Through its alliances with multi-national companies and business networks, the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme has been strengthening volunteering to meet the talent needs of the United Nations and its Member States. At local, national and multi-national levels, growing numbers of private sector partners are joining forces with UNV through onsite and online corporate volunteering to support achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The achievement of the SDGs requires enhanced cooperation among various stakeholders. UNV effectively fulfills its mission of mobilizing volunteers by establishing partnerships with multiple actors, which is vital for ensuring inclusivity. The private sector assumes a pivotal role in facilitating this process.
The private sector has extensive knowledge, expertise and operational capabilities. It is well-placed to complement efforts undertaken by governments, civil society organizations, academia, the United Nations system and other development partners to promote peace and sustainable development through volunteerism.
We must unite public and private investors around new concepts, solutions and instruments, and we need to do so at scale. I am speaking here of addressing major issues such as health, food, water, sanitation, education, women’s empowerment – and, of course, infrastructure. The world has the resources to deliver the 2030 Agenda. --United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, Remarks at the UN Private Sector Forum, 18 September 2017
Why partner with UNV?
UNV plays a distinctive role in identifying, recruiting, and providing support to both on-site and online volunteers for the United Nations. In 2022, UNV successfully engaged 12,408 on-site UN Volunteers, 55 per cent of them women. These volunteers served in 166 countries, representing 179 nationalities.
Collaborating with 55 UN partners, UNV demonstrated its commitment to diversity, as 84 per cent of the volunteers originated from the global South. Among these volunteers, 62 per cent were national and 38 per cent were international UN Volunteers. Additionally, in 2022, UN partners, Member States and civil society partners requested support from 8,474 Online Volunteers. Refer to the UNV Annual Report 2022 for further information.
Through stronger partnerships with the private sector, UNV would be well positioned to ensure continuity and sustained impact, by providing the UN system with talent solutions to deliver on their mandates. The private sector could thus foster faster and more flexible responses to crises and development challenges.
Volunteers are not only building a better world for tomorrow, working in solidarity with communities. They are building a better world today. --Achim Steiner, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme
How to partner with UNV
- Promote volunteerism for the SDGs by working with us to implement the Plan of Action 2016-2030 for integrating volunteering into peace and development. Collaborate with UNV on generating evidence and research on volunteerism for the State of the World's Volunteerism Report or the UNV Knowledge Portal.
- Sponsor UN Volunteers: UNV enables its partners from the private sector to fund UN Volunteer assignments to provide the UN system with the talent solutions needed to implement their mandates and to deliver the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
- Help leave no one behind by supporting UNV efforts to increase inclusion of persons with disabilities as UN Volunteers. Inclusivity enhances the impact of UN initiatives and strengthens volunteering as a means of sourcing talent among vulnerable groups.
- Be part of the global alliance on volunteerism for development. UNV is a founding stakeholder of IMPACT 2030, a global private sector-led collaboration that mobilizes employee volunteers to advance the achievement of the SDGs. UNV also collaborates with the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative.
- Participate in marking International Volunteer Day: recognize the dedication and delivery of volunteers and the contribution of volunteerism worldwide on 5 December, International Volunteer Day.
For further information, kindly refer to the UNV Annual Report 2022. Private sector partners may also contact UNV via the email address: partnershipsupport((at))unv((dot))org.
