https://www.unv.org/annual-report/annual-report-2024
All over the map
UNV has entered the final year of its 2022–2025 Strategic Framework with positive momentum. Despite the global development and humanitarian challenges, UNV remained steadfast and delivered.
These challenges demanded a proactive response to the needs of UN partners at a country level and, simultaneously, extra attention to the duty of care for UN Volunteers. UNV – in collaboration with its UN partners, Member States and civil society – is continually evolving to craft effective twenty-first century volunteer solutions.
UN Volunteers make a difference
UN Volunteers supported 59 UN partners in 169 countries and territories. The number of nationalities represented increased to 181 from the 173 represented in 2021, prior to the start of the current Strategic Framework. The increase has brought UNV a step closer in its collaborations with communities in countries across the entire United Nations membership and in eliminating the notion of “un-represented nationalities” among UN Volunteers. UNV has expanded the community reach and operational activities of the UN system.
Hundreds more participated as community UN Volunteers and refugee UN Volunteers. This demonstrated the combined commitment of UN partners and UNV to strengthen both the capacity of local volunteer talent and South-South cooperation in peace and development worldwide.
Statistical overview
UNV put in place a record-breaking number of 14,631 UN Volunteers, marking a 14 per cent increase from 2023 and a 77 per cent increase from pre-pandemic 2019. That growth demonstrated the strength of UNV’s partnerships across the UN system worldwide and the essential role of UN Volunteers in diverse field-related and technical roles.
The data from UNV’s Volunteer Reporting Application indicated that in 2024, UN Volunteers contributed to all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Of these, 27 per cent of UN Volunteers contributed to SDG 16 – peace, justice and strong institutions – reflecting a high number of UN Volunteers in fragile development contexts. This was followed by SDG 5, gender equality (23 per cent); SDG 3, good health and well-being (19 per cent); SDG 17, partnerships for the goals (17 per cent); and SDG 10, reduced inequalities (14 per cent). This is evidence of the breadth of UN Volunteers’ actions in fulfilling the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
UN Volunteers, in their opinion, mostly contributed to:
27%
23%
19%
17%
14%
The largest numbers of UN Volunteers in 2024 came from sub-Saharan Africa (4,428), Latin America and the Caribbean (3,347), Asia and the Pacific (2,074), the Arab States region (2,030), Western European and other States (1,646), and Europe and Central Asia (1,106).
People thrive through volunteering
The proportion of women UN Volunteers increased to 59 per cent, a 2 per cent growth from 2023. However, UNV continued to prioritize achieving gender parity in the UN peacekeeping and special political missions. The ratio of women in the five missions with the largest participation of UN Volunteers increased from 43 per cent before the current Strategic Framework began in 2021 to over 47 per cent in 2024. Those five missions were the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS); the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA); the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO); the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia (UNVMC); and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
In 2024, UNV continued to strive for organizational agility and operational efficiencies. UNV improved gender representation among its staff, leveraged digital solutions and strengthened its volunteer talent acquisition outreach.
The overall female-to-male staff distribution in UNV was 61 per cent to 39 per cent. At the leadership level, the Deputy Executive Coordinator is a woman; four of the six Regional Managers and 63 per cent of Country Coordinators also are women. Globally, UNV personnel represented 70 countries, with 76 per cent of them coming from the Global South, as compared to 73 per cent in 2023.
UNV works with partners on targeted initiatives
UNICEF
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) made opportunities to serve with UNV available to refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons and migrants from 20 to 32 years of age through the Youth on the Move Programme.
UNAMA
UNRCOs
Volunteers from all walks of life
The average age of UN Volunteers was 34, while the overall age range was from 18 to 79 years. In 2024 UNV reinforced its efforts to promote intergenerational and lifelong volunteering, supporting volunteers at all life stages. In 2024 there were 167 UN Volunteers 60 years of age and above. At the same time, 2,166 UN Volunteers from 18 to 26 years of age represent the commitment of UNV to youth.
Online volunteering
UN partners, Member States and civil society organizations posted 22,962 requests for Online Volunteers – a significant increase of nearly 65 per cent compared to the 14,025 queries in 2023. This points to UNV’s recognized ability to connect with the wide array of talent available virtually.
