1. To learn more about UNV’s work with young people and to read the UNV Youth
Volunteering Strategy 2014-2017 please visit http://www.unv.org/youth
UNV Youth Volunteer Giulia Giannuzzi, Programme Officer at UN
Women Viet Nam (sponsored by Italy), took part in the “Orange the
Journey Campaign to End Violence against Women and Girls” in 2013.
(UN Women / Thao Hoang, 2013)
www.unv.org
UN Youth
Volunteer
Modality
Introduction
Volunteerism has an important role to play in harnessing
the potential of young people, while fostering their
inclusion in global peace and sustainable human
development processes. For young people, engaging in
voluntary work can be an opportunity to change the world
for the better while learning new skills, gaining knowledge,
learning about new cultures and better understanding the
realities of international development and peacebuilding.
UNV has been providing the UN system with innovative,
cost-effective and professionally managed talent solutions
since 1971. Under its new UN Youth Volunteer modality
UNV has created new opportunities for 18-29 year-olds
to be integrated into the work of UN partners around the
world as national or international volunteers.
UN Youth Volunteers bring creativity, passion, and energy
to the projects and programmes of UN agencies, working
in such fields as basic services, primary healthcare, disaster
risk reduction, peacebuilding, and youth empowerment,
among others. Volunteer assignments are challenging
and rewarding, and a specific programme for training and
mentoring of UN Youth Volunteers provides opportunities
to develop personal and professional skills.
Who can sponsor UN Youth Volunteers?
UN Partners
For over forty years, UN Volunteers have been working
alongside UN staff to improve the lives of some of the
most vulnerable populations in the world, improving
access to basic services, confronting global environmental
challenges, and improving health care and education for
millions. Now, the UN Youth Volunteers Programme is
increasing the options for the UN
system to respond to the needs of
18-29 year-olds by empowering
them as UN Youth Volunteers, and
tapping into their creativity, energy,
and idealism in order to achieve
innovative, sustainable development
results.
Governments
It is vital that government policies
and programmes exist to support
youth development, employment,
entrepreneurship, and leadership.
The UN Youth Volunteer modality
provides an excellent complement to
labour market policies and education
‘‘ Youth are a
transformative
force... The time
has come to
integrate youth
voices more
meaningfully into
decision-making
processes at all
levels.‘‘
UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon on
International Youth
Day 2012
About UNV
The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the
UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support
peace and development worldwide. Volunteerism can
transform the pace and nature of development and it
benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer.
UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating
for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to inte-grate
volunteerism into development programming, and
mobilizing volunteers.
Through UNV, every year, about 7,500 qualified and ex-perienced
women and men of around 160 nationalities
serve as UN Volunteers in some 130 countries. They are
professionals who play key roles contributing to peace and
making an impact on development results.
UNV is administered by the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP).
For more information
For more information please contact:
Robert Toé, Youth Programme Manager
+49-228-815-2513
robert.toe@unv.org
Sasha Ramirez-Hughes, Communications & Partnerships
Specialist
+49-228-815-2309
sasha.ramirez@unv.org
Kevin Kiffer, UN
Youth Volunteer with
UNDP in Brazzaville
(sponsored by France) ,
the Republic of the Congo,
surveys beneficiaries to
identify their aspirations and
to encourage the involvement of
communities in local development.
(Séraphin Ngoma/UNDP, 2013)
UN Youth Volunteer Julie Teng, hosted by
UNDP, visiting with women and children as
part of a project to combat silting in oasian
basins in Diffa, Niger. (Julie Teng/UNDP, 2013)

2. UN Youth Volunteer Eoin Ryan
(far left) on a field trip to
Ratanakiri province, Cambodia,
with colleagues and community
members as part of a national
programme aiming to improve
the rights of persons with
disabilities. (Archive of Velibor
Popovic, 2013)
Participants in the Regional Youth
Volunteering Forum in Marrakesh,
Morocco, discuss volunteering as
a viable means of addressing the
challenges they face. (Social Impulse,
2014)
“Young people are not
asking for support - they
are asking for investment.
Such investments enable them to
navigate their life transitions safely,
develop their human capital to its
fullest potential and participate in
efforts to deliver a world of equality,
opportunity, and human rights for
all.”
Ahmad Alhendawi, Secretary-General’s
Envoy on Youth
and training programmes. Opportunities exist for
governments to sponsor UN Youth Volunteer assignments
for their own citizens and citizens of other countries.
Academic institutions
Field experience can provide an excellent complement
to classroom-based learning, especially for young
people preparing for a career in international peace and
development. The UN Youth Volunteer modality is an
ideal way to provide this. University Volunteers work
alongside their UN counterparts, tackling the world’s
development challenges while learning ‘hands-on’ under
the supervision of UN experts. University Volunteers,
funded by their academic institutions, undertake shorter
duration assignments (usually between three and six
months) and are hosted by a project or programme of a
UN partner.
Who are UN Youth Volunteers?
UN Youth Volunteers are a diverse group. They come from
all over the world and have a wide range of experience.
What they have in common is that they have demonstrated
a commitment to global peace and development, they are
motivated, enthusiastic, and adaptable to new cultures
and situations, and they are willing to step outside their
comfort zone and contribute to proactive problem
solving. While specific requirements in terms of skills and
experience vary from assignment to assignment, all UN
Youth Volunteers are required to be between 18 and 29
years of age during their assignments. Stringent selection
criteria apply for both national and international UN Youth
Volunteers, and candidates are required to participate in a
competitive recruitment process.
Contribute to peace building through
enhancing conflict resolution skills among
children and youth, and promoting
community dialogues.
Improve access to and delivery of basic
services, especially primary health care,
HIV/AIDS and basic education.
How can UN Youth Volunteers make a
development impact?
Advance the role of youth engagement in
local and national economic, social and
environmental progress through activities
such as supporting youth entrepreneur
initiatives.
Enhance community resilience and
capacities for disaster risk reduction and
for the environment through, for instance,
supporting community adaptation to
climate change.
Assist in the establishment of new national
and subnational volunteer schemes and
enhance the capacity of local partners
to mobilize and manage volunteers more
effectively.
Type of assignment Duration
International UN Youth Volunteers 6-24
months
International UN Youth University
Volunteers
3-6
months
International Short-term UN Youth
Volunteers
Less than
6 months
National UN Youth Volunteers 6-24
months
National Short-term UN Youth Volunteers Less than
6 months
UN Online Volunteers Varies
What support does UNV provide?
• UNV will help partners identify appropriate UN Youth
Volunteer assignments.
• UNV will manage the selection process, choosing
candidates of the highest calibre that meet your
requirements.
• UNV will conduct the initial briefing of volunteers.
• UNV will provide volunteers with training before and
during their assignments.
• UNV will provide guidance to mentors for UN Youth
Volunteers during their assignments.
• UNV provides UN Youth Volunteers with post-assignment
career advice.
What types of assignments are there?
Financing UN Youth Volunteers
UN partners - UN Youth Volunteer hosting costs are
normally covered by the UN programme, agency, or
organization, except under full-funding arrangements,
as below. UN Youth Volunteer assignment costs vary
according to country, security costs, and other factors. For
latest costs please contact your local UNV representative.
There is no cost to engage youth through the UN Online
Volunteering platform.
Full-funding - Full-funding finances individual UN Youth
Volunteer posts in specific thematic/programme areas
and priority countries selected by a donor government
or institution. Funded volunteers can be national or
international UN Volunteers who are nationals of the
donor country or a country of the donor’s choosing.
Other programme financing mechanisms
Special Voluntary Fund (SVF) - SVF supports pilot and
innovative projects covering grass-roots development
initiatives, support to communities, women and youth
groups, thematic areas such as HIV/AIDS and emergency
preparedness. SVF is a general contribution fund made
up of voluntary contributions from governmental,
intergovernmental or non-governmental sources. The level
of contribution is determined by the donor and resources
are pooled, untied and treated as core resources.
The UNV Youth Volunteering Trust Fund - The UNV Youth
Volunteering Trust Fund receives donor contributions in
broad support of youth volunteerism or to support specific
country and/or global-level strategic priorities. The UNV
Youth Volunteering Trust fund is open to all donors.
Cost sharing - Cost sharing covers contributions to a
project or programme and can take the form of partial co-financing
through a third-party cost-sharing agreement,
the financing of an entire project through a third-party
cost-sharing agreement, or contribution to a trust fund.