than 130 young people, representatives of youth-led organizations and youth activists took part in the event. The Forum-Café drew attention to youth contributions to peace and development globally, and strengthened cooperation between youth and the representatives of the Government, educational institutions, civil society, and international organizations. During the forum, the participants discussed the role of youth in promoting energy-efficient lifestyles, advocating for sustainable development and securing equal access to resources for peace and stability.