The volunteer organization of the United Nations is United Nations Volunteers, in short – UNV, which provides grassroots-level response in emergencies and local-level support to peace, humanitarian and development initiatives.

A retired Indian Army Officer with over a decade of military service, Poonam joined UNICEF in 2022 as a Child Protection Officer. She spreads the word about the negative impact of child marriage on everyone — the child plus society at large. 

Madam Chair, distinguished delegates, Associate Administrator,  The report before the Executive Board provides a high-level summary of UNV’s work in 2023. While it strives to comprehensively cover our activities and the hard evidence of our results, it may still lack the vivid details of the daily realities.

In an interview at UNV Headquarters, Armen Grigoryan shares, "Volunteering is a growing concept in North Macedonia as it contributes to the improved quality of life through the active involvement of people in social life. UN Volunteers can advocate for the importance of volunteerism in the communities and workplaces especially in the support of public institutions, state bodies, local self-government units and the City of Skopje in many areas, as well the disaster risk management, environment protection issues, good governance and inclusion.

Bhone's family was among some 1.9 million people affected by Cyclone Mocha. His house was destroyed. But he stood at the fore supporting recovery efforts as part of UNDP’s rapid response and early recovery initiative.

Xiaerbati was part of a team that provided vocational training and entrepreneurship opportunities to women from rural areas in Qinghai Province. These opportunities made it easy to access renewable energy, boosting agricultural productivity and mitigating climate change. “Volunteerism plays a pivotal role in fostering long-term economic empowerment of women by creating sustainable support systems and fostering community resilience,” says Xiaerbati.

Thibault's volunteering journey with the United Nations spanned from end of 2022 to early 2024. He supported, “Leveraging Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to Achieve net-zero emissions and climate-resilient Development, in Response to the Climate Emergency,” a project implemented in partnership between the Government of Japan and UNDP’s next phase of the Climate Promise: From Pledge to Impact.

With a graduate degree in Development Studies and previous experience in human rights, Saumya contributes her skills to causes around climate justice. As an Online Volunteer, her day-to-day work was a horizon-scoping exercise on existing tools for environmental human rights defenders and climate activists. This involved researching different tools and classifying them on the basis of their typology based and target areas.

My interest in the United Nations began while I was still in high school student. I was part of Model UN, an educational model of the UN where students learn about diplomacy and international relations. I started my volunteer journey as an Online Volunteer through the United Nations Volunteers in November 2023 with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Bureau for Policy and Programme Support and the Sustainable Development Goals Integration Team. 

Abiot and Adebukola analyze data as part of their UN Volunteer assignments by reviewing reports, supporting the design of monitoring tools, and providing internal evaluations of UNECA programmes on economic and social development. Monitoring and evaluation ensure sound evidence-based policymaking and reporting.