The history of United Nations Volunteers (UNV) starts from 1968 with its first mention, to present day in 2025 where it deploys thousands of UN Volunteers and Online Volunteers to support the United Nations system in peace and development worldwide. From one volunteer to thousands, here is how UNV evolved to the changing global landscape and expanded its scope of work.
In 1968, the Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, made a visionary call for the establishment of a formal United Nations Volunteers program. During an honorary speech at Harvard University, he emphasized the need for an international legion dedicated to combating the true enemies of humanity: poverty, hunger, and social injustice. His words resonated deeply, planting the seeds for a global volunteer movement.
Two years later, in 1970, the UN General Assembly responded to the Shah’s call by voting to establish UNV through a UN General Assembly resolution. This new initiative was to be administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), marking the beginning of a dedicated effort to harness volunteerism for development. The first UNV office opened in New York, led by its inaugural Coordinator, Assad K. Sadry of Iran.
By 1971, UNV had recruited its first cohort of 35 volunteers. These pioneers were dispatched to various countries, including Chad, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), and the Yemen Arab Republic (now the Republic of Yemen). They worked with UN agencies such as UNDP, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and the Food and Agriculture Organization, laying the groundwork for UNV’s future endeavours. In 1972, UNV’s headquarters were relocated from New York to Geneva, Switzerland. The mid 1970s saw UNV recruiting refugees from Rwanda as UN Volunteers and engaging youth in various international development projects, along with multiple UN General Assembly resolutions calling for an expanded role of UNV in sustainable development. By the end of 1976, 285 UN Volunteers were serving in 52 developing countries, with 65% of them working in the least developed countries. And by the late 1970s, the steady growth in volunteer assignments had risen to more than 600 UN Volunteers.
In 1985, a UN General Assembly resolution established 5 December as International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development. This resolution called upon governments to raise awareness of the important contributions of volunteer service both domestically and internationally. The latter half of the 1980s saw a shift towards humanitarian efforts, influenced by global changes such as the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
In the next decade (the 1990s), UNV participated in its first UN peace operation, deploying over 700 volunteers to the United Nations missions in Cambodia.
Over 200 UN Volunteers were deployed with the United Nations Observer Mission in South Africa to monitor the electoral process and conduct demographic surveys. This mission was crucial for the first democratic elections in South Africa, which saw Nelson Mandela elected as President. The mid 1990’s saw the relocation of UNV from Geneva, Switzerland, to Bonn, Germany, reflecting Germany’s growing role in international diplomacy. In Timor-Leste, more than 500 UN Volunteers were recruited to assist the United Nations Mission in East Timor in organizing and implementing the August 1999 popular consultations.
The turn of the millennium saw the launch of UNV Online Volunteering service, promoting a more inclusive form of volunteerism without barriers of time and place. In addition, a UN General Assembly declared 2001 as the International Year of Volunteers, designating UNV as the global lead for the campaign. In 2008, the first reported UN Volunteer with disabilities began serving in the State of Palestine. From 2010 through 2015, UNV responded to the catastrophic natural disasters in Haiti, Nepal and the Philippines by deploying volunteers on the frontlines of crisis response. The decade also marks UN General Assembly resolutions calling for continued support for international development based on a people-centred approach and recognizing volunteerism as a powerful means of implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, as UN organizations navigated travel restrictions and other challenges, UNV became a vital gateway to national volunteer talent and Online Volunteers. In the first months alone, hundreds of national volunteers supported awareness campaigns, advocacy, elderly care, mental health services, and later, vaccine management. Online Volunteers contributed to system-wide response efforts through data mapping, analysis, and health messaging. These efforts highlighted the power of volunteerism in tackling global crises, demonstrating its critical role in emergency response and resilience-building. Overall, not counting Online Volunteers, UNV mobilized more than 1,000 UN Volunteers in 105 countries working in 26 UN partner agencies.
In recent years, UNV has significantly expanded its role in emergency response and protracted humanitarian crises. The number of UN Volunteers has surged across all humanitarian agencies—twenty-fold with the International Organization for Migration, three-fold with the World Food Programme, and more—reflecting both growing demand and UNV’s deliberate, more effective response. Key efforts include strengthening outreach to critical national volunteer talent, streamlining procedures, and accelerating deployment of both national and international volunteers. In 2024, nearly 3,000 UN Volunteers served in countries with UN peacekeeping and political missions, acting as frontline responders at the intersection of peace, development, and humanitarian action.
In 2023, the UN General Assembly adopted a historic resolution designating 2026 as the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development (IVY 2026) and tasked UNV with facilitating its implementation. UNV has welcomed this recognition of volunteerism’s transformative impact, which will elevate its visibility both globally and at the country level. To support IVY 2026, UNV has established an international secretariat while encouraging Member States to lead national-level initiatives. Hosted by UNV, the IVY Secretariat will coordinate efforts, provide guidance, and foster knowledge sharing in the lead-up to and throughout the year. UNV plans to launch IVY 2026 with a special UN General Assembly event in December 2025.
At the end of 2024, there were over 14,600 UN Volunteers coming from over 180 nationalities and working in 170 countries with 59 UN agencies around the world. Last year alone, demand for Online Volunteers surged, with 23,000 engaged by UN organizations and partners—more than doubling from fewer than 10,000 in 2021.
UNV has grown remarkably since its inception, showcasing the power of volunteerism in promoting global peace and development. From its early initiatives to its current efforts in addressing modern challenges,
UNV continues to make a significant impact worldwide as well as including persons with disabilities as per the new normal in the UN system.
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For more information on United Nations Volunteers, please visit the website here: www.unv.org